Owen Fishwick, from the United Kingdom

With its legendary West Lake, classic cuisine and richness in silk, Hangzhou was at the top of my list of places to visit when I arrived in China almost three years ago. And it didn’t disappoint. 

Stepping of the carriage at Hangzhou train station for a three-day stay during Spring Festival, I told my taxi driver one of the few Chinese words I knew at the time, "Xihu" (West Lake). He knew exactly where to take me, and within a few short minutes I was standing on the lake’s shore, staring across the calm water at the ancient bridges and pagodas in the distance. 

Over the next three days I got a real taste of Chinese culture, history and cuisine. It was the perfect introduction to China for me, and a time that I will remember fondly for many years to come.

An aerial view of the Gongchen Bridge over the Grand Canal, also known as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, in Hangzhou city, East China's Zhejiang province, July 8, 2016.[Photo/IC]