Special Supplement: Shanghai to Hangzhou in a blink

SHANGHAI: Qiao, 25, who works for a consulting firm in Shanghai, is pleased that he can now leave his car at home and hop into a high-speed train and be in Hangzhou in time for a morning meeting.

In fact, Qiao parks his car at home on Mondays and take the high-speed train that takes one and a half hours. He often meets with potential clients after taking the train.

Fang Xiling, a white-collar worker in his 20s who works for an IT company in Shanghai, also prefers the train nowadays. As a Hangzhou resident, he usually goes home on weekends just once every two weeks. Hangzhou, one of the seven ancient capitals in China, is successfully winning over a large number of Shanghai residents who pick the city as a weekend leisure destination.

Its scenic sites such as the Jade Emperor Hill, the graceful West Lake and Dragon Well and the elegant West Lake Dragon Well Tea, have given the city a reputation as the "back garden of Shanghai."

The city is abundant with historical remains of the Imperial City, Royal Temple and Guanyao Kiln (the official kiln) of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279 AD).

Qiao, who is from Shanghai, told China Daily that in comparison to Hangzhou, Shanghai is becoming less crowded during weekends, while the traffic in Hangzhou on Saturdays and Mondays is a reason to stay home.

"An increasing number of Shanghai inhabitants visit Hangzhou during the weekends," he said.

Still, it would take about three or four hours to drive a car from Shanghai to Hangzhou. Qiao and Fang share a similar concern:They have fewer options besides the railway.

But things are improving. In early December, the construction of an eight-lane expressway between Shanghai, Hangzhou and neighboring Ningbo of Zhejiang Province was completed.

Authorities also plan to launch electronic toll collection machines so cars won't have to stop to pay tolls, according to Xinhuanet.com.

The toll gates will be located in Jiaxing, Hangzhou, Shaoxing and Ningbo and they're each equipped with a system called "ETC" or electronic toll charge.

In addition, the automobiles would need an electronic device the size of a cigarette box attached to the windshield.

This new technology automatically deducts tolls using a prepaid system connected to the car owners' bank account.

Manned lanes will remain to help those without the new devices. This could also help tourism.

Hangzhou is called a "city of leisure." There are dozens of tea places around the West Lake where people could enjoy nature and tea at the same time.

In fact, Yao Ming, the Houston Rockets star, posed for wedding pictures in Lin'an and at the nearby Qingshan Lake.

(China Daily 12/20/2007 page19)