West Lake

The West Lake (Xi Hu) is located in the west part of Hangzhou and is famous for its beautiful lake scenes. People often consider the West Lake as the oriental Geneva Lake of Switzerland. The West Lake is a pearl in Hangzhou, and is said to be a "holy heaven" in China. The whole lake is filled with many green trees and beautiful lake views.

The West Lake Scenic Area Covers an area of 60 square kilometers, out of which the West Lake occupies 5.6 square kilometers with 3.3 kilometers from north to south and 2.8 kilometers from west to east. The lake has a circumference of 15 kilometers. It is surrounded by hills on tree sides and faces the downtown area on one side. The charming lake is a pearl that lay by the city. There are two brocade-ribbon-like causeways inside the lake, namely Bai Causeway and Su causeway, and they divide the lake into five parts. The "Ten West Lake views"and the "ten new West Lake view’"add much more beauty to the West Lake.

  

The Best Views of the West Lake
     
The Spring Dawn Round the Su Causeway

The Spring Dawn Round the Su Causeway tops the list of the ten best known sights in Hangzhou. The causeway was built during the Northern Song Dynasty by Su Dongpo, a great scholar in ancient China. Stretching around 2.8 kilometers long, it is spanned by six bridges and heavily sheltered by green vegetation. When spring comes, the whole causeway is blanketed by peach blossoms and weeping willows, creating an especially charming scene.

Orioles Singing in Ripples of Willows

Leifeng Pagoda Standing in the Broken Bridge

The stone arched bridge is at the eastern end of the Bai Causeway. The legendary tale of "Lady White Snake" took place here. After a snowfall, the snow on the sunny side melts first while snow on the shaded side still lingers. Looked from afar, the bridge appears to be broken, thus the name. This is a popular stop for many tourists.

Night Bell Rolling Along the Southern Bank

Viewing Fish in the Flowering Harbor

This spot is located at the southern end of the Su Causeway. A clean stream leads from Huajia Hill to the West Lake through here, so it named as "Flowery Harbor" Viewing Fish at Flowery Harbor, now has been made into a 22 hectares park with many varieties of trees and flowers, featuring a peony garden which blooms in April and a goldfish pond which is the famous site for viewing fish.

  

Lotus in the Breeze at the Winery Yard

The Autumn Moon Over the Calm Lake

It locates on the western end of Bai Causeway. This teahouse with its cement terrace bounded on three sides by water, became one of the traditional places to view the West Lake, especially on the mid-Autumn night when the moon is full and bright, so it named as "Autumn Moon on Calm Lake". Various garden plants and flowers intermingle pavilions and platforms.

Three Pools Mirroring the Moon

The three stone pagodas, first built over 800 years ago,2 meters in height, are the main scenic spot calling "Three Pools Mirroring the Moon". To the west of the isle stand three ball-shaped hollow stone pagodas with five round holes around. At the night of the Mid-Autumn festival, when the moon shines full and bright in the sky, a candle is lit inside each of the pagoda, the light and the moon cast their reflections through the holes on the water, hence the name.