Not that I don’t like Shanghai. Not just because Hangzhou has the world famous West Lake. Hangzhou’s size is about right, it has the convenience of the big city and the friendliness of a small city. I think St. Louis is similar in this aspect. There are fewer cars on the street, and people spend less time on commuting.
I also visited two web 2.0 startup companies. They are found by people much younger than me yet they are very humble and practical. I think in a way they are similar to Hangzhou the city itself. It’s much harder to have this attitude in big cities. I remember once my friend told me the famous investor Warren Buffet stayed at Omaha (instead of New York) because he wanted to stay away from the daily noises in the Wall Street.
If I had to pick between Hangzhou and Omaha, I will pick Hangzhou without doubt.