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Hangzhou
 Hangzhou
has long been a famous tourist attraction. The
widely expressed Chinese saying-In Heaven there
is Paradise and on Earth there are Hangzhou and
Suzhou-and the words of Marco Polo who described
this place as "the most beautiful and magnificent
city in the world" have both helped to make
Hangzhou one of the most visited cities in the
entire country.
The history of Hangzhou spanned back
over 2000 years. It played an important role as
the southern end of the Grand Canal, which originally
went all the way across the mighty land to Beijing
and linked up the major trading centers alongside.
Hangzhou became one of the capitals of the Song
Dynasty when the imperial family moved here in
the 12th century. It's now the capital of Zhejiang
Province with a population of 6.1 million.
The West Lake is a huge circular fresh
water lake covering 3 km north-south and 3 km
east-west and is surrounded by hills on three
sides with the city on the fourth. Two causeways
cross the lake and three islands in stay in the
middle. There are numerous historical relics and
sights around the lake, including the famous Buddhist
Lingyin Temple.
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