West Lake is located in the heart of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China. It is one of the country’s most iconic freshwater lakes and the cultural soul of Hangzhou. Renowned since ancient times for its poetic beauty and harmonious blend of water, hills, and gardens, West Lake embodies the famous saying: “Above there is heaven; below are Suzhou and Hangzhou.”
Covering a scenic area of approximately 60 square kilometers—with a core lake surface of about 6.39 sq km—West Lake is embraced by hills on three sides and the city on the fourth. Iconic landmarks include Su Causeway, Bai Causeway, Solitary Hill, and Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (Xiaoyingzhou). Its scenery transforms with the seasons: peach blossoms and willows in spring, lotus flowers in summer, osmanthus-scented moonlight in autumn, and snow-draped landscapes in winter—earning it the title “Paradise on Earth.”
In 2011, the West Lake Cultural Landscape was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site—the world’s first cultural lake to receive this honor—celebrating over a thousand years of Chinese landscape design and the philosophical ideal of “harmony between humanity and nature.”
Join The Discussion