3．杭州最美西子湖
人们一提到杭州，立刻就会联想到西湖，自古至今，中国文人留下了无数赞美西湖的诗句。
杭州西湖位于浙江省杭州市，是中国36处西湖中最著名的一处。湖面上有白、苏二堤，湖中有孤山、瀛洲、湖心亭、阮公墩四岛。因为其位于钱塘，所以称之为钱塘湖，另外，还有武林水、西子湖等美称。
据中国著名的地理学家竺可桢推算，西湖的形成大约在12000年前。在远古时代，西湖只是一个小小的海湾，叫做“武林湾”。“武林湾”以东是一片面对长江口的浅海滩，与东海相连，后来，由于泥沙的堆积，沙嘴延伸，阻塞了武林湾的湾口，形成了一个“滨海泻湖”，随着淡水的不断注入，最终形成了一个淡水湖。
西湖形成以后，西湖以东成为一片沼泽盐滩，原始居民开始在这一带活动，并且创造了灿烂辉煌的新石器文化，称作“良渚文化”。
西湖形成以后，便逐渐成为附近居民的淡水供应地。到了隋唐时期，城市繁荣以后，人口开始增多，人们的居住地开始向西湖以东的区域移动，这样居民区就渐渐远离了西湖，淡水供应成为人们生活的一大问题。于是在唐代修筑了相国井、金牛井、西井、方井、白龟井、小方井6个井来解决这一问题。杭州城也逐渐由南向北扩展，于是形成了今天市区的格局。
随着城市的日益繁荣，人们对淡水的需求越来越大，六井却因为西湖的淤积而减少了水量。著名的诗人白居易主政杭州期间，采取了一系列措施来解决这些问题。为了增加蓄水量，使管道输水畅通，他在钱塘门外修筑了一条湖堤，比原来的湖岸增高了一些，从而提高了西湖的水位，从此西湖从一个天然湖泊变成了一个人工湖泊。原来因为西湖淤积而干枯的六井也重归充沛，为居民的生活和城市的发展创造了条件。人们为了纪念白居易，便把这座湖堤称作“白堤”。
随着城市的发展，西湖逐渐成为杭州不可分割的一部分。927年，钱鏐开始整治西湖，同时他还重视西湖风景区的修整与布置。由于当时佛教盛行，今天的西湖附近有大量的佛教艺术遗产，大多是越国时代留下来的，如昭庆寺、慈安寺等，同时又修建了四座宝塔：雷峰塔、六和塔、白塔和保俶塔。四座塔都有精湛的建筑技巧和艺术风格，其中的雷峰塔还和中国民间的神话传说--《白蛇传》有密切关系。在传说中，善良美丽的白蛇就是被无情的法海囚禁到这座塔里的。可惜，年久失修的雷峰塔已经于1924年倒塌。现在的雷峰塔在遗址之上重建，保留了旧塔的楼阁式结构，完全采用了南宋初年重修时的风格、设计和大小建造。塔的外观是一座八面、五层楼阁式塔。全塔上、下、内、外装饰富丽典雅，陈设精美独到，功能完善齐备，以其崭新的风貌和丰厚的内涵在西湖名胜古迹中大放异彩。如果登上雷峰新塔，西湖山水美景和杭州城市繁华便尽收眼底。
北宋年间，苏轼来到杭州任知州，这时的西湖已经湮废了大半。面对这样严重的局面，苏轼立即制定出全面整治西湖和杭州水利的方案，对西湖进行了一次大规模的疏浚。他拆除了湖中圈围的田地，挖深了湖底，又把挖出来的泥在湖中修筑了一条沟通南北的长堤，堤上修建了六座石桥以流通湖水。而且堤上还种植了芙蓉、杨柳黄蓉各种花草。后来人们就把这条长堤称之为苏堤，西湖也渐渐从一个水库变成了风景区，从外国来的使节、商人、僧侣和旅游者，也都到西湖游览和进香。渐渐地，西湖就出现了游客如云、歌舞遍地的局面。南宋时，沿湖兴建了大量的亭台、楼阁、寺庙，增添了许多金碧辉煌的人工雕琢，到这时为止，西湖风景区基本完成。这种布局一直延续到今天，成为西湖风景区的特色。
