Hangzhou

Marco Polo visited Hangzhou in 1290 and was so overwhelmed by the beauty of theXi Hu, or West Lake, that he transcribed, and thus popularized, a famous Chinese saying “Shang you tiantang, xia you Suhang,”which means “in heaven there is paradise, on earth there is Su[zhou] and Hang[zhou].” Chinese now like to call Hangzhou “Paradise on Earth”. It’s a lofty nickname, but a visit to Hangzhou does provide a lovely, if not peaceful, alternative to the hustle and bustle of Shanghai and other larger Chinese cities.