There are no less than 30 lakes named “West Lake” in China. But the West Lake in Hangzhou is the best known of them all. It is located in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province on the southeastern coast, and the city is known as the Paradise of the World in China.

在中国，以“西湖”命名的湖泊不下30个。但是真正称得上家喻户晓的只有杭州的西湖。它位于中国的东南沿岸，浙江省的省会杭州。一座在国内被誉为人间天堂的城市。

Thousands of years ago, the West Lake was connected to the sea. The Qiantang River, not far away from the West Lake enters the sea in the eastern part of area. Sediment deposited by the river eventually blocked the connection between the West Lake and the sea, making it an inland water feature.

数千年前，西湖曾与大海相连，不远处的钱塘江正是在这片水域的东部流入大海。江水带来的泥沙不断淤积，最终阻隔了西湖和大海的联系。让这里成为了内陆湖泊。

Since the 9th century A,D., the beautiful scenery of the West Lake in all seasons has appeared time and again in poems, stories and legends, it`s roughly estimated there are about 630 legends of the West Lake alone.

自公元9世纪以来，西湖美景在四季轮转中装载了越来越多的诗篇，故事与传说。据不完全统计，仅西湖的传说就有约六百三十余个。

In 2011 West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou was included on the World Heritage List. It is visited by an endless stream of international tourists. Perhaps some of them will add their own stories to West Lake`s wealth of literature.

在2011年，杭州西湖文化景观被列入世界遗产名录，慕名而来的国际游客络绎不绝。也许他们将为西湖续写更为多元化的故事。