One city, one experience - Hangzhou (West Lake)

Many people who travel to Hangzhou mostly go to West Lake. Although many people say that Xiang Lake is actually more beautiful and West Lake is too crowded and too commercial, everyone still chooses to go to West Lake first, or only to West Lake. Why? Because West Lake has history, culture, legends, and more importantly, West Lake has love. Walking by the West Lake, I asked, "Do you know why the West Lake has endured for thousands of years?" Even though it's not that beautiful, even though it's heavily commercialized, a lot of people come, and more people come. Because love, love is a permanent catalyst, always making people yearn for and long for. There is love on this lake, there are stories of talented people and beautiful women, and there are all kinds of red peaches and green willows. Only love can make something remain charming forever.

The first time we went to West Lake was around 7pm. It gets dark very early in Hangzhou in late autumn, and it’s only around 7 o’clock and it’s already very dark. We stayed at the Lake View Boutique Hotel next to the West Lake. Walking out of the dark alley is Nanshan Road, a few dozen steps to the right is the West Lake Museum, and a few dozen steps further is the Qianwang Temple. Several columns of merit monuments extend inward, which is very impressive. The statue of King Qian is behind the archway, standing majestic and majestic.

Say goodbye to King Qian and walk two steps to Smell the Orioles in the Willows. There are no birds chirping here anymore, maybe the birds have all fallen asleep. When I came back the next morning, I could actually hear the melodious oriole singing. There are several huge pointed lotus buds on the West Lake. Made of transparent gauze, illuminated by blue lights, it appears transparent and hazy on the sparkling lake. It adds thousands of charms to West Lake, which is not lacking in romance. There are many such silk lanterns, scattered in an orderly manner on the lake. There always seems to be something looming in the light. People can't help but get closer to their figures, but they stay thirty or forty meters away from the shore. On the lake, it seems far away or close. The fog in the lake is getting thicker, and they are just shadowy in this gauze-like fog, which makes people love and love them endlessly, and they can't stop.

Today is not a weekend. Most of the people visiting the lake are locals and it does not seem crowded. Perhaps they are all old people, so there are few exclamations, and West Lake is quiet. This feeling is very good, that is, this night, this lake made me feel the quiet, peaceful, gentle and moving West Lake at night.

The three of us walked along the path by the lake from Singing the Orioles in the Willows to the Broken Bridge. We meandered leisurely for more than three hours, taking in the wind and blowing willow trees. Passing by candlelit coffee bars, sparsely populated teahouses, enthusiastic square dances and those ancient songs that accompany your ears.

This night, the West Lake entangled my heart in a charming state, making me think about everything.

It was already past 9 o'clock in the morning when we went to West Lake the next day. Today is Friday, but there are still more tourists. The tour guide blared the loudspeaker to remind the uncles and aunties to return to the group on time and to call if they got lost. I didn't dare to go to those big places anymore, so I chose small places to explore, but I encountered a few quaint small bridges. Leaning on the bridge railing, watching the rippling water of West Lake under the clear sky, glowing with dazzling silver light. I can't help but think of the poem "It's better when the sky is bright and clear". Green willows dance beside the bridge. The willow trees in West Lake are particularly soft and soft, and their branches hang down softly, gently and gracefully in the absence of wind. If someone walks by it, she can shake it, not to mention dancing more cheerfully when the wind blows.

There are two main types of bridges in West Lake. One is a bridge with a short body and high arches, which is built on a narrow waterway. There are willow trees on both sides to support the shade, and the posture is Xiaoxiang, like a boudoir lady, beautiful and shy at the same time. A bridge with a long body and low arches, such as the long bridge and the broken bridge, is built on the vast lake. It has a graceful manner and is a dignified and generous lady.

After walking around, we arrived at the West Lake Square, where a group of old people were singing Pingtan in a pavilion. I sat next to it and listened to a few verses, and the singing was really good. Pingtan doesn't have a high voice like Peking Opera, but the singing is gentle and lingering. The old man sang the beautiful and resentful arias "Blood Handprint", "Wife Locked Up" and "Today's Good Marriage" in Wu Nong's soft language. I told the uncle in Mandarin that I am your fan.

He said in Hang Bang language, then I will sing "The Bride" again.

The third time I went to West Lake was at 5 pm on Saturday, and the sun was already very low. The golden sunset falls on the broken bridge and long bridge on the Baidi, the half-withered lotus leaves, the restless lake water, and the Baoshu Pagoda in the distance, creating a beautiful landscape painting. But there are so many people that the broken bridge looks like it will be crushed from a distance.

From dusk to dark, the lights in front of Yuewang Temple are brightly lit. This is the West Lake Historical and Cultural Street, which mainly sells snacks, silk scarves and West Lake specialties. The ticket gate of Impression West Lake is located in front of the Yue Fei Statue. Many people are queuing up, and there are also scalpers selling tickets. I wanted to enter the Yue Temple to get some patriotic sentiments, but I found that sentiments are not always there and they charge money, so forget it. Patriotism is not easy either.

Returning from Yuemiao to West Lake Square, I passed by a teahouse and couldn’t help but spend 50 yuan to make a cup of Longjing tea for a while. Searchlights of various colors radiated in all directions on the trail in the distance, and ancient music played. How could "Autumn Moon over the Flat Lake" be missing? It's a pity that there is no moon tonight, so there is only Pinghu. The strong aroma of wheat came from the tea cup, telling us that this was Longjing tea, but the grade was very low. It’s a pity that I couldn’t have a cup of tea at the tea farmer’s house next to the tea field when I rode with Cheng Cheng to Meijiawu. I feel regretful. When the fragrance of tea lingers and "Butterfly Lovers" plays, O becomes drunk without wine. Unfortunately, the excited screams of the group of naughty children behind him took away a lot of attention.

Su Xiaoxiao’s tomb has been gilded and is no longer the inconspicuous protrusion it once was. Wu Song's tomb was built later. Fengyu Pavilion is Qiu Jin's tomb, which is based on the sentence "Autumn wind and autumn rain make people sad."

The fourth time I went to West Lake was at 6 o'clock in the morning on Sunday, when the sky was just dawning. The mist on the water is hazy, and several small islands are looming in the Three Pools reflecting the moon. Are they the Penglai Fairy Island?

No one can be seen in Su Causeway, and Leifeng Pagoda stands quietly on the mountain beside the lake. Suddenly I heard the sound of water. It turned out that it was an old man fishing next to the willow tree. When we walked over, the old man was picking a half-pound fish off the hook. The back of the small fish is black and the belly is very white. I don’t know what kind of fish it is. I once heard someone say that one of the characteristics of wild fish is the black backbone, which made me salivate.

It gets brighter every day, and there are a pair of mandarin ducks playing in the water at Huagang Fish Watching, and the fish can see clearly. Unknowingly, when I looked back, the sun was already hanging next to Leifeng Pagoda. It's yellow, round, and moist, just like a salted egg yolk. The water surface is dyed a mysterious dim yellow, coupled with the dark islands and yellow-topped towers, it is another beautiful landscape painting.

After a while, the sun was released, bright and dazzling. The lake, willow trees, small bridