HANGZHOU is opening its arms to foreigners next week. The city’s annual International Day invites foreigners to experience one of seven-day trips covering everything from silk and tea to cuisine and gorgeous landscapes.

Best of all, it’s free.

“We want to create an international city in the new age,” says Mayor Zhang Hongming. “And International Day is an important way of spreading the word about our wonderful city.”

Now in its sixth year, nearly 1,000 foreigners living and working in Hangzhou have participated in the government sponsored International Day. They include those in a wide range of profession from consuls and entrepreneurs to professors and artists.

The free tour on October 22 gives participants a chance to immerse themselves in various aspects of Chinese culture although some events have a cross-over appeal. For example, one stop allows guests to compare red wine with Zhejiang yellow wine and Italian spaghetti with local noodles.

The day has been divvied up into seven routes including one along the Grand Canal, which earlier this year became a World Cultural Heritage site.

A maximum of 30 foreigners will be invited on each route. Note that all trips include the opening ceremony and a “tocha” game, a pastime based on the identification of different types of tea.

Tocha is a Japanese word, and a game revolving around assessing the quality of various teas offered. It’s a friendly contest in which players taste a number of teas and attempt to guess where each originated. All guests will get to sample several teas.

Lunch and transportation will be provided. Foreigners who are interested in participating can send an e-mail to shpz2014@126.com or call (0571) 8510-0186.

Cruise in style

Start by attending the opening ceremony of International Day before taking a leisurely cruise on an ancient-style boat along the Grand Canal and ending the day with a stop at the Workmanship Demonstration Pavilion.

The opening ceremony will take place at a Confucian temple and all participants are invited.

The canal cruise begins near Gongchen Bridge, a century-old stone bridge still in use today. Note both the traditional houses along the river and the modern skyscrapers now so common in Chinese cities.

A stop at the pavilion gives foreigners a chance to see how traditional umbrellas, fans, scissors and cheongsams are made. Craftsmen showcase skills that have been passed down for generations.

Digging in the dirt

This trip allows guests to get
their hands dirty at a farm before ending the day examining calligraphy and paintings.

First up is a stop at a 900-year-old farm known as Eight Trigram Field, which is the shape of an octagon divided into eight segments, each containing one trigram symbol that represents concepts such as fate.

The farm was established by a Song Dynasty (1127-1279) emperor who settled in Lin’an, present-day Hangzhou, making it the temporary capital of the imperial court. Though he enjoyed a lavish life, the emperor wanted to show respect to the locals who worked as farmers. So he had the field built so he could also farm crops.

Each trigram featured a different crop. When the emperor worked on his land, drapes were hung around the perimeter and soldiers were dispatched to protect him. However, locals later learned the emperor was merely showing up at the field while his servants did all the work.

Upon discovering this, locals stopped trusting the emperor and he stopped visiting the farm. Nevertheless, the field was retained and is still used by local farmers today.

Guests will be invited to plant sweet potatoes with the help of farmers.

The day ends with a stop at Henglu Art Museum, which boasts a nice collection of Chinese calligraphy works and paintings.

Silky smooth tales

Hangzhou is famous for silk. Guests on this tour will stop at the China National Silk Museum, which details the history of Chinese silk. An ongoing exhibit displays numerous silk garments that were exported to the West centuries ago. Visitors can also make do-it-yourself silk crafts.

After visiting the museum, participants will be taken to the only remaining factory in the world producing thick silk known as hang luo, which is a world intangible cultural heritage.

The green tour

Stops at Qiantang River, the Environment Protection Education Pavilion and Tianziling Eco Park showcase the city’s efforts in trying to protect the environment.

The Qiantang River features a 5-kilometer dike that has been painted with stories about the city.

Tianziling Eco Park is another illustration of the city’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. The park used to be the city’s largest landfill. Now it features cherry trees and tea plants. Chickens, ducks and pigs are raised at the park.

Art and design

This trip suits art fans because it takes visitors to a collection of sculptures along Qiantang River and then to a campus designed by Wang Shu, the winner of the 2013 Pritzker Prize, often referred to as the Nobel of architecture.

At the end of the trip, visitors will be taken to Phoenix International Creative Park, where design firms and art studios have congregated in the former factories.

Head to the countryside

This little outing stops in Shen’ao, a village with more than 140 houses made in either the Ming (1368-1644) or Qing (1644-1911) dynasties. Notice the irrigation and drainage system, which was built centuries ago yet is still in use.

Next up is Dipu Village, which boasts numerous pavilions and archways built in either the Ming or Qing dynasties. It’s also a gorgeous village due to the thousands of flowers planted by villagers.

End the day in Luci Village, a watertown featuring clear streams and fresh air as well as traditional houses, bridges and lanes.

Happy bellies

Start with a visit to the China Hangzhou Cuisine Museum, which features silica gel replicas of 400 Hangzhou dishes, enough to get those gastric juices flowing and the tummy rumbling. There’s also a display of pots, pans and bowls unearthed in Hangzhou over the years. Don’t miss the artwork on Hangzhou culinary culture.

Lunch is at the museum’s restaurant. The trip ends with dinner at Weizhuang, a restaurant specializing in Hangzhou cuisine.