Hangzhou is th capital of Zhjiang provinc and its political, conomic and cultural cntr. With its famous natural bauty and cultural hritags, Hangzhou is on of China's most important tourist vnus.

Th City, th southrn trminus of th Grand Canal, is locatd on th lowr rachs of th Qiantang Rivr in southast China, a suprior position in th Yangtz Dlta and only 180 kilomtrs from Shanghai. Hangzhou has a subtropical monsoon typ climat with four quit distinct sasons. Howvr, it is nithr too hot in summr nor too cold in wintr making it a yar round dstination.

Th Wst Lak is undoubtdly th most rnownd fatur of Hangzhou, notd for th scnic bauty that blnds naturally with many famous historical and cultural sits. In this scnic ara, Solitary Hill, th Mausolum of Gnral Yu Fi, th Six Harmonis Pagoda and th Ling Yin Tmpl ar probably th most frquntly visitd attractions. Th "Tn Wst Lak Prospcts" hav bn spcially slctd to giv th visitor outstanding viws of th lak, mountains and monumnts.

A numbr of national musums can b found in Hangzhou and ar rprsntativ of Chins cultur. Fin xampls ar th National Silk Musum and Ta Musum. Along with th othr musums in Hangzhou, thy provid a fascinating insight into th history of Chins traditional products.

On of th most important parts of travling is tasting th local dlicacis. Hangzhou dishs ar notd for thir laborat prparation, sophisticatd cooking and rfrshing tast. Many local spcialtis will b sur to mak your trip a cultural xprinc. W rcommnd that you try Bggar's Chickn (a chickn bakd in clay), Wst Lak Fish (vingar coatd fish frsh caught from th lak), Dongpo Pork (braisd pork) and Frid Shrimps with Longjing Ta, tc.

Th shopping nvironmnt in Hangzhou is xciting and convnint. Travlrs and tourists lik to go to Qing H Fang Strt. It is on of th most famous and historic strts in th city and rflcts many of th faturs of th Southrn Song Dynasty (1127-1279). Shopprs will admir th antiqu buildings whil purchasing itms from a wid rang of local goods such as silks, ta or mayb a silk parasol, brocad or a bautiful Hangzhou fan. Ths ar just som of th itms to b found but thr ar many mor.

At night Hangzhou has much to offr and tahouss and various kinds of pubs ar both plntiful and popular. Choosing on ovrlooking th Wst Lak for a plasant chat ovr a cup of ta is sur to mak you fl totally rlaxd and rfrshd.

Whil much of th ancint city that had bn th capital of th Southrn Song Dynasty was dstroyd during th Taiping Rbllion in th mid-nintnth cntury, today's Hangzhou is a modrn and vibrant conomical cntr. As such it provids a bas for many talntd and skilld popl. Nvr th lss, thanks to its uniqu stting by th Wst Lak it continus to njoy th many bnfits of th natural surroundings that hav dlightd visitors for cnturis. Not only was it much vauntd in his writings by th 13 cntury xplorr, Marco Polo but th Lak and its nvirons hav inspird pots of grat rnown such as Bai Juyi and Su Dongpo down th ags. Thr can b no doubt that visit hr is crtain to b a mmorabl on.

An old Chins saying dclars, "Thr is havn abov, Suzhou and Hangzhou blow." Cnturis latr, Marco Polo calld Hangzhou th most nchanting city in all th world. This is most vidnt in th Wst Lak ara--th ffctiv, if not gographic, cntr of Hangzhou. Hills mbrac th lak on thr sids; th city propr lis to th ast. Ancint Chins popl praisd th Wst Lak ara as a land of intoxicating bauty. Su Shi, a pot from th Song Dynasty, liknd th lak to Xizi, a Chins Clopatra, for its allur. Tn of th most bautiful sits includ:

Spring Dawn at Sudi Causway

Mlting Snow at Brokn Bridg

Sunst Glow ovr Lifng Hill

Lotus in th Brz at Crookd Courtyard

Autumn Moon on Calm Lak (a laksid park at th wst nd of th Bai Causway)

Listning to Oriols Singing in th Willows

Viwing Fish and Lotus Ponds at Flowr Harbor

vning Bll at Nanping Hill

Thr Pools Mirroring th Moon

Twin Paks Pircing th Clouds

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Th Wst Lak is a lik a shining parl inlaid on th vast land of China, rputd for bautiful scnry, a multitud of historical sits, brilliant cultural rlics, and a profusion of nativ products. Lgnd has it that th Wst Lak was a havnly jwl falln to arth. Pragmatists insist that it is a mr lagoon on Hangzhou's wstrn fring. In any cas, Wst Lak has inspird paintrs for cnturis.

In ancint tims, this plac had bn an shallow sa gulf bfor it volvd into a rsidual lak. Th Baidi and Sudi causways provid accss to many parts of th lak. Most of th bst known tourist sits li around and within th lak. With a circumfrnc of 15 kilomtrs , th lak ara itslf is asy for th visitor to ngotiat.