A stone path climbing through wooded slopes in mist
Before the gates
The hillside paths, early, with the mist still sitting in the trees.
Simple bowls of vegetarian food set on a plain wooden table
A Vegetarian Table with the Monks of Hangzhou
Chinese writers have been coming to these hills to calm down for about a thousand years. The lake below gets the visitors. The slopes behind it are where the day actually goes.
- Duration
- One day, roughly 08:00 to 16:00
- Party
- Private, or a small group by arrangement
- From
- Enquire for pricing
- Best months
- March to May, and October to early December
Vegetables being prepared on a scrubbed wooden counter
The kitchen
No garlic, no onion, and far better than that suggests.
A set table with plain bowls and chopsticks
The table
Eaten in silence for the first few minutes, which is the custom.
The rule most visitors find surprising is the exclusion of garlic, onion and their relatives — held to stir up the body and the attention in ways that get in the way of practice.
What is left could be austere and is not. The kitchen builds depth from dried mushroom, fermented bean and long stock instead, and the result is quieter than restaurant cooking rather than poorer than it.
The first few minutes of the meal are eaten without conversation. It is a small thing and it changes how the food tastes.
Mist between wooded ridges
A stack of plain ceramic bowls
Steam rising from a pot in a simple kitchen
The day
- Walk the wooded slopes before the day visitors arrive
- Understand how the monastic diet works and why it excludes what it does
- Help in the kitchen, if you want to
- Eat a full vegetarian meal in its proper setting
- Spend an afternoon with nothing scheduled in it
Included
- Private host and interpreter for the full day
- Kitchen session and the meal
- Any admissions on the route
- Private vehicle and driver
- Not included: Accommodation
- Not included: Flights and intercity transport
- Not included: Personal spending
Questions
Why no garlic or onion?
The five pungent roots are traditionally held to agitate the mind and body and are left out of monastic cooking. The result is subtler than most visitors expect, and the kitchen compensates with mushrooms and fermented beans rather than heat.
Do I need to be religious?
Not at all. You are a guest at a meal. Your host explains what is customary so you are never guessing.
Is the walking demanding?
Around four kilometres on stone paths with a steady climb. Slower guests manage it comfortably with time; we can shorten it if needed.
Can I combine this with the silk day?
Yes, and it is a good pairing — one day busy with your hands, one quiet. Two nights in Hangzhou is enough for both.
Will there be other guests?
Only if you want them. The day is normally private to your party; we also run it as a small group when travellers ask to share, and we will tell you which applies to your dates.