Couples have their wedding photos taken on the West Lake, in Hangzhou.

Many Beijingers are curious to find out where I come from because of my southern accent. When I tell them my hometown is Hangzhou, they look puzzled and ask: "Why did you come to Beijing?"

According to a famous Chinese saying, heaven is above; below are Hangzhou and Suzhou.

The capital of East China's Zhejiang province, two hours' drive from busy Shanghai, is green and beautiful. Its most famous scenic spot is the West Lake. Actually, there are 36 West Lakes across the country, but Hangzhou's West Lake is undoubtedly the best.

There is a classical saying in Chinese, that says a rainy West Lake is better than a cloudy one, it looks splendid with snow and even better at night. This means, whatever the weather, you won't be disappointed by the scenery.

The most remarkable era of the city's history was during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), when the capital was moved from Kaifeng in Henan province to Hangzhou, after the defeat of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) at the hands of the Jin Dynasty (1115-1234).

The emperor was so comfortable among the natural beauty of Hangzhou that he lost his appetite for fighting. To make things worse, he spent thousands of gold bars to trade peace with the Jin Dynasty. Consequently, Hangzhou was blamed for what happened. In my opinion, you shouldn't blame a beautiful place or woman for your own failings.