China | Hangzhou West Lake

West Lake and Lei Feng Pagoda

Text & Images - Copyright © 2009 Kevin Hulsey

The West Lake area and the surrounding hills to the south have been largely responsible for Hangzhou's reputation as "Paradise on Earth." West Lake is known for its panoramic scenery, weeping willow trees, flowering peach trees, rockeries, ancient stone bridges, and hills dotted with multi-tiered temple pagodas. Leifeng Pagoda is shown in the photo above.

Hangzhou was founded approximatly 2,200 years ago, and for the last 1000 years has maintained a reputation as one of China's most prosperous and renowned cities.

Lei Feng Pagoda

The Leifeng Pagoda is an octagonal, five-storeyed brick and wood structure that was originally constructed in 975. The Pagoda was built by the King of Wuyue Kingdom, Qian Hongchu, to commemorate the birth of his son by Huangfei, his favorite concubine.

During the Yuan Dynasty it was said of the Lei Feng Pagoda that it was "of ten thousand chi," and standing "aloft as if suspended in midair." During the 1600s, the Pagoda was destroyed by the Japanese, leaving only the brick skeleton. After repeated looting of the Pagoda's remaining artifacts, the building collapsed in 1924.

The Leifeng Pagoda was a national icon for the Chinese. In 1999, reconstruction efforts began. The Pagoda was completed in October, 2002, and provides a picturesque backdrop for West Lake and the surrounding hills.

West Lake is a very shallow, man-made lake, with an average depth of only 6 feet. West Lake was an historically important source of water for the local farmers, but when the dyke collapsed during the first century, West lake nearly dried out.

Bai Causeway

Due to the foresight of Hangzhou's governor (and resident poet) Bai Juyi, a new dam was constructed, and West Lake returned to its glory.

Another of Bai's accomplishments was to construct a causeway (known as the "Bai Causeway") as a walking path connecting Broken Bridge on the north rim of the lake to Gu Shan, or "Solitary Hill," to the southwest.

Su Causeway

Due to its shallow depth, the lake once again suffered a silting up. In about 1090 AD Hangzhou governor Su Shi (aka Su Dongpo) oversaw the dredging of West Lake, with the waste being used to construct a new causeway. Much longer than the Bai Causeway at 2.6 kilometers, the "Su Causeway" is also lined with weeping willow, hibiscus and magnolia trees, and is interconnected by six stone bridges.

The six stone bridges along Su Causeway are the Dongpu or "eastern ford," Kuahong or "spanning rainbow," Suolan or "locking the waves," Yingbo or "reflecting the waves," Wangshan or "looking at distant hills," and Yadior "causeway ballast." The vistas along the causeway have been romanticized in the local saying "Spring Dawn on the Su Causeway."

Daily Life Along West lake

West Lake is the pride of Hangzhou, and a favorite destination spot for the citizenry to escape the hustle and bustle of the modern city. After work or on weekends, city-dwellers meet along the shores of West Lake to stroll or "eat some tea," an expression the Chinese use for drinking a cup of tea full of Dragonwell tea leaves.

Spring is considered to be the best month to visit Hangzhou due to the abundance of flowers and flowering fruit trees that line the lake and causeways.

Lesser Yingzhou Island

The islet of Lesser Yingzhou or "Fairy Island," is one of the three main artificial islands on West Lake, and is situated at the southern end of the lake. Lesser Yingzhou is known as one of the "best scenic spots on West Lake," and is commemorated on the back side of the 1 Yuan note.

The three miniature stone pagodas shown on the note (only two shown in photo) mark the best place for viewing the moon. Lesser Yingzhou was originally the location of a Buddhist monastery named Baoning Temple. Considered on of the prettiest islands on the lake, Lesser Yingzhou Isle has three small ponds known as the "Three Pools Mirroring the Moon."