Hangzhou Has More Than West Lake: Discover Xianghu Lake, Much Bigger — and I’d Never Even Been!

It’s a short hop from Shanghai to Hangzhou, but I’ve never thoroughly explored it. I’ve visited West Lake a few times, but Xianghu Lake was a first. As West Lake’s sister lake, Xianghu has gradually developed its own unique tourism resort area, encompassing five scenic zones: Xiangpu, Hushang, Chengshan, Yuelou, and Kuahuqiao.

We went to Yuxianghu International Health City for a wellness retreat. I’ve been on plenty of vacations, but this was my first with the goal of wellness. For someone like me who stays up late but drinks goji berries, it couldn’t be more fitting.

Yuxianghu International Health City is on Xianghu Road, about a half-hour drive from Hangzhou Station, while Hangzhou East Station is a bit farther. The whole complex is made up of one central hub and four major parts: a health management center, a scientific check-up center, a medical aesthetics center, an innovative medical science center, and a wellness resort center.

Checking in at the wellness resort front desk, we were offered a cup of wellness tea while waiting—a warm jujube tea I really liked. I booked a haze-free king room. Rumor had it that a celebrity named Jacky Heung was also staying that day, but I didn’t spot him. It seems there’s a chance of bumping into a star here, and I can’t help but feel a little excited about that.

The room featured simple Chinese design, with a sofa by the window perfect for reading. I was lucky to tour a few different room types, including family rooms and two-bedroom suites. Whether you’re traveling solo or with family, there’s a suitable room for you.

After resting for a while in the room, I went downstairs to enjoy the hotel’s afternoon tea. It was a Western-style birdcage filled with savory and sweet treats, paired with Chinese wellness tea. Outside the window, a light rain fell over Hangzhou, making the tea break feel wonderfully relaxed.

After afternoon tea, I toured the check-up center, the medical aesthetics center, and the scientific innovation center, all staffed by professional expert teams. The waiting areas were also very comfortable, with both Chinese and Western styles, so even the waits weren’t hard to endure.

At the health management center, we did a LIFE test that can screen thousands of sub-health indicators—all it took was lying on this large ‘massage chair’ for 20 minutes. Depending on your health status, different items are marked yellow or red; red means it’s more serious, yellow means you need to be cautious. Looking at my report, there were quite a few red and yellow markers. Then a health program expert went over my report one-on-one, guiding me on what to pay attention to. The expert advised me to eat a bit less, avoid staying up late, and not get upset.

It could also detect allergens, revealing that I’m not allergic to other things but am indeed allergic to alcohol. The check-up center here is perfect for companies to come for a wellness retreat combined with health check-ups—that would make a pretty good employee perk.

After the LIFE test, I felt a bit uneasy, but faced with the hotel’s lavish dinner, I just couldn’t resist. There were cherry tomatoes filled with mayonnaise, chicken prepared with cordyceps mushrooms, sautéed beef cubes with king oyster mushrooms, and various mushrooms in a golden broth—both rich and light at the same time.

After dinner and a short rest, let’s hit the gym for a bit. Just burn off a few calories—the guest room building has a self-service gym on the ground floor where you can run on the treadmill or ride the stationary bike anytime.

After sweating it out at the gym, I returned to my room for a shower and some phone time. I decided to follow the expert’s advice and go to bed early. The curtains are electrically controlled—just press the switch by the bed.

The morning called for full energy. My favorite part is breakfast, and I look forward to a hotel’s breakfast buffet even more than its dinner buffet. The breakfast restaurant is right next to the front desk, with a full spread of vegetables, bread, fruit, as well as freshly made noodles and wontons. Since this is a wellness trip, you need to get up early and eat a proper breakfast.

Bicycles are available for rent at the hotel. If you want some exercise, you can rent one and cycle to Xianghu Lake. Because it was raining, we drove instead. The rain made Xianghu especially peaceful, and with Spring Festival approaching, many shops along the streets were closed. Xianghu’s green area spans 2 million square meters, and the air is rich in negative oxygen ions. On a fine day, it’s a great place for cycling.

Seeing Xianghu in the rain left me longing for more; I can’t wait to see it on a sunny day.

Back at the hotel, it was time for our scheduled wellness session. We went to the wellness center, filled with the scent of Chinese herbs, to experience massage and a jade energy room. The wellness center combines Chinese herbal diagnosis, wellness therapies, traditional Chinese culture, and qigong practice to offer medical-grade wellness services.

The wellness center has areas for traditional cultural wellness, qigong wellness, a wellness lecture hall, and a Chinese medicine zone. Since I spend long hours in front of a computer, the consultant recommended a shoulder and neck massage. I changed into special clothing and received a 30-minute massage. It was really comfortable—though the pressure was a bit firm, I felt much clearer and more refreshed afterward. The therapist also suggested I could buy moxibustion equipment and do it myself at home.

After the massage, we went to the jade energy room. Unlike the usual wet steam baths, the jade energy room is more of a dry sauna. After a while, I started to sweat a little, and the sweat here didn’t have that unpleasant odor.

After the massage and jade energy room, we went to the restaurant for the wellness meal specially prepared by the hotel, tailored to your body constitution. Mine included braised beef brisket with radish, sautéed shrimp with green beans, stir-fried vegetables, sweet potato, and fruit, plus a pot of wellness soup. For a woman’s appetite, the portion of this wellness set meal was quite generous.

This two-day, one-night wellness trip came to an end. People say health is the foundation of everything. The experience at Yuxianghu International Health City is not just a one-time check-in on your body, but a consciousness of health that drives us to eat healthy and enjoy life. A healthy body can’t be bought with money or traded for time. Only by maintaining healthy habits and balanced nutrition daily, trying foods you don’t like, and forcing yourself to go for a walk when you’d rather not move, can you avoid sitting still all day.