Visiting West Lake

    West Lake, the name card of Hangzhou, used to be a small bay on the left side of the Qiantang River. Later, due to the sediment deposition of the Qiantang River, it slowly blocked the bay mouth and became a lagoon.The West Lake was first developed in 781 and was built into a famous scenic spot in the South Song Dynasty(1127-1279). In the thousand year history of West Lake, it has caught the imagination of so many poets, scholars, painters, sculptors, calligraphers and even emperors. People come to visit the West Lake not only to enjoy the natural landscape, but also to appreciate and learn the cultural landscape that has remained for thousands of years. The temples on the surrounding mountains, the gardens on the islands, the bridges on the lake, and causeways beside the lake blend harmoniously with the mountains and water of West Lake, forming a unique West Lake Scenic Area.

    To understand the beauty and culture of West Lake, visitors can start form Top Ten Scenes. These ten scenes are: Spring Dawn at Su Causeway (苏堤春晓), Breeze-ruffled Lotus at Quyuan Garden (曲院风荷), Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake (平湖秋月) and Lingering Snow on the Broken Bridge’s beauty (断桥残雪), Fish Viewing at the Flower Pond(花港观鱼), Leifeng Pagoda in Evening Glow (雷锋夕照) and Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (三潭印月), Orioles Singing in the Willows (柳浪闻莺), Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds (双峰插云) and Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Hill (南屏晚钟).

 

Spring Dawn at Su Causeway (苏堤春晓)

    Su Causeway is about a famous poet of South Song Dynasty, Su Shi(1037-1101). When he was an official in Hangzhou, he mobilized 200,000 workers to clean up the mud and dredge the lake water. They collected the mud and built a long dike running through the West Lake for pedestrians. After the reinforcement and reconstruction of modern engineering, the embankment of Su Causeway is full of willows, peach trees, cherry trees and other plants. In spring, the whole Su Causeway is green.

 

Breeze-ruffled Lotus at Quyuan Garden (曲院风荷)

    Breeze-ruffled Lotus at Quyuan Garden is a scenic spot with a long history. It's said that in the South Song Dynasty, there was a workshop for making wine nearby. Many lotus flowers were planted on the pond around the workshop. In summer, when the breeze blew, the lotus and wine fragrance were everywhere. The name "Breeze-ruffled Lotus at Quyuan Garden" comes from this.

 

Leifeng Pagoda in Evening Glow (雷锋夕照)

    Among the top ten scenes of the West Lake, "Leifeng Pagoda" is the most fantastic. There are three legendary contents: one is the legend of the White Snake and the collapse of Leifeng Pagoda; the other is the opening of the underground palace of Leifeng Pagoda and the appearance of Buddha’s hair relics; the third is the reconstruction of Leifeng Pagoda and the completion of the ten scenes of the West Lake.

 

Tips: For more information of West Lake, you can visit the website: www.en.gotohz.com
We recommend you order an English guide service if you really want to learn deep about West Lake.
The West Lake Scenic Area is free, but some scenic spots around West Lake are for charge.