There is a Chinese old saying: Hangzhou's beauty is because of the West Lake. Speaking of the origins of the West Lake, it has many beautiful myths legends and folktales. Westlake local specialities also are famous in the world.

Lying in Hangzhou City of Zhejiang Province, the West Lake is a world famous tourist spot. Embraced by green hills on three sides, the lake covers an area of 5.6 square kilometers and has a perimeter of 15 kilometers.   

The whole lake is divided into 5 sections, namely the Outer Lake, North Inner Lake, Yue Lake and Little South Lake, by Gu Hill, Sudi Causeway, Baiti Causeway and Ruangong Mound.

The name of West Lake was fixed as early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Before the Tang Dynasty, the lake had various names such as Wulin Water, Mingsheng Lake, Jinzhong Lake, Longchuan, Qianyuan, Qiantang Lake, and Shang Lake, etc. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the Chinese renowned poet Su Dongpo wrote a poem to praise the West Lake and compared it to Xizi, a Chinese legendary beauty. Since then, the West Lake has another elegant name Xizi Lake.

The beauty of the West Lake lies in its lingering charm that survives the change of seasons in a year and of hours in a day. Among its beautiful sights, the most famous sites are the Ten Sights in West Lake and the Ten New Sights in West Lake, which are known as the Double-Ten Sights in West Lake. The Ten Sights in West Lake are Melting Snow at Broken Bridge, Spring Dawn at Sudi Causeway, Sunset Glow over Leifeng Hill, Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard, Autumn Moon on Calm Lake, Listening to Orioles Singing in the Willows, Viewing Fish at Flowers Harbor, Evening Bell at Nanping Hill, Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, and Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds. The Ten New Sights in West Lake are Dream Spring of Hupao, Tea-tasting at Dragon Well, Gem Bathed in Flowing Rosy Clouds, Heaven Wind over Wushan Mountain, Scud over Yuhuang, Yellow Dragon Spitting Greenness, Rains of Sweet-scented Osmanthus Over Hills, Trees in Mist by the Nine Rivulets, Ruan Mound in Green, Cloud Dwelling and Bamboo Path.       

The West Lake is also famous for its historical flavor with numerous celebrities. National heroes Yue Fei, Yu Qian, Zhang Ruoshui and Qiu Jin were all buried along the West Lake, leaving their illustrious names and noble spirits in the green hills and blue waters. Moreover, many ancient poets and artists, such as Bai Juyi, Su Dongpo, Liu Yong and Pan Tianshou, had also left countless famous writings.

Not only the scenery of the West Lake can give you a deep impression, the logo of West Lake is full of Chinese characteristic, so remember to take one West Lake stamp if you come here. Welcome to West Lake, welcome to China.

Key words:
苏堤春晓 sūdī chūnxiǎo: Spring Dawn at Sudi Causeway  
曲院风荷 qǔyuàn fēnghé: Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard
柳浪闻莺 liǔlàng wényīng: Listening to Orioles Singing in the Willows
花港观鱼 huāgǎng guānyú: Viewing Fish at Flowers Harbor
三潭印月 sāntán yìnyuè: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon
虎跑梦泉 hǔpǎo mèngquán: Dream Spring of Hupao
龙井问茶 lóngjǐng wènchá: Tea-tasting at Dragon Well