Xinhua's Top 3 romantic travel destinations in China

The top three destination tips for the upcoming Valentine's Day according to Xinhuanet.com are Zhuhai, Hangzhou and Lijiang. I have been to two out of the three with the only exception being Lijiang and it is a huge regret which I intend to get rid of hopefully in the next year or two. Lijiang, from what friends who have gone there have told me, is simply awesome. Although Lijiang's position as one of China's top destinations have made it a lot more commercial than it used to be, the natural beauty of the place deserves a visit at least once in a lifetime. Romantic? According to friends who have gone there, absolutely.

I do not agree about Zhuhai, having lived there for a while as the place looks to me to be plastic and totally contrived. Yes, being next to the sea makes the climate wonderful but that's about it. You certainly do not find a place romantic just because the weather's great! Zhuhai is a nice place, but definitely not what I would consider as a romantic destination.

Hangzhou is beautiful city and there is enough of the old city to give it that romantic halo and I think it has the magical feeling one gets visiting ancient cities of romantic lore. Like Venice or Paris. Hangzhou still retains that old world charm, even though much of the new world has crept into it. But what "romantic" city in the world doesn't? A decent place with a lot of history and charm, but it doesn't have the attraction of Lijiang although Hangzhou stands heads and shoulders over Zhuhai on the romantic index. Until I do get to Lijiang and find out if it is way more amazing than I have heard or it has become no more than a romantic fairy tale.

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