"There is no paradise in the world except Hawaii". This is what one of the Hawaiian tourists said in the 1980's before seeing Hangzhou. But, after completing his tour of Hangzhou, the Hawaiian admitted, "There is, indeed, another paradise on earth."

That's true. Hangzhou's "heavenly" beauty attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors¡ªChinese as well as foreign¡ªto its graceful city and its exquisite West Lake each year. None of them will fail to like this paradise city. Actually, it came to fame as early as in ancient times. The popular saying "Above is paradise; below is Hangzhou" can be traced back over 1 000 years to the Tang Dynasty(618£­907). In the 13th century, the famous Italian traveler Marco Polo visited Hangzhou, which he described in his Travels as the "city of heaven". He added, "It is without doubt the finest and most splendid city in the world".