6/17-18/2014 Hangzhou, West Lake (西湖)
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| Lei Feng tower |
West Lake (西湖, Xī Hú) is a freshwater lake in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province in eastern China. It is divided into five sections by three causeways. There are numerous temples, pagodas, gardens, and artificial islands within the lake.
Aaron:
We visited West Lake (西湖). Let me tell you its story. In the middle of the Tang Dynasty, a poet and government officer named Bai Juyi (白居易) was appointed governor of Hangzhou. He ordered the construction of a strong and tall dyke with a dam to control the flow of water. He also ordered the construction of a causeway (Bai Causeway 白堤) to allow walking on foot, instead of requiring the services of a boat.
Over three hundred years later, in the beginning of the Song Dynasty, another great poet, Su Shi (苏轼, also known as Su Dongpo 苏东坡), came to Hangzhou as governor. He ordered dredging of the lake and piled up all the mud into another causeway, in the style of Bai Causeway, he also planted willow trees along its banks. This causeway was later named after him as the "Su Causeway". There are six bridges along the Su Causeway (苏堤).
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| three towers |
He also ordered the building of three towers (三潭映月) in the middle of the lake to measure how high the water was. Nowadays, people often go there to see the 33 moons: 5 holes are in each tower. From each hole you can see two moons: one reflection, one real. There are also 3 other moons. One real ,another reflection, and finally one in your mind as you look at the other 32 moons. That is why it is popular.
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| boat on the West Lake |
Our trip starts at Lei Feng Tower (雷峰塔). We walked onto a pond full of fish and turtles. After a while, we saw a carving in the middle of the road. It was very beautiful. We walked on, taking pictures until we hired a boat. The boat took us to see the famous three towers (三潭映月) and lots of pagodas.
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| bridge on the West Lake |
When we got off, it started raining. We put on raincoats and walked in the rain. We passed all 5 short bridges and finally arrived at the long Duan Bridge (断桥) . Along the way, we saw beautiful lotus flowers and some bronze statues that were very lifelike. We went past a famous restaurant named Lou Wai Lou (楼外楼). It was famous for West Lake Carp in Sweet and Sour Sauce (西湖醋鱼). West Lake’s history is great to know and looks pretty.
Gordon:
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| lotus |
We went to the Hangzhou West Lake for two days. The West Lake is in the middle of the city. It is big and beautiful. The Three Towers (三谭映月) is in the middle of lake testing the water level. There is a legend about 33 moons out of the Three Towers, including the real one, reflections and the one in your heart. Lei Feng Pagoda (雷峰塔) is tall and pretty. At the front door, there is a pond. In the pond, there are big koi fish and turtles. West Lake was fun. I wish we could go again.
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| pond in front of Lei Feng tower |
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