As the capital of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou is perched in the Yangtze River Delta, being the political, economic, cultural, scientific and educational center of Zhejiang Province. An old saying goes that “Above there is heaven, below there are Hangzhou and Suzhou.” which is the heartfelt praise to this beautiful city. In Yuan dynasty Marco Polo, a famous Italian traveler regarded Hangzhou as “the most beautiful and luxurious city in the world”. It is also reputed as one of the eight major ancient capitals in Chinese history.

If mentioning Hangzhou, many people would immediately think of the fascinating West Lake. Together with Lemon Lake in Geneva, they are called the two pearls in the world. The West Lake makes Hangzhou the most beautiful and luxurious city in the world and is of significance in the tourism of Hangzhou.

When it comes to the West Lake, the water, dike, bridge and willow of the West Lake may occur in our mind in succession. The West Lake was a lagoon converted from a small bay. Because it is located in the west of Hangzhou, it is called the West Lake. Embraced by green hills on three sides, the lake covers an area of 5.6 square kilometers and has a perimeter of 15 kilometers. The beauty of the West Lake lies in its lingering charm that survives the change of seasons in a year and of hours in a day. A great number of wooden boats floating above the clear water, rows of willows stroking the face of passers-by in the breeze make the West Lake picturesque.

The water of the West Lake is fantastic, while the water from Tiger Spring is clean and sweet. Going upward along the hill, look at the murmuring flowing water, elegant water lily, the swimming red carp and you will feast your eyes on untouched tranquility greatly.
Here, the creation of people and nature is integrated, and that is what the beauty of the West Lake lies in.

Isebella wei is a travel guide writer and is writing review articles on China travel guide and China tours. For more details on Hangzhou tours, please visit www.ChinaTourOnline.com.