Story: Oh You, Hangzhou

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Our third city in China became a solid favorite. Not hard to understand why Marco Polo called it the “finest and most splendid city in the world” (at the time). We arrived in Hangzhou with little knowledge and no expectations and left with fond memories of boat rides, garden walks, forest hikes and ice cream. We devoted long days to exploring West Lake, a massive, central park area ringed by the city’s diverse boroughs–from quiet, colonial-era neighborhoods to the bustling, modern downtown. Our hotel was north of the lake, across from a park inhabited at all hours by locals—playing, exercising, performing music, socializing. We became fond of drinking Longjing tea and watching children play with sticks; of whiling away entire afternoons strolling the lake’s causeways in search of—at most, a shady bench. Following the example set by locals, our minds and bodies learned to slow down in Hangzhou, inspiring us to make more time for “slow living” when we returned home. Strolls, naps, tea, idle sitting…

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