West Lake - Hangzhou, China
China's Heaven on Earth
Hangzhou’s West Lake, long considered by the Chinese to be a “paradise on earth,” has so much to offer plan on spending a few days in one of China's gems.
Dinner boat waiting for the dinner crowd
With mountains on three sides and plenty of gardens, bridges, pagodas, and temples to see, it’s easy to see why West Lake has inspired so many poets and painters for centuries.
A pagoda on water's edge offering photo opportunities
The natural beauty balanced with centuries old Chinese architecture shows how they can coexist in perfect harmony.
Liefing temple in the distance
Stone pagodas in the water
Boats sitting in the calm of West Lake
West Lake was made a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2011 and described as having "influenced garden design in the rest of China, Japan and Korea over the centuries" while reflecting an idealized fusion between humans and nature".
One of many lotus ponds dotted around West Lake
The summer months bring lotus flowers into bloom. There are numerous lotus flower ponds found on West Lake.
Dragonfly taking a rest on a soon to bloom lotus flower
Lotus Flower in all of it's beauty
A thing of beauty even dried this lotus will be used for decoration
The stages of a lotus flower and all of its beauty. There are thousands of dragonflies hovering around and occasionally taking a rest.
These water drops make for an abstract look on a lotus pad
The 2.5-square-mile West Lake is filled with photographic opportunities including the Ten Scenes of West Lake, a series of vistas around the water. First compiled during the Southern Song Dynasty, the Ten Scenes gained popularity under Emperor Kangxi during the Qing Dynasty, and include Viewing Fish at Flower Harbour and Moon Reflected on Three Ponds.
A person deep in thought enjoying the serene setting of West Lake
There are numerous statues in the waters around West Lake
The famed golden buffalo
In the southern part of West Lake is a half-submerged sculpture of a golden buffalo. According to an ancient legend, we have the golden buffalo to thank for West Lake’s existence. Around 2,000 years ago during the Han dynasty, the water in the area would occasionally dry up. Each time, though, a golden buffalo would appear and spew out lots of water, refilling the entire lake.
One of many walkways meandering around the lake offering photo opportunities
Jixian Paviliion after sunset
The Jixian Pavilion was built during the Qing Dynasty in a effort to attract more scholars and poets to the city. This strategy largely worked, and Hangzhou has long been regarded as an important cultural hub. The original pavillion collapsed and the one above rebuilt a few years later.
A great ending too my two day visit to West Lake
A magical place in Hangzhou that deserves a visit and be inspired like the many poets and painters that have visited over the centuries.