西湖有90多处各具特色的公园、风景点，如三秋桂子、六桥烟柳、九里云松、十里荷花，更有著名的“西湖十景”，西湖十景形成于南宋时期，基本围绕西湖分布，这“十景”是：苏堤春晓、曲苑风荷、平湖秋月、断桥残雪、柳浪闻莺、花港观鱼、雷峰夕照、双峰插云、南屏晚钟、三潭印月。
苏堤春晓 横卧在西湖之上的苏堤，是为了纪念苏轼而命名。南起南屏山，北到栖霞岭，全长近3000米。苏堤上共有六座拱桥，自南向北依次是映波、锁澜、望山、压堤、东浦和跨虹，在这六座桥上可以欣赏不同的景致，往往会让游人流连忘返。
曲院风荷 “曲院”原来是西湖岸边的酿酒作坊，而恰巧近岸的湖面上种了大量的荷花。夏天的时候，荷花的香气与酿酒作坊的酒香混在一起，令人沉醉。曲院风荷最引人注目的是夏日赏荷。公园分布着红莲、白莲、重台莲等上百个品种的荷花，颜色鲜艳的荷花与荷叶交相辉映，令人赏心悦目。
平湖秋月 在白堤西端临湖筑有御书楼，楼前平台伸入湖中，三面临水，台与湖面相平，是赏月观景的胜地。在皓月当空的秋夜，湖面在月光的照耀下如一面镜子，清辉撒在湖面上，十分美丽，让人有如在画中的感觉。
断桥残雪 断桥是西湖众多桥梁中最出名的桥。杭州在南方，因此大雪天非常少见，所以一有大雪出现，西湖就会呈现出别样的景色。桥东面有景碑亭，康熙亲自为其题写“云水光中”。亭子青瓦朱栏，飞檐翘角，与断桥共同构成一幅美丽的古典画图。
柳浪闻莺 位于西湖东南岸，这里原来是南宋御花园“聚景园”。沿湖种有很多的杨柳，每到春天的时候，柳丝就会随风摇曳，就像碧浪翻空，而且，在柳荫深处，还会时而传来清脆的莺啼声，十分动人。
花港观鱼 该景位于苏堤南段以西，在西里湖与小南湖之间的一块半岛上。相传南宋时，内侍官允升曾在离这里不远的花家山下营建了私家花园，在花园里把水引入池中，并喂养五色鱼以供观赏，后来这里渐渐成为人们经常来游玩的地方，当时称为“卢园”，后来又因为临近花家山而称为“花港”。
雷峰夕照 雷峰塔是西湖众多古塔中最为风光的一座，可惜在70多年前已经倒掉了。雷峰新塔建在吴越雷峰塔的原址上，选择了南宋塔重建时的外观。妙音台、夕照亭、亲缘阁与雷峰新塔同在游赏区，相得益彰。妙音台是聆听净慈寺大梵钟声的最佳场所；夕照亭是康熙当年题额的御书亭和御碑亭所在的地方；亲缘阁，位于新塔的东北角，是游人休息、品茶的好地方。
双峰插云 北高峰海拔314米，山脚下坐落着灵隐寺，从寺西侧上山需要攀登数千级的石磴，沿途道路曲折弯转，但山上的景色和潺潺流过的小溪却能带来无限的乐趣。南高峰在西湖西侧，高257米，登上山顶向东俯瞰，西湖全景尽收眼底，让人仿佛置身于图画之中。
南屏晚钟 南屏山坐落在西湖南岸，山体绵延长达千米。山上怪石耸秀，绿树成林。在西湖一带的山岭是由石灰岩构成的，山上有很多孔穴。而西湖附近又有众多寺庙，所以每当佛寺敲响晚钟时，钟声震荡，传到山上，遇到岩石、洞穴等，加速了声波的振动，形成共振，于是，回音迭起。南屏晚钟的名字由此而来。
三潭映月 小瀛洲，是西湖中最大的一个岛屿，小瀛洲湖中有湖，岛中有岛，岛间桥栏相接。湖面上有三座石塔，塔高约2米，每个塔内有五个圆孔，有月亮的晚上把灯放在圆孔中，灯光与水中的月影交相辉映，美丽无比。
3. West Lake
Hangzhou always comes together with West Lake, the beauty of which is unveiled in numerous poems and prose written by poets and writers, both in the past and at present.
