Hangzhou

West Lake's every scenic spot has a poetic name and a tale associated with it. Any local can point a wandering visitor to the best spot to enjoy the dawn or the setting sun. The best way to appreciate it in all its splendor is to rent a bicycle and take a ride around.

About 80 km from Hangzhou city and just an easy hour bus ride away, Wu Zhen is a town where time passes without notice. More and more tourists have discovered the time-worn cobbled stone streets, crow-stepped gable, wooden doors and long, narrow alleys of Wu Zhen. Still, the life of the locals seem undisturbed. They still keep to their traditional customs, like drinking Sanbai Wine, making traditional maltose and sipping morning tea until 9.30 am, the same leisurely and pleasing way their great grandfathers did. With the newly created Wu Zhen International Theater Festival, the town shows also a touch of modern culture.

To immerse yourself into China's age-old tea tradition, visit the Longjing Tea Fields (or any of the other tea fields further to the west). Longjing is an exquisite variety of tea native to the region, and visitors will get a chance to sample the noble drink during a tea ceremony.

Bring time to the serene Fei Lai Feng mountain park and marvel at the area's hundreds of Buddha stone carvings, surrounded by lush greenery and an indescribable tranquil atmosphere. Much of the walk will entail hiking uphill to Lingyin Temple, so bring comfortable shoes.