I have just been told that next year I’ll be going to study in the beautiful lakeside city of Hangzhou, on the eastern seaboard side of China!

To convince you all that you should come and visit me in sunny China, I thought I’d post some fun things about the “small city” of 2.5 million people that is Hangzhou. Also, you can get Facebook in China. So no excuses.

1. It rarely gets below 4 degrees in Hangzhou

Hangzhou has a very mild climate by Chinese standards. Forget Beijing, Hangzhou has balmy summers and barely cold winters. Plus, it’s super close to the beach! Summer is around 30 degrees and it rarely snows in winter.

2. Scenery

The beautiful West Lake is a UNESCO World Heritage listed site. It not only has it’s own cultural square, it has inspired hundreds of paintings. Hangzhou also has the Jade Springs and the world’s largest tidal bore races up the Qiantang river. And, as a final scenic drawcard, the housing development of Tianducheng has a subscale replica of the Eiffel Tower. Who needs to go to France anyway?

3. Culture things

Interestingly, Hangzhou houses two national museums: the National Silk Museum and the National Tea Museum. There’s also a Zhejiang Provincial Museum. But personally I’m keen for the tea museum – bring on the oolong! Hangzhou also houses the Yue Opera, the second-largest opera company in China.

4. Food!

Hangzhou is the foundation of the Zhejian cuisine, one of China’s eight fundamental cuisines. Who can go past dishes like “West Lake Vinegar Fish”, “Beggar’s Chicken” and “Sister Song’s Fish Soup”? According to Wikipedia, locals describe the cuisine as “fresh, tender, soft and smooth, with a mellow fragrance”.

5. It specialises in making tea!

Tea is the most important part of Hangzhou’s economy and culture! Hangzhou makes Longjing tea, and the best type is Xi Hu which is grown in (you guessed it!) Xi Hu, Hangzhou. They also specialise in making Chinese hand-held folding fans. Because no visit to China is complete without one of these souvenirs.

So basically I now expect lots of visitors next year, because this is just five small reasons why you should come visit Hangzhou. Also, expect lots of post spam next year.