The Most Beautiful Lake in the Most Beautiful City

On our travels, when we were asked where we lived and worked in China by Chinese citizens, their response to 'Hangzhou' was: "Hangzhou?! Hangzhou is the most beautiful city in all of China."  This response was so frequent and so predictable!

Now, I totally took Hangzhou for granted.  Being from a relatively small town (and trust me, everything in America is small compared to China, even our big cities are modest in comparison) I was used to wide open spaces, trees, and blue skies (and this is suburbs perspective, I can only imagine what people from the countryside must think of cities in China).  So when I first arrived, and people kept telling me Hangzhou was the prettiest city in China, I was skeptical.   That was until I got to travel about China a bit and I realized, that yes, Hangzhou is a very pretty city, compared to the very industrial feel of many of the other cities I visited in China.

The view from my parent's house...................................................and the view from the roof of my apartment in Hangzhou. 

The main reason that Hangzhou is considered to be the most beautiful city in all of China is the West Lake (Xi Hu), which is this enormously landscaped lake area located in the heart of the tourist part of the city.   Around the West Lake are a variety of parks, temples, and gardens, gardens, and more gardens.  It is a very pretty place to spend your day when the weather of is nice.  Although, I have been assured by my students that the West Lake is beautiful in every season, regardless of the weather--indeed, West Lake in the rain is considered very romantic.  Having been caught there in the rain--without and umbrella-- I do not find it particularly romantic.

West Lake in the fall, spring, summer and winter, respectively.  I'll let you be the judge. 

The inspiration for this post came from visiting a park in America recently, and while the park we went to was very nice, I could not help but to compare it to West Lake.  West Lake is in a constant state of bloom and greenery.  They have landscaped the area so that something is always going on--willows in the summer, lotus flowers in June, tulips in April, water shows in the summer, chrysanthemums in the fall, fireworks pretty much always...and a slew of other things.  And of course there are almost constantly open air concerts, people just dancing and singing for the heck of it, and a zillion different manicured lawns that are perfect for strolling, picnics, or chill'in in the sun.   You can also take boat rides along the lake and see some of the islands in the middle of the lake, as well as the iconic Three Pools Mirroring the Moon in the middle of the lake (you can find images of these on the 1.00 RMB bill).   You can rent bicycles or tandem bicycles and enjoy a nice calm ride around West Lake.

West Lake Activities. 

While you are walking around the West Lake, there are also a variety of places for you to eat.  Food such as purple corn, squares of rice stuffed with meat, stinky tofu, chicken wings, hot dogs on sticks, and sugar-dipped fruit kabobs can be found at vendors located fairly regularly around the lake.  You can also purchase bottled water, coke, Gatorade  tea, and juice at these vendors.  Around the lake, tucked into visually pleasing and historical looking buildings are Starbucks and Costa Coffee, along with dozens of restaurants and tea houses.  The streets surrounding West Lake are also filled with shops and restaurants, ranging from Western to Chinese and everything else.  West Lake is also very close to one of the clubbing districts in Hangzhou, so if you spend the afternoon/evening taking in the West Lake, you can then take that party indoors to one of the many nightclubs in the area.

Some scenic views of West Lake

When you are done taking in the lake itself and all of its pockets of flowers, quaint pathways, and shoreline views, you can also take in some temples and pagodas, most famously, the Leifeng Pagoda and Yue Fei Temple.  Leifeng is the one of the legendary characters in the history of West Lake and Yue Fei is a general and hero from the Song Dynasty (when Hangzhou was the capital) and is responsible for saving the kingdom and enduring some harsh treatment from the emperor. While these two are among the most famous, there are dozens of other places to visit including Lingyin Temple and the tea fields; indeed, getting lost in the tea fields will provide you with a nice workout, some scenic views of Hangzhou, and a chance to wander through some bamboo forests.

But really, the best reason to visit Leifeng Pagoda (featured in the center photo) is to get some really stunning pictures of West Lake and Hangzhou, if you happen to have a really clear day.

Justin above the tea fields and Liv lov'in some bamboo. 

Another reason Hangzhou is considered so beautiful is because it is so "green." I am not talking about it being environmentally friendly (quite the contrary), but it is literally green.  Not only is the infamous West Lake landscaped, but so is the entire city.  The medians and edges of all the roads are lined with trees and shrubs and flowers.  Large intersections include grassy edges, frequently with elaborate topiary and perfectly cut grass. Long sections of the highways have window boxes over the guardrails that are filled with green plants that drape over the edges.  The canals that run through various parts of the city are teeming with plants, creating quaint little escapes in the middle of (from an American perspective) a very large city.

Various cityscapes of Hangzhou

West Lake is, indeed, lovely, and has been the location of many fine days of strolling or biking. If you visit Hangzhou, you must see the West Lake, not only because it is pretty and there are many cultural and historical things to see (temples, pagodas, museums, etc) nearby, but because if you don't, and someone asks you where in China you lived/visited, and you say Hangzhou and you did not go to the West Lake, weeping will ensue. Seriously.