In China, there are 36 west lakes. But the West Lake in Hangzhou, with Su Di and Bai Di crossing over the lake as if two ribbons are flying and four small islands-Gushan (which literally means a lonely hill), Yingzhou (a legendary fairyland), Huxinting (which literally means a pavilion in the center of a lake) and Ruangongdun-dotted in the center, is the most beautiful one. The lake is also known as Wulin Water, Xizi Lake and Qiantang Lake.
According to Zhu Kezhen, a prestigious Chinese geographer in modern China, the current West Lake first took shape around 12, 000 years ago. In the distant past, the lake was no more than a tiny bay facing to its east a patch of shallow beach at the mouth of the Yangtze River. As time went by, mud and sand piled up and finally blocked the mouth of the tiny bay which was called Wulin Bay, thus forming a lagoon. Then as fresh water kept flowing into the lake, a fresh water lake was formed finally.
After West Lake took shape, the land to the east of the lake gradually turned into a patch of marshland where some primitive people lived and created a splendid Neolithic civilization known as "Liangzhu Culture".
West Lake became a source of fresh water for people living nearby. In the Sui and Tang dynasties, as inhabitants grew day by day, people gradually moved away from the lake for a larger area to live in. Since the source of water was not guaranteed in the new living area, six wells were dug. It was during this period that the layout of today's Hangzhou took its preliminary shape.
The expansion of the city created a growing demand on the supply of fresh water, but the water provided by the six wells was declining due to more and more silt in West Lake. So the famous ancient Chinese poet Bai Juyi, who was the governor of Hangzhou then, ordered to build a causeway stronger and taller than the original to elevate the water level of the lake. This turned the natural lake into an artificial one. After the project, the nearly dried-up wells were filled with fresh water again, which brought much benefit to people's livelihood and accelerated the city's development. Thus the causeway was named Bai Di in honor of Bai Juyi.
West Lake gradually became an indispensable part of Hangzhou city. Due to the wide spread of Buddhism, several Buddhist temples and pagodas were built around the lake. Among those which still stand today are Zhaoqing Temple, Ci'en Temple, Leifeng Pagoda, Liuhe Pagoda, White Pagoda and Baochu Pagoda, each of an exquisite artistic style. Leifeng Pagoda always remind people of a touching love story. Long long ago, a white snake was saved by a man when a woodman was about to capture it. In order to repay the favor, the snake turned into a beautiful lady and married the man who saved her life. But the marriage was deemed as immoral, and the legend ends with the beautiful and kindhearted snake-turned lady enjailed under Leifeng Pagoda by a monk named Fahai. Unfortunately, lack of repair for decades finally reduced the pagoda to the ground in 1924. Reconstructed according to the style and the size of the one in Southern Song, the current pagoda is an octagonal five-storied one with elegant decorations and exquisite displays. Standing in the new pagoda, one can have a bird's eye view of the beautiful West Lake and the thriving scenes of Hangzhou city.
In the Northern Song dynasty, when Su Shi (a famous statesman and ci wrtier in ancient China) came to Hangzhou to serve as the governor, West Lake had silted up by half. He immediately worked out a plan to dredge the lake. He ordered to remove the farming land enclosed in the lake and to build a north-to-south causeway with the mud dug up from the lake. Then six stone bridges were built on the causeway so that water could flow freely. Different kinds of flowers and trees were grown along the causeway. West Lake was more a resort than a reservoir. Foreign envoys, merchants, monks and other visitors came to West Lake, appreciating the picturesque scenery and worshipping the Buddha. In Southern Song, a great many pavilions, terraces, towers and temples were built along the bank of the lake, adding some artificial charm to the lake. Up until then, the construction of the West Lake scenic area was finished and the layout has remained to day. Later, people named the causeway Su Di in memory of Su Shi.
Along the bank of the lake, there are more than ninety parks and scenic spots. Among them the most famous are the "Ten Scenes of West Lake" which took shape in the Southern Song dynasty. They are "Dawn on Su Di in Spring", "Curved Yard and Lotus Pool in Summer", "Moonlight over West Lake in Autumn", "Lingering Snow on the Broken Bridge in Winter", "Orioles Singing in the Willows", "Fish Viewing at the Flower Pond", "Leifeng Pagoda in the Sunset", "Two Peaks Piercing the Clouds", "Evening Bell Ringing at the Nanping Hill", and "Three Pools Mirroring the Moon".
Dawn on Su Di in Spring
Su Di stretches from the Nanping Hill to the Qixia Hill and is nearly 3,000 meters long. Six bridges dot along the causeway: Yingbo Bridge, Suolan Bridge, Wangshan Bridge, Yadi Bridge, Dongpu Bridge and Kuahong Bridge. Each gives people a different yet impressive view.
Curved Yard and Lotus Pool in Summer
Curved yard used to be a wine-making workshop near which there grew many lotuses, floating on the lake. Every summer, the fragrant smell of the lotuses mixed with the aroma of the wine, offering people a feast of smell. Today, more than a hundred kinds of lotuses blossom in summer, offering people a feast for eyes.
Moonlight over West Lake in Autumn
To the west end of Bai Di, there is a royal study. A terrace connected to the study projects over the lake, making the terrace an ideal place for appreciating the bright moon. At night, the moon sheds its light over the tranquil lake, constituting a picturesque scene.
Lingering Snow on the Broken Bridge in Winter
The Broken Bridge is perhaps the most famed among all the bridges in this area. Snow is quite rare in Hangzhou since it is in the south. Thus every time the snowflakes fall down, West Lake viewed from the Broken Bridge will take on a different scene. To the east of the bridge there stands a kiosk which holds a stele inscribed with "Duan Qiao Can Xue" (which means Lingering Snow on the Broken Bridge in Winter) by Emperor Qianlong and a pavilion with a tablet inscribed with "Yun Shui Guang Zhong" (which means standing by the river and under the light) by Emperor Kangxi. The grey-brick pavilion topped with a roof with up-pointing corners, together with the Broken Bridge, is very much like a picture with a strong classical taste.
Orioles Singing in the Willows
Area around the southeast bank of West Lake used to be the royal garden of the Southern Song court. There grow many willows. When spring comes, the soft branches of the willows will dance as the wind blows as if waves are moving back and forth in the air. From the dancing willows comes the singing of orioles from time to time, melodious enough to attract any visitor to stop their steps to listen.
Fish Viewing at the Flower Pond
This scene is located on the south part of Su Di. According to a legend, an official of the Southern Song court built a private garden at the foot of the Huajia Hill ("Hua" in Chinese means flower and "jia" means family). Then he channeled water into a pond in his private garden and raised five-color fish in the pond. Later, the private garden was open to visitors and the garden got its new name "Lu Garden". Since it is at the foot of the Huajia Hill, it is now known as "flower pond'.
Leifeng Pagoda in the Sunset
In this scene, visitors will see not only the new Leifeng Pagoda but also Miaoyin Terrace, Xizhao Pavilion and Qinyuan Pavillion. Miaoyin Terrace ("Miaoyin" in Chinese means melodious music) is the best place for listening to the ringing of the bell in Jingci Temple. Xizhao Pavillion is where Emperor Kangxi wrote for the tablet of the pavilion. Located to the northeast of Leifeng Pagoda, Qinyuan Pavilion is a place for rest and tea.
Two Peaks Piercing the Clouds
Two peaks in this scene are two hills: the North High Hill which is 314 meters above the sea level and the South High Hill which is 257 meters high. Standing behind Lingyin Temple, the North High Hill is a natural screen of the temple. You need to climb hundreds of stone steps along the twisted road before you finally reach the top. However, the beautiful scenes and the merrily flowing streams are sure to delight your eyes and your mind. The South High Hill sits to the west of West Lake. Standing on the top of the hill and looking to the east, a visitor will see all the charming scenes of West Lake.
Evening Bell Ringing at the Nanping Hill
The tree-covered Nanping Hill stretched more than a thousand meters along the south bank of West Lake,. The hill is formed by lime-rock and has numerous holes in its body. Every night, when the bells in the nearby temples begin to ring, the ringing will travel far until it reaches the hill where it will be echoed back and forth by the holes in the hill, as if a piece of music is composed and played.
Three Pools Mirroring the Moon
Yingzhou is the biggest island in West Lake. Inside the island, there are small lakes and small islands connected by bridges. Near Yingzhou, there are three two-meter high stone towers, each with five small round holes. On a moon-lit night, the light from the lamp held in the holes and the shadow of the moon add radiance to each other, creating an extraordinary scene.
