Ten Views of the West Lake
“Ten Views of the West Lake” is the name of ten characteristic scenic spots, feature spots, and sceneries surrounding the West Lake, including itself, using the literary language, which form a “landscape set”. It not only needs to embody the aesthetic characteristic, cultural characteristic, and functional characteristic of the name at the most, but also needs to balance the interaction among the Aesthetic character, the cultural character, and the functionality, and find a clear conjunction point, so as to summarize the landscape features at the closest point.
Lin’an (Hangzhou) was made capital in Southern Song Dynasty. Thus high-ranking officials, noble lords and scholars followed here, enjoying the beautiful landscape. Being a place everyone yearns for, the West Lake was given the first set of four-Chinese-character landscape names in Chinese history. “Ten Views of the West Lake” includes Spring Dawn at Su Causeway, Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard, Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake, Lingering Snow at Broken Bridge, Orioles Singing in the Willows, Viewing Fish at Flower Pond, Leifeng Pagoda in the Sunset, Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds, Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Hill and Three Pools Mirroring the Moon. Well received by tourists from home and abroad, the names of the ten views are so immersive and vivid that they are considered as a perfect model of landscape naming. They even arouse the feelings of the evaluation experts of International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS), making unforgettable contribution to the West Lake’s successful application for World Heritage.
（Source: Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area Management Committee）
- Add: West Lake
- Tel:86-571-87179591
- Transportation:
- Spring Dawn at Su Causeway：
- Su Causeway Stop - Approaching Bus: No.4, No.4 (Interzonal), No.31, No.87, No.315, No.334, No.514b, No.514, No.822, Y6. After getting off, walk east for 350 meters or so along Nanshan Road.
- Jing Temple Stop - Approaching Bus: No.4, No.4 (Interzonal), No.31, No.52, No.87, No.287, No.287 (Interzonal), No.315, No.334, No.822, Y2, Y6. After getting off, walk west for 400 meters or so along Nanshan Road, and arrive at the bus stop at the north of Su Causeway.
- Yue Miao (Yuefei Temple) Stop - Approaching Bus: No.7, No.27, No.27 (Timing), No.51, No.52, No.118. After getting off, walk east for 220 meters or so along Beishan Street.
- Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard: Take bus K7 to Yuefei Temple Stop, and visit the Yang Gong Causeway after entering from the north Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard. Along the way, there are the landscapes such as Golden Sand Harbor, Flower Nursery, Maojia Port, Turtle Pond, Bathing Swan Bay, and Viewing Fish at Flower Pond. Or take bus K4 to Su Causeway, and visit the Yang Gong Causeway after entering from the south Viewing Fish at Flower Pond on Yuanxishan Road. Or take bus No.28/K28, No.82/K82, or No.15/K15 to the Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard Stop.
- Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake: Take Y1 or Y2 to the Xiling Bridge or Broken Bridge, and walk to or take West Lake Visiting Boat to Zhongshan Park. Or take bus J6, K7, No.27, Y3, K850, No.81, Y4 or Y9.
- Lingering Snow at Broken Bridge: Take bus Y1 (Outer Ring), Y2 (Inner Ring), No.7, Y9, or West Lake Tourism Inner Loop, and walk 100 meters after getting off.
- Orioles Singing in the Willows: Take bus Y1 or Y2, J5 or J7 and get off at Liu Lang Wen Ying (Orioles Singing in the Willows) Stop.
- Viewing Fish at Flower Pond: Take bus No.51, No.52, No.334, Y6, No.87, No.315, or No.4, and get off at Su Causeway Stop.
- Leifeng Pagoda in the Sunset: Take bus No.4, No.31, No.51, No.52, No.504, No.808, No.822, Y2, Y3, Y6, Y9, No.287, or No.291, and get off at Jing Si (Jingsi Temple) Stop.
- Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds: Take bus No.27, Y6, No.87, No.103, No.7, or No.807, and get off at Hong Chun Qiao (Hongchun Bridge) Stop.
- Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Hill: Take the bus to Jian Kang Stop or Jing Si (Jingsi Temple) Stop, and walk to climb the Hill. The bus line approaching Jingsi Temple: Y1 (Outer Ring), Y2 (Inner Ring), Y3, No.4, Y6, Y7, Tourism Inner Loop No.8, Y9/West Lake Tourism Inner Loop (Inner Ring), No.291, No.504, No.808, No.822.
- Three Pools Mirroring the Moon: The Three Pools Mirroring the Moon is a small activity of West Lake Visiting, so you can take any bus line starting with “Y”. These bus lines have covered all the view spots around the West Lake, which is very convenient. If the time is tight, you can take Y9 to take the lake-surrounded tour. The ticket price is 5 Yuan.
Source：www.ywhangzhou.cn Editor：WANG Jianyi
