Less than an hour away from frenetic Shanghai by train, Hangzhou was the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty during the 13th century. Today, it's a flourishing metropolis, rich in temples, tea, and  natural beauty. Over the past few years, Hangzhou has spiffed up its tourist areas and is in the middle of a boom in resorts and high-end hotels.

Hangzhou is an important cultural center and particularly known for the spectacular scenery it offers its visitors. Tourists can stroll the nine miles of pagoda-dotted paths and humpbacked bridges within the city's main attraction, West Lake. This is where the real-life Chinese versions of Romeo and Juliet-immortalized in a popular local opera, The Butterfly Lovers, studied together during the Tang Dynasty. Dawn is an especially evocative time of day, when elders practice tai chi and walk their birds in the early morning mist. The evening sound-and-light show, Impressions of West Lake, features almost 300 performers who seem to walk on water but are actually supported by a platform just beneath the water's surface. The extravaganza is produced by movie director Zhang Yimou, who also directed the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony.

Back on land, tourists can explore Hangzhou by hopping one of the 20,000 red bikes available from the public bike network at 800 rental points around the city.
Hangzhou's many monasteries and temples, mostly grouped in a protected area to the west of the lake, welcome pilgrims from across the country. Tourists can join the monks for daily afternoon prayers at Lingyin (Soul's Retreat) Temple, founded in the fourth century.

Dragon Well (Longjing) green tea, one of the most famous of Chinese teas, has been cultivated in the hills around Hangzhou for hundreds of years. The China National Tea Museum, set among tea plantations at the base of these hills, offers a clear overview of the country's national brew: from origins and history to production and preparation. Not far from the museum, in the tea-producing . hamlets of Longjing Village and Meijiawu Vil­lage, locals still process tea the traditional way, by drying the freshly plucked leaves in huge pans, before selling it to tourists.
Another museum in Hangzhou, devoted to the region's products, is the National Silk Museum.

Like Marco Polo has stated centuries ago, Hangzhou is one of the most beautiful places in the world.

Tainan, the fifth largest city in Taiwan is full of historic buildings mostly because it used to be the former capital of the island in Imperial times.

The most famous of Tainan's multitude of temples is the First Confucian School, built in the 17th century. Although it has been reconstructed and enlarged several times over the last centuries, the compound contains the most complete set of temple buildings and altars. Tseng Chen-Yang Mu is worth a visit for its Ming Dynasty tombs.

Chikan Tower (Providentia Fort) and Anping Fort (originally called Orange Fort and then Fort Zeelandia) were forts built by the Dutch in the 17th century. The Anping Fort has wide views over the ocean and coastline. The Anping district is very famous for its beautiful  small streets with traditional little houses with symbols and shrines to ward off evil spirits.

Hsien Cheng-Huang Miao, Tainan Fu Cheng-Huang Miao and Anping Chen Cheng-Huang Miao are stunningly beautiful temples dedicated to the city god Chen­Huang. 
Another shrine worth visiting on your trip to Tainan  includes Koxinga's Temple. 

Tainan is also famous for its snack food and its night markets, and is sometimes known as the city of snacks.