19th November: Hangzhou, China

According to Marco Polo, the Hangzhou of his day was “without a doubt the finest and most splendid city in the world”. Much can be said of his veracity as a historical source; however, Chinese proverbs agree that “there is Heaven above, and Suzhou and Hangzhou below”. Today, the best-preserved area of ancient Hangzhou is around the peaceful Xihu (West Lake).

Even on a grey and chilly November Tuesday, with pointy-elbowed retirees out in strong numbers, it still felt a calming place to be. Willows and oaks hung over the banks, drooping to touch the water and frame the horizon of islands and hilltop pagodas. We took it very easy today, as we’d planned to for the next week or two. Even after 13 and a half hours sleep (yes, I can and do sleep for that long), I was still tired! Coffee on the way perked me up and we walked the eastern and northern shores, some of which along the ancient artificial causeways and over half-moon bridges. West Lake has very little outflow but what there is runs out in to the Grand Canal system, which stretches an astonishing 1,700 km northwest from here to Luoyang and Beijing. In that sense, this feels like the southern end of Imperial China.

Sunset in eastern China is currently before 5pm and it was already getting dark by 4 with today’s thick cloud. We headed off to find some warmth and food. There was another vegan buffet fairly nearby and we knew we were in a good spot when we saw the dishes on offer and the monks in the line. They had dozens of types of tofu and vegetables, but my highlights were yam, battered mushrooms, soy dumplings, pear and jujube compote, and mango jelly. So good and just what we needed! Now, for another 13 hours sleep…