A view from the top

Hangzhou and West Lake

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March 22nd 2007
We decided to take a trip to Hangzhou, a historic city 2.5 hours south of Suzhou. When Marco Polo visited this city, he called it the most beautiful place on earth. ¡°Above there is heaven, below, there is Hangzhou and Suzhou.¡± Hangzhou also has a grand canal that conveniently links this centralized city to the north, Bejing. Parts of the grand canal were constructed in the 5th century BC. ... read more

Asia » China » Jiangsu » Suzhou

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For centuries China stood as a leading civilization, outpacing the rest of the world in the arts and sciences, but in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the country was beset by civil unrest, major famines, military defeats, and foreign occupation. A... ... read more