Lying in Hangzhou City of Zhejiang Province, the West Lake is a world famous tourist spot. Empaced by green hills on three sides, the lake covers an area of 5.6 square kilometers and has a perimeter of 15 kilometers.

The whole lake is divided into 5 sections, namely the Outer Lake, North Inner Lake, Yue Lake and Little South Lake, by Gu Hill, Sudi Causeway, Baiti Causeway and Ruangong Mound.

The name of West Lake was fixed as early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Before the Tang Dynasty, the lake had various names such as Wulin Water, Mingsheng Lake, Jinzhong Lake, Longchuan, Qianyuan, Qiantang Lake, and Shang Lake, etc. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the Chinese renowned poet Su Dongpo wrote a poem to praise the West Lake and compared it to Xizi, a Chinese legendary beauty. Since then, the West Lake has another elegant name Xizi Lake.

The most famous views are the old and new ��ten scenes of the West Lake��. Formed during the Southern Song Dynasty, the old ten scenes are Autumn Moon over the Clam Lake, peeze-ruffled Lotus at Quyuan Garden, Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Hill, Leifeng Pagoda in Evening Glow, Malting Snow at poken pidge, Orioles Singing in the Willows, Spring Dawn at Su Causeway, Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, Twin Peaks Piercing the Cloud, Viewing Fish at Flower Harbor. The new ten scenes are Bamboo-Lined Path at Yunqi, Clouds Scurrying over Jade Emperor Hill, Dreaming of Tiger Spring at Hupao Valley, Heavenly Wind over Wu Hill, Inquiring About Tea at Dragon Well, Nine Greeks Meandering Through a Misty Forest, Precious Stone Hill, Ruan Gong Islet Submerged in Greenery, Sweet Osmanthus Rain at Manjuelong Village and Yellow Dragon Cave Dressed in Green.

The West Lake is also famous for its historical flavor with numerous celepities. National heroes Yue Fei, Yu Qian, Zhang Ruoshui and Qiu Jin were all buried along the West Lake, leaving their illustrious names and noble spirits in the green hills and blue waters. Moreover, many ancient poets and artists, such as Bai Juyi, Su Dongpo, Liu Yong and Pan Tianshou, had also left countless famous writings.

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. You should try to feel this way of life.