When I say “I’m going to Yunnan”, even super well-travelled people look quizzical. “Where’s that?” they ask, and fair enough too. After all, when people think of China their minds instantly click to the Greatest Sino Hits… adorable pandas, the Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, The Bund, the Summer Palace, Forbidden City and maybe even…

For the China-wary, Hangzhou, a mere 45-minute fast train ride from Shanghai, is the perfect place to go – it’s clean, spacious, and within cooee of pretty green spaces. It’s been a tourist attraction since the Tang dynasty (618–907), although arguably, with a population now of over 9 million, it’s not quite as peaceful as it was in Marco Polo’s day. Nestled on the gorgeous West Lake (西湖) and surrounded by bucolic hills, lush forests, and tea plantations, Hangzhou really is dreamy…

There are plenty of reasons to be drawn to Sichuan (pandas, that food, the local opera style, natural beauty and glimpses of Tibetan culture spring to mind), but honestly, you could ditch the sight-seeing completely, decamp to a teahouse, sit with the locals, break out the melon seed snacks and be totally happy…