Tourist Trap Alert! Hangzhou's Songcheng: Even Locals Say 'Nope!'
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You might as well go straight to Kaifeng. The Dasong Wuxia City (Great Song Martial Arts City) combo ticket is only 60 yuan, and you can even watch the 'Datiehua' (iron-striking fireworks performance) and a mock city siege.
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If you want to talk about the real Songcheng, it should be centered on the imperial palace ruins at the foot of Phoenix Mountain in Shangcheng District. Imagine a trail of authentic Southern Song historical sites: starting from Liuhe Pagoda in the southwest, going north past Baita Ridge, the Southern Song Imperial Kiln Museum, Bagua Tian (Eight Trigrams Field), Fantian Temple, the actual Southern Song Imperial Palace site at Phoenix Mountain's base, Laohudong Kiln Site, Liubu Bridge, the Imperial Ancestral Temple site, the Drum Tower, and finally Hefang Street. The key is to reconstruct the original Southern Song Imperial Palace. That's what would truly revitalize this whole cluster of historic locations.
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Wow, you're really dreaming big! Do you have any idea how many residential communities are in that area? The cost of demolition and relocation alone would be enough to build hundreds of those Songcheng theme parks.
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Huh? I remember visiting when I was very young, and it had a pretty strong ancient atmosphere. They even had 'casinos' and 'pleasure houses' (themed areas, of course!), and a 'Lost Ancient City' section. How did it end up like this?
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After all, it's a private enterprise designed to rake in cash.
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As a Hangzhou local, I think it's actually okay. If you skip the 'Romance of the Song Dynasty' show, the entrance fee isn't that expensive. Plus, I remember coming here for school trips in spring and autumn when I was a kid.
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I think it's quite good! It took me two visits to see all the performances. For the other parts, just strolling around and taking things in is perfectly fine – if you're not expecting too much, that is. However, I got in for 99 yuan. I guess those who feel really disappointed are the ones who paid full price and didn't think it was worth the money.
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So I guess locals probably wouldn't complain much, huh?
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Any lingering hope I had is now officially dead.
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I'm still torn between visiting Lu Xun's Former Residence in Shaoxing or Hangzhou's Songcheng.
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Give them a day, and you'll regret it for a thousand years.