In the minds of the Chinese, the city of Hangzhou in present-day Zhejiang Province has long held its status as a near paradise on earth. There is even an ancient expression still well-known today -"Shang you Tiantang, xia you Su Hang" - which literally translates as "Above there is heaven, on earth there are Suzhou and Hangzhou."

   Centuries ago, when that phrase was created, the city was the cultural star of China, the birthplace of innumerable scholars and artists, and even the bustling capital under the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279).

   While the West Lake, Solitary Hill, Protecting Chu Pagoda, and other natural and man-made features of Hangzhou are the main sources of the city's reputation, its celebrated food cannot be overlooked. Hangzhou cooking is the most famous school of Zhejiang cuisine, one of China's eight main culinary traditions. Hangzhou food has had a significant influence on the development of Shanghai cooking and is recognized as one of the healthiest and most sophisticated types of cuisine in this country.

   The city's gastronomic reputation goes back to when it was the cultural and culinary center of China. Marco Polo visited Hangzhou sometime between 1276 and 1292, a trip that inspired a gushing entry in his diary in which clearly describes an elegant restaurant open for public parties and other events. Polo's awe is easy to understand, for similar businesses would not open in Europe for hundreds of years.

   Nowadays, restaurants in Hangzhou enjoy a nationwide reputation. Eateries serving Hangzhou-style food are fixtures in major Chinese cities, particularly Shanghai, as a new generation of diners are wooed by the cuisine's light, complex flavors, healthiness and emphasis on fresh ingredients.

   A real sense of history is another pleasure of a Hangzhou meal, as many of the classic dishes have changed little from their ancient origins. One such dish is dongpo rou, a type of stewed pork named after its creator, the 11th century master poet Su Dongpo (also known as Su Shi). Su referred to himself as "the old gourmand" and is still recognized nearly as much for his gastronomical gusto, love of wine, and influential and delicious culinary creations as for his poetry.

Weng Shangyi roasts Dragon Well Leaves

   Done well, dongpo rou is worthy of his name and certainly one of the most delectable dishes in the Hangzhou pantheon. To make it, chunks of fatty pork are steamed in a sauce of rice wine, soy sauce and sugar for several hours, rendering them deep reddish brown, richly flavored and melt-in-the-mouth tender. Su said the dish could only be made with the premium pork raised in the Hangzhou area, which inspired him to pen the poem "In Praise of Pork."

   The lake, the canals and the nearby ocean guarantee fish, shrimp and other seafood as staples in Hangzhou cuisine. Perhaps the most famed fish dish in this school of cooking is xihu cuyu, or West Lake fish, in which a fresh fish is cut in half from head to tail, delicately poached and then served eyes-up and topped with a sharp sweet and sour, vinegar-based sauce. Tradition calls for use of grass carp, or caoyu, for the dish, which are readily available around the country, although Hangzhou gourmands would say that the dish is best with fish actually plucked from the West Lake.

   Another of Hangzhou's famed products is tea, particularly chrysanthemum tea and legendary Dragon Well, or longjing tea, considered the finest green tea grown in this country. An enjoyably different way to savor this tea is in the Hangzhou specialty longjing xiaren, or shrimp stir-fried with Dragon Well tea. Fresh, plump shrimp are shelled, stir-fried and then coated in a light, translucent sauce highlighted by leaves of the precious tea that imbue the whole dish with subtle flavor and fragrance.

   Beggar's chicken, or jiaohuaji, made by roasting a whole chicken in a ball of mud, is a favorite Hangzhou dish with amusing mythical origins. Legend has it that long ago, a beggar managed to get his hands on a chicken, but was unsure of what to do with the bird. So he killed it, plucked it, wrapped it in a lotus leaf and then covered the whole thing in a ball of mud, either to protect it or to hide it. When his hunger overtook him, he simply threw the mudball on a fire. Later, when the mud had dried into a solid block, he took if off the fire and broke the hardened clay open. The fragrance of the chicken, literally cooked in its own juices, bowled him over and the meat tasted even better. Jiaohuaji has reportedly been a standard in Hangzhou ever since.

   Among the beautiful flora in Hangzhou's widely celebrated gardens is plenty of bamboo, which also appears regularly in the cuisine in the form of bamboo shoots. Fresh shoots are infinitely superior to the canned varieties more common overseas, with a crisp texture and flowery, light natural flavor. They can be sampled in such dishes as youmen sun, fresh shoots stir-fried in a savory brown sauce, or in soups like yanduxian, made of salted bamboo shoots and cured pork in a milky, rich broth.

   A well-rounded Hangzhou meal should certainly include a measure of huangjiu, also known as Shaoxing wine or yellow rice wine. Though technically a creation of the neighboring city of Shaoxing, huangjiu has not only been loved in this area of China for literal millennia, it is a crucial ingredient in Hangzhou, cuisine, flavoring many classic dishes, among them dongpo rou. Made of glutinous rice and spring water, huangjiu has a rich flavor with a sweet edge and an alcohol content of around 18 percent, both of which inspired many a great Tang and Song poet (including outspoken lover Su Dongpo) to wax lyrical. It is normally served warm, sometimes in clever three-part porcelain vessels that protect the wine's heat, making it particularly pleasant on a cold evening