Laura Griffin Designs

On the misty morning of Day 7, we boarded our bus & headed towards West Lake. Here is a view from the bus along the way…

When we arrived at our destination, we boarded a small boat, and were on our way to view the most famous sites of the lake.

Nope – we didn’t board this one…

But one of these… *LOL*

To give you a little background… West Lake was originally a lagoon adjoining the Qiantang River. In the 8th century, the governor of Hangzhou had a dyke built that cut it off from the river completely.

The average depth of the lake is only 7.5 ft. Three of its sides are surrounded by mountains and one side by the city. The natural setting of strangely shaped peaks, serene forests, & dense foliage are enhanced by a treasury of sculpture and architectural features.

One of the most famous architectural features of the lake is the “Broken Bridge” located at the east end of Bai Causeway.

The Broken Bridge’s name originates from ancient times when a large gate existed in the middle of the bridge. When it snowed, snowflakes would fall on the eves of the gate, making only the snow at the two ends of the bridge visible from a distance. This made the bridge appear broken.

The structure was romanticized in the ancient story “Legend of the White Snake”. The tale tells of a white snake that transformed into a beautiful woman. One day while strolling along the West Lake, she met a young man called Xu Xian at the Broken Bridge. It was raining that day, and Xu Xian lent his umbrella to Lady White Snake and her young maid. They later fell in love and were married. The happy couple made ends meet by running a successful herb shop. Lady White Snake had powers and could diagnose her patient’s illness and prescribe the remedy immediately.

One day, when Lady White Snake was away, a monk named Fahai stopped by their shop and told Xu Xian that he was married to a demon that would one day devour him. He asked Xu Xian to visit him at the Gold Mountain Temple, where he later kept the man prisoner. Lady White Snake waited for her husband’s return to no avail. Finally, she decided to rescue her husband from the evil Fahai. It was a long battle, but in the end, the monk managed to trap Lady White Snake in a golden alms bowl where she was forced to admit defeat and bid farewell to her beloved husband. The evil monk imprisoned Lady White Snake in The Leifeng Pagoda (pictured below) and declared that she would never come out again unless the lake dried up or the pagoda fell! It was said that in order to rescue the White Snake, every person passing by the Pagoda had to draw out a brick.

Eventually, the Leifeng Pagoda did collapse in a fire during the Ming Dynasty in 1924 (started by Japanese bandits.) Legend has it that Lady White Snake’s young maid rescued her in the end. The 7-story pagoda that exists now was rebuilt in 2000 on the original site. The sunset against the Leifeng Pagoda has been named one of the most beautiful sites on the lake. Hopefully, someday, I’ll be there in the evening to see it for myself!

Next came the “three pools mirroring the moon”. The three 6.5 ft high stone pagodas were constructed in 1621. There are five small round holes in each pagoda. Here’s a pic of one…

And a bit closer up…

When there is a bright full moon in the sky, and a candle is placed into each of the pagodas, you can see the candlelight mingle with the moonlight. Thus it is named “Three Pools Mirroring the Moon”. (I can’t claim I took the below pic..beautiful, eh?!)

This landmark is so famous that it is also featured on the back of the yuan bill of the national Chinese RMB currency.

Here are all 3 pagodas from a distance:

We saw some other beautiful sites along the way, including this gorgeous building that gives new meaning to the word lakehouse.

After we finished the boat trip, we headed back to the bus. These white flowers caught by eye along the way.

Next stop, a Chinese tea farm featuring the #1-ranked green tea in the country.