Hangzhou’s appeal extends well beyond its poetic scenery. Often dubbed the Silicon Valley of China, it’s home to rising tech and robotics firms such as DeepSeek, which share the skyline with centuries-old pagodas — and sleek cafes that serve Longjing tea lattes.
Just an hour away by high-speed rail lies Suzhou, often called China’s Venice of the East. Here, its own Jinji Lake offers a scenic complement to the city’s classical gardens, while traditional boats still ply its canals. Nearby, Yangcheng Lake yields a prized seasonal delicacy: The famed hairy crab.
