Hangzhou

Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang province, about an hour from Shanghai by high-speed train, and it has been one of China's most admired cities for nearly a thousand years. It served as the capital of the Southern Song dynasty in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and its poets and painters celebrated the lake at its centre. The old saying that there is paradise above and Suzhou and Hangzhou below remains a favourite of the Chinese. Today the city is also a technology hub, home to some of China's biggest internet companies, which sit alongside the historic sights.

West Lake is the centrepiece and is a UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape. The lake is surrounded on three sides by wooded hills and crossed by causeways named after the poets Su Dongpo and Bai Juyi, with willows, small bridges, pavilions and islands. Boats take visitors across the water, and the paths around the shore are popular with walkers and cyclists. Leifeng Pagoda stands on the south shore, rebuilt in the twentieth century on the site of an earlier tower connected with the legend of the White Snake, and it offers a good view of the lake from the top.

The hills hold some of China's most important Buddhist sites. Lingyin Temple, founded in the fourth century, is one of the country's largest and busiest temples. Beside it, the Feilai Feng rock face is carved with hundreds of Buddhist figures dating from the tenth to the fourteenth centuries. The temple complex has several halls, and incense and chanting fill the air on festival days. Visits are best on weekday mornings, before the crowds.

Tea is the other great theme. Longjing, or Dragon Well, is a pan-fried green tea grown on the terraced hills around West Lake, and it is among the most famous teas in China. The leaves picked in early spring before the Qingming festival in April are the most prized. Villages such as Meijiawu and Longjing let visitors walk through the plantations, watch tea being fired in woks and taste the result at a farm tea house. A small tea museum in the hills explains the history and the grades of the leaf.

Other sights add variety. Hefang Street is a restored historic street with shops, snacks and traditional medicine stores. Xixi Wetland Park, on the western edge of the city, is a landscape of canals, reed beds and persimmon trees that can be explored by boat. The Grand Canal, the ancient waterway that runs up to Beijing, ends here, and the old canal quarter has been turned into a district of museums and cafés. In the evening, a large outdoor show on the lake combines light, water and music.

The seasons shape the visit. Spring brings fresh tea and blossom, and is the most popular time. Summer is hot and humid, with thunderstorms. Autumn is pleasant, with the scent of osmanthus flowers in September and October, and winter is cold and grey, although a dusting of snow on the lake's Broken Bridge makes a famous scene. Chinese public holidays are extremely crowded, so avoid them if you can.

Getting here is simple. High-speed trains run from Shanghai's Hongqiao station in about an hour, and Hangzhou East station is a short ride from the lake by metro or taxi. A private guide and driver is a practical choice for a day trip, since the sights are spread around the lake and the hills, and tickets, queues and language can be confusing.

Food is a reason to come in its own right. Hangzhou cuisine is light, fresh and slightly sweet. Signature dishes include West Lake fish in vinegar sauce, Dongpo pork, a slow-braised belly named after the poet and official Su Dongpo, shrimp stir-fried with Longjing tea leaves and beggar's chicken, baked in lotus leaves and clay. Tea houses serve fresh Longjing in glasses, and the leaves unfurl slowly in the water, a pleasure to watch. Silk has been made here for centuries, and markets and museums show the craft.

Think about where to base yourself. The lakeside area has the best views and the most hotels, with easy access to the shore paths and the evening show. The area around Hangzhou East station is practical for those who arrive by train, and the hills to the west are quieter, close to the tea villages and Lingyin Temple. Day-trippers from Shanghai can reach the lake in less than an hour from the station by metro or taxi, but an overnight stay lets you see the lake at dawn, when it is at its most atmospheric.

Plan at least a full day, preferably two. One day covers the lake, a temple and a tea village, and two days allow time for the wetland, the canal and a slower walk. Stay near the lake for the atmosphere and the evening views, and carry your passport for hotels, trains and sites.