West Lake is considered one of the most beautiful sights in whole of China. It is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, as an example of exceptional landscape connecting people with nature. According to the same website, it has influenced garden design in the rest of China, Japan and Korea.
The lake is of a size of around 6.39 square kilometers, its surface intersected by causeways, islands, boats and lotus flowers. The surrounding area of 49 square kilometers is composed of tea hills, temples, bamboo forests, Buddhist Caves, pagodas and flower gardens. It is so magnificent that once I got familiar with the area, I started wondered how come that West Lake is not on cover pages of all tourist magazines all around the world. It is that beautiful.
Hangzhou receives 184 million tourists every year (this data is actually from 2018, I could not find the most recent ones). Just to compare, New York is visited by 1/3 of this number (around 60 million tourists) and Paris by 1/6 (35 million tourists). That further means that West Lake (which is by far the most popular destination in Hangzhou) receives 3.5 million tourists every single week. Yet, it is kept remarkably clean. You will hardly notice a single piece of the paper on the ground. You may actually see people picking up someone else’s trash in a rare case there actually is any trash to pick up. There are no plastic bottles to be seen in the water. The bushes are neatly trimmed, the fallen leaves and weeds are swiped off the paths. There are no coffee cups, lost toys, dropped ice creams. For me this is absolutely mind blowing. So here is the list of the most popular spots on West Lake:
1. Broken Bridge (断桥) at the northeast part of the Lake, was first built during Tang dynasty (7th to 10th century CE). It wore different names throughout the history, like Baoyou Bridge (宋代称保佑桥) in Song Dynasty or Duanjia Bridge (段家桥) in Yuan Dynasty. Today’s version has been rebuilt in 1950s’. What makes it so popular is the story “Legend of the White Snake” (白蛇传), one of Four Great Folktales of China, which you can read here.
2. Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (三潭印月) are the symbol of Hangzhou. You can find them on 1 RMB banknote. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, when the moon is in its fullest, a candle is lit inside each of the towers. The candlelight and the moon cast their reflection on the water, creating a sight that has been praised in poems and portrayed in paintings for centuries, thus earning these three little pagodas an iconic status.
They were first erected during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), then rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
The nearby island, constructed in 1607 from mud and silt, can be visited by the boat. This is only one of many islets in West Lake, all of them beautiful, filled with trees, flowers, round bridges and pavilions and all of them worth the trip.
3. Leifeng pagoda (雷峰塔) is where “The Legend of the White Snake” (白蛇传) ends. The original pagoda, built in 977, collapsed in 1924. The one you can see today was built in 2002, but the bricks from the original one are still there. They can even be purchased.
4. Baochu Pagoda (保俶塔), the West Lake standing guard, on top of Precious Stone Hill (宝石山) was originally built between 948 and 960, as nine-stories pagoda. Later it was rebuilt as seven stories one. It accessible only by foot, but the hike is not long and not difficult. Scenery is beautiful, and so is the view from the top.
5. “West Lake Impressions” (印象西湖) is an open-air night show right on the West Lake, with music, lights, and dance. It is directed by Zhang Yimou (张艺谋), one of the best movie directors in China (he was in charge of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games opening ceremony). The music is composed by Kitaro Matsuri (the winner or the Grammy Award). The theme song is performed by Zhang Liangying (张靓颖) (one of the most popular Chinese singers). As you can see, the most talented artists have been handpicked to provide one of the most beautiful shows I have ever seen. There is more – the show is staged on the West Lake. Literally on the lake. The performance takes place on a platform submersed three centimeters beneath the surface.
To conclude - West Lake visit can be done in two ways. The first one is quite popular, and not recommended: visiting during weekend or holidays. The other one is quite unpopular, and highly recommended: visiting early on a workday. Read here why the difference matters (a chapter of my book).
Explanation:
Dark blue circles with stars marks places to visit around West Lake.
I also added places where you can try local Hangzhou food and snacks to the map, in case you get hungry. This way you have it all in one place.
Purple circle with bowl and chopsticks marks restaurants specialized in Hangzhou flavors.
Pink circle with snack and a drink marks places where you can find local snacks.
In case you find this confusing, open the drop-down by clicking the symbol in the top left corner and uncheck what you do not want to see.
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