Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang Province, is a city of legendary beauty. In China it is often said: ‘In heaven there is Paradise; on Earth Suzhou and Hangzhou.’ It is with some trepidation that one visits such a place for the possibilities of disappointment are legion. But Hangzhou does not disappoint: its famous West Lake presents a spectacle of serene, haunting beauty.
Some of China’s greatest poets have frequented the lake’s islands, and their lines are inscribed upon some of the rocks.
Hangzhou is vast and much of it is featureless in the way of many modern cities. But the West Lake redeems everything else: the area around it must count as one of the most beautiful urban environments in the world.
