"Impression West Lake" is a rare flash of the spectacular in 2,200-year-old Hangzhou, which has little dazzle compared to the imperial splendor of Beijing, the stylish, shock-of-the-new of Shanghai or the glittery, shop-till-you-drop energy of Hong Kong. Its charms are slower, more traditional.

For years, Hangzhou has been famous for producing the finest green tea in China. Its specialty, Dragon Well green tea, is grown on small, family-run plots just west of the city around Long Jing village, which also hosts the China Tea Museum. Tea is harvested several times a year, but the finest tea comes in the spring. Hand-picked and hand-roasted, unfermented Dragon Well spring tea is made from long, delicate green leaves and has a fresh, slightly grassy, pleasantly aromatic quality.

Almost as good is sipping tea in one of the many villas-turned-teahouses that hem West Lake. Some teahouses use tea leaves in cooking and feature local specialties: locally caught West Lake fish coated in vinegar; fried shrimp cooked with tea leaves, which are believed to absorb cooking oil and make meals easy to digest.

Hangzhou is easily reached by air from Japan and other Chinese cities. The most enjoyable way to get there is by express train. The non-stop train from Shanghai takes 78 minutes and costs 64 RMB ($9) each way. Zipping past farms and villages at 105 miles an hour to tradition-minded Hangzhou, it's a futuristic ride into China's past.