The Leifeng Pagoda on Xizhao Mountain is where Fahai trapped White Snake in ancient times. In the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, due to folk legends that the bricks and stones of the Leifeng Pagoda had the power of "warding off evil" and "favoring boys," people constantly stole and sold them. In 1924, the Leifeng Pagoda finally collapsed under the burden. Lu Xun wrote "On the Collapse of the Leifeng Pagoda" in response. Later, in order to restore the splendid view of the Leifeng Pagoda at dusk, the Leifeng New Pagoda was rebuilt on the original site in 2002, with the ruins of the old Leifeng Pagoda located on the B1 level of the new pagoda. Nowadays, climbing the Leifeng Pagoda has become a must-do activity when visiting West Lake. The old tradition of "stealing bricks and stones" for the purpose of "warding off evil" and "favoring boys" has evolved into a new custom of throwing a one-yuan coin at the ruins of the Leifeng Pagoda. As long as the weather is fine, from the top of the Leifeng Pagoda, you can overlook the rippling West Lake, the beautiful and dignified Wangzhuang, the newly developed attractions along the south bank, and the verdant three islands in the center of the lake.
Su Causeway, also known as Su Gongdi, stretches north and south through West Lake. It was built by Su Dongpo when he served as an official in Hangzhou. Known for its charming spring scenery, it is called "Su Causeway in Spring." It is the first of the Ten Classic Views of West Lake. With a total length of nearly 3 kilometers, it features six stone bridges: Yingbo, Suolan, Wangshan, Yati, Dongpu, and Kuahong. Yati Bridge offers a panoramic view of West Lake, and the Imperial Stele Pavilion at the southern end of the bridge features an inscription of "Su Causeway in Spring" written by Emperor Kangxi. The attractions at both ends of Su Causeway are concentrated. The southern end has the Su Dongpo Memorial Hall, which can be visited for free, and the northern end has Yuewang Temple, Quyuan Fenghe, and other scenic spots.
Autumn moon over Pinghu
The Autumn Moon over Pinghu is located at the western end of the Bai Causeway. It is a long and narrow lakeside garden and the best place to appreciate the moon at West Lake. Backed by Solitary Hill and facing the outer lake of West Lake, the scenery along the lakefront is open and spacious, making it one of the top ten scenic spots of West Lake. The Autumn Moon over Pinghu includes buildings such as the Imperial Tablet Pavilion, Water Platform, Four-sided Hall, Octagonal Pavilion, and the Blue Sky Building. In the 38th year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign, the original Dragon King Hall here was renamed to the Imperial Calligraphy Building, and a plaque with Kangxi Emperor's calligraphy of "Autumn Moon over Pinghu" was hung in front of the building.
It is the meeting place of Xu Xian and Bai Niangzi in the Legend of the White Snake, which adds a lot of romantic colors to this long bridge. In early winter, the snow on the sunny side of the bridge melts, but the shady side is still covered with remnants of snow, forming the famous "Broken Bridge and Remnant Snow". It can be used as a starting point for visiting West Lake, going from the Broken Bridge to Bai Causeway and then visiting various attractions around West Lake.
Lotus in the Wind at a Curved Yard
One of the Ten Scenes of West Lake, the Wind Lotus Park, cultivates hundreds of varieties of lotus flowers, which display particularly enchanting charm in summer. During the Southern Song Dynasty, there was a wine brewery here that used creek water to make Qu wine. Whenever the wind blew in the summer, the fragrance of wine and lotus would delight the heart and soul, hence the name "Quyuan Fenghe". The lotus leaves are lush and the water lilies are enchanting. Various styles of small bridges are built on the water, and when people walk across the bridges, it feels like walking in the midst of lotus.
The bell ringing in the evening at Jingci Temple near Nanping Mountain is referred to as the "Nanping" and the bronze bell inside Jingci Temple is called the "Evening Bell". The bronze bell is 3 meters tall and weighs over 10 tons, with more than 68,000 characters from the Lotus Sutra engraved on it. Around 16:00 every day, you can hear the sound of the big wooden mallet striking the bell, which is deep and powerful. On New Year's Eve, many citizens and tourists also gather inside and outside the bell tower of Jingci Temple to participate in the bell-ringing activity for the new year.
Huangang Guanyu is located on the south side of West Lake and used to be a private garden of a Southern Song official. The entire garden is divided into five scenic areas: the Red Fish Pond, Peony Garden, Flower Port, Great Lawn, and Dense Forest. The most famous part of the garden is the Red Fish Pond, where groups of red carp swim together. There are always adults and children feeding the fish with feed and breadcrumbs, which is very enjoyable. There are three main entrances to the park: the south gate on Nanshan Road, the west gate on Yanggong Causeway, and you can also walk north to Sudi.
The Liulang Wenying is one of the Ten Scenes of West Lake, located on the southeast bank of West Lake. It is a large park at the Qingbo Gate, and a good place for people to relax. During the Southern Song Dynasty, it was an imperial garden called Jujing Garden, and in the Qing Dynasty, the old scenery of Liulang Wenying was restored. The layout of the garden is open, fresh, elegant, and simple. The willow bushes are accompanied by purple nanmu, snow cypress, broad-leaf magnolia, as well as azaleas, peonies, roses, and other beautiful flowers. It is a great place to admire the beautiful scenery of Xizi. The peaceful environment is also popular among the elderly, and tourists will also take a rest here.
Twin Peaks Plunging into Clouds, one of the top ten views of West Lake. The so-called Twin Peaks refer to the South Peak and the North Peak, which are a branch of the Tianmu Mountain Range and are separated by West Lake, forming the South Mountain and the North Mountain. On a fine day in spring and autumn, with mist and white clouds, the tips of the pagodas pierce through the clouds, appearing and disappearing from time to time, creating a picturesque scene resembling a fairyland when viewed from afar.
Also known as Xiaoyingzhou, it is the largest and the only island that can be visited in the three islands of West Lake, known as the first scenic spot of West Lake. Its outline is like a "field" character, and the outer ring is a circular Jiangnan garden, while the inner part is divided into four small lakes by a cross-shaped island and bridge, full of poetic and picturesque charm. The whole island is dotted with flowers and trees, mainly composed of green willows, lotus flowers, red maples, and hibiscus, representing the art of Jiangnan water courtyard. The back of the one yuan banknote features the magnificent scenery of San Tan Yin Yue, which shows its extremely important symbol in China's scenic spots.
