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Foreign correspondence: April 20
STORY TOOLS 
More from TravelCasey Grimes, 23, is a native of Hampton, Va., and a graduate of Davidson College. She has lived in China almost two years and teaches English to adults at an immersion school in Hangzhou, about two hours south of Shanghai.
Q. The Olympics fever sweeping China: Has it reached Hangzhou?
A. It's all over. It's kind of funny: Everything the government is saying — like, this is China's chance to prove itself — people are repeating over and over. There's a big idea that great things will happen during the Summer Olympics. They have a lot of confidence going into this; there's a lot of national pride.
Q. Shanghai is one of the biggest cities in the world; is your town in its shadow?
A. The Chinese refer to Hangzhou as the "Paradise of China." It's famous for this big, man-made lake called West Lake. Supposedly Marco Polo came to Hangzhou back in the day, and said it was one of the most beautiful sights he ever saw. That story is told and retold.
Hangzhou is about 11 million people, but that's still somewhat small in China and it still is pretty.
Q. What's worthwhile to see and do?
A. Hangzhou is definitely a place for tourists, especially in the city center, where there are many buildings that date to the Song Dynasty (AD 960-1279). Hangzhou was the capital of China then, so many Chinese tourists come to think about history or get in touch with their Chinese roots. There are many beautiful parks with pagodas — especially on West Lake, which has a distinct Chinese feel.
— The Charlotte Observer
