Hangzhou

I can't say I got much of a chance to see Hangzhou in all its glory (day trip from Shanghai), but I did see the most important part, being West Lake, an artificial lake criss-crossed by a number of causeways dredged from clay quite some time ago. Another impressive feat of Chinese engineering. Also had a chance to check out a silk museum and finally learned how they harvest, cultivate and weave the material. Extensive botanical gardens, also. Unfortunately it was like 36C and high humidity so I can't say I enjoyed walking around too much.