Located in the western part of Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, West Lake is one of the first national key scenic spots and one of China's top ten scenic spots. Surrounded by mountains on three sides and bordering the city on one side, it covers an area of about 6.39 square kilometers with a circumference of nearly 15 kilometers. West Lake is renowned both at home and abroad for its beautiful scenery and numerous historical sites, and is known as "Paradise on Earth."
The beauty of West Lake lies not only in the lake itself but also in its surrounding mountains. The mountains around West Lake belong to the Tianmu Mountain range. Although not very high in elevation, they feature unique peaks and beautiful forests and springs. The Northern and Southern Peaks face each other, towering into the clouds. West Lake not only boasts beautiful natural scenery but also rich cultural heritage, with countless famous poems and legends left by scholars and artists throughout history.
On June 24, 2011, at the 35th Session of the World Heritage Committee held in Paris, France, the "West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou, China" was officially inscribed on the World Heritage List. West Lake is currently the only lake-type heritage among China's world heritage sites listed on the World Heritage List, and one of the few lake-type heritages on the World Heritage List today.
The West Lake Cultural Landscape is composed of elements including the natural landscape of West Lake, the urban-lake spatial characteristic of "three sides of mountains and one side of city," the landscape pattern of "two causeways and three islands," ten scenic spots and related important cultural relics, and West Lake Longjing tea gardens, distributed within an area of 3,322.88 hectares. It demonstrates the outstanding practice of traditional Chinese landscape aesthetic thought in landscape design.
The Ten Scenes of West Lake were formed during the Southern Song Dynasty, basically distributed around West Lake, with some located on the lake itself. Each scene has its own unique charm, and together they represent the essence of ancient West Lake's scenic beauty, so both local Hangzhou residents and tourists from other places eagerly talk about them and prioritize visiting them.
The first of the Ten Scenes of West Lake. Su Causeway stretches nearly three kilometers from Nanping Mountain in the south to Qixia Ridge in the north. It was built by the great Northern Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo when he served as the governor of Hangzhou, using the mud dredged from West Lake.
With the theme of viewing lotus flowers in summer, it ranks second among the Ten Scenes of West Lake after Su Causeway in Spring Dawn. "Qu Yuan" was originally a brewery operated by the Southern Song Dynasty imperial court, located near today's Hongchun Bridge on Lingyin Road, bordering the West Lake shore, with lotus flowers cultivated in the near-shore lake surface.
Located at the western end of Bai Causeway, at the southern foot of Gushan Mountain, bordering the Outer West Lake. As one of the Ten Scenes of West Lake, Pinghu Autumn Moon did not have a fixed location during the Southern Song Dynasty, which can be seen from the poems and odes about this scene written by scholars in the Southern Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties, which mostly described viewing the moon at night from a boat returning across the lake.
A famous scenery on West Lake, known for its distant view of the bridge deck faintly visible on the lake surface during winter snow. It belongs to one of the Ten Scenes of West Lake. The Broken Bridge is located at the eastern end of Bai Causeway in West Lake, Hangzhou City, connecting Beishan Road and Bai Causeway.
Located on the southeast bank of West Lake, at Qingbo Gate, it is a large park. It is divided into four scenic areas: Friendship, Wenying, Jujing, and Nanyuan. Willows are set off by camphor trees, cedar, magnolia, plum blossoms, and other exotic trees and famous flowers.
Located on the western side of the southern section of Su Causeway. After the completion of the second phase of expansion works in 1964, the area reached 20 hectares. The entire garden is divided into five scenic areas: Red Fish Pond, Peony Garden, Flower Harbor, Large Lawn, and Dense Woodland.
Located on Xizhao Mountain south of West Lake, in front of Jingci Temple, it is famous for the pagoda being gilded by sunset glow and blessed by Buddha's light.
The towering Tianmu Mountain extends eastward, and one of its branches, upon encountering West Lake, diverges into South Mountain and North Mountain, forming an embracing scenic area.
Refers to the evening bell from Jingci Temple on Nanping Mountain, which is located on the southern bank of West Lake in Hangzhou, north of Yuhuang Mountain, and east of Jiuyao Mountain.
It is one of the Ten Scenes of West Lake and is praised as "the first wonder of West Lake." Three Pools Mirroring the Moon is the largest island in West Lake.
"After all, in June by West Lake, the scenery differs from all other times. Endless blue lotus leaves stretch to the horizon, and lotus flowers glow specially red in the sunlight."
— Yang Wanli, "Seeing Lin Zifang Off at Dawn from Jingci Temple"
"The sparkling water looks beautiful on sunny days, and the misty mountains present a special charm in the rain. I want to compare West Lake to Xishi (a legendary beauty): both are lovely whether richly adorned or plainly dressed."
— Su Shi, "Drinking at West Lake on a Clear Day Then Rain, Part II"
| West Lake Scenic Area | Open 24/7 |
| Lakeside Parks | Open 24/7 (Free) |
| Three Islands in the Lake | 08:00-17:00 |
| Some Attractions | 07:30-17:30 (varies by attraction) |
| West Lake Lakeside Area | Free |
| Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (including boat ticket) | 70 CNY/person |
| Leifeng Pagoda | 40 CNY/person |
| Lingyin Temple (including Feilai Peak) | 75 CNY/person |
| Yue Fei Temple | 25 CNY/person |
National AAAAA Tourist Attraction
World Cultural Heritage (listed in 2011)
Approximately 6.39 square kilometers (lake surface)
Ten Scenes of West Lake, Leifeng Pagoda, Lingyin Temple, etc.
National Scenic Area
Xixi National Wetland Park, Songcheng, Qiandao Lake
0571-87179617
Perfect for visiting, sunny weather, sun protection recommended
