My first trip to China which was almost 10 years ago was to Shanghai, Hangzhou and Suzhou. After almost more than 10 years, revisited Hang Zhou.
When people talks about Hang Zhou, the first thing that should come in the mind is the beautiful lake, West Lake.
As usual, when I do a post on China, I somehow must do some history background of the place. Simply because China is just the country where there's so much interesting history and story behind it.
An extract from China Travel Guide website (www.travelchinaguide.com) about Hang Zhou
Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang province and its political, economic and cultural center. With enchanting natural beauty and abundant cultural heritages, the city is known as 'Heaven on Earth' and one of China's most important tourist venues.
The City, the southern terminus of the Grand Canal, is located on the lower reaches of the Qiantang River in southeast China, a superior position in the Yangtze Delta and only 180 kilometers from Shanghai. It has a subtropical monsoon type climate with four quite distinct seasons. However, it is neither too hot in summer nor too cold in winter making it a year round destination.
The West Lake is undoubtedly the most renowned feature of the city, noted for the scenic beauty that blends naturally with many famous historical and cultural sites. In this scenic area, Solitary Hill, the Tomb of General Yue Fei, the Six Harmonies Pagoda and the Ling Yin Temple are probably the most frequently visited attractions. The "Ten West Lake Prospects" have been specially selected to give the visitor outstanding views of the lake, mountains and monuments.
An extract from Wikipedia on West Lake, Hang Zhou
West Lake or Xī Hú (Chinese: 西湖; literally "West Lake") is a freshwater lake located in the historic area of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province in eastern China. The lake is divided by the causeways of Sū Dī (苏提 / 蘇堤), Bái Dī (白堤), and Yánggōng Dī (杨公堤 / 楊公堤). There are numerous temples, pagodas, gardens, and artificial islands within the lake.
West Lake has influenced poets and painters throughout the ages for its natural beauty and historical relics, and it has been among the most important sources of inspiration for Chinese garden designers, as evidenced by the impact it had on various Chinese classical gardens.[1] It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, and was described as having "influenced garden design in the rest of China as well as Japan and Korea over the centuries" and as reflecting "an idealized fusion between humans and nature."
There are dozens of lakes called West Lake worldwide, but "West Lake" usually refers to the Hangzhou West Lake, which is located in the western area of Hangzhou City. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides. The average depth of West Lake is 3 meters, and the capacity is about 14,290,000 cubic meters. The lake is divided by Gu Shan, Bai, Su and Yanggong Causeways into five areas. Ordered by their areas, they are Outer West Lake (外西湖), West Inner Lake (西里湖, or 后西湖, or 后湖), North Inner Lake (北里湖 or 里西湖), Little South Lake (小南湖 or 南湖) and Yue Lake (岳湖). "Outer West Lake" is the largest. "Gu Shan" or Gu Hill is the largest natural island in the lake. Su & Bai Causeways run across the lake. Three small man-made islands, "Xiao Ying Zhou" (小瀛洲), "Hu Xin Ting" (湖心亭), and "Ruan Gong Dun" (阮公墩) lie in the center of Outer West Lake. Thus, the basic layout is "one hill, two causeways, three islands, and five lakes"
West Lake is not only famous for its picturesque landscape, it is also associated with many scholars, national heroes and revolutionary martyrs, thus embracing many aspects of Chinese culture. In addition, many ancient buildings, stone caves and engraved tablets in surrounding areas are among the most cherished national treasures of China, with significant artistic value.
West Lake, it's not merely a park for tourist but it's also a park for the locals. In the morning, you can see the locals doing their exercise there with all kind of activities.
See .. so many activities lor ... If only KL has such places and activities especially for the elders. And so healthy ...
I highly recommend if you are visiting there alone, do spend some time waking up earlier just to enjoy the fresh air near the lake, see the local activities, just relax yourselves there. It's really really refreshing and relaxing.
Few ways that you can enjoy the scenary of the lake, either you walk, which definitely the best alternatives la :P or you can actually rent a bike. But bike are not allowed into the park area. So you can only ride outside which you may not be able to see the lake but could help to save energy going around the lake as the lake is just too big for you to cover on foot if you intend to do so ... Oh, another way is you can enjoy a boat ride. :D
I didn't manage to try the boat ride. But I'm sure it'll give you a total different perspective of Hang Zhou.
Here are some of the photos I managed to captured during my morning walk.
Thank you for making the city clean !!!!
Cat also enjoy :D
Also, managed to take a night shot with no tripod ... So, it's very blury :(
If you are considering to make a visit there, where to stay, can I recommend you to this boutique hotel?
I know it's slightly more pricy but it's really nice and modern. The best part is, it's just 5 minutes walking distance to the West Lake.
I shall blog about other interesting place that you should visit in Hang Zhou other than the beautiful West Lake. :D
TaTa for Now ~~
