Visiting Hangzhou is like killing two birds with one stone. You get to experience the Zen side of China while exploring one of the country's most popular destinations. Famous for its natural beauty, Hangzhou is a countryside paradise just an hour-and-half train ride away from Shanghai. It's chock-full of 1,000-year-old temples and an even more ancient pagodas. Tea fields sprawl for miles, as this is where Longjing (Dragon Well) tea, the most coveted variety due to its quality and rarity, is harvested. What truly makes Hangzhou special is the photogenic West Lake, where you can find locals practicing tai chi early in the morning and plenty of Chinese brides tugging their gowns for photo ops.

As soon as I cleared the bustling city center and entered the mountainside—about a thirty minute drive—the knots actually started to melt in my shoulder. A cacophony of crickets welcomed my arrival at Amanfayun resort, which opened earlier this year, taking over a 1,000-year old village. Just a leisurely stroll throughout the resort is meditative. I passed bamboo-lined pathways with original cobblestone, bridges over streams, magnolia in bloom. All 42 villas were converted from villagers' homes, most of them approximately 100 years old, but its the various rock carvings of Buddha that really command your attention. They were here even before the village was settled.

The biggest draw in Hangzhou is the West Lake Impressions water show. Legendary film director Zhang Yimou (who also choreographed the Beijing Olympics opening ceremony), produced this theatrical number that literally takes place on top of West Lake. Expect a dramatic and moving performance.

In the morning, I had an hour to tour only one of the seven temples, way too little time to appreciate the architecture, catch the monks in prayer, or even simply sample my own Zen. If I had known that my flight to Beijing was going to be delayed ten hours ("it's not unusual," said the gate agent), I would have simply stayed another night. But thank goodness there wasn't a UFO sighting like two weeks ago, which actually forced the international airport to shut down.