Very close to Shanghai and less than an hour away by high speed rail, Hangzhou is a beautiful place gifted with stunning natural scenery and fertile soil. It is the land of my forefathers and hence my father would bring me there to visit the place my grandfather called home once in a while. This place has undergone huge transitions over the past 3000 years, once being the ancient capital of the nation.
Today, it is a bustling hub for commerce and information technology. The home to my ancestors is also home to Jack Ma, the internet mogul who owns Alibaba. Just an hour away from the serene hills are 6-lane roads that crisscross a newly paved urban landscape. If you want to see this place before its take over by concrete, go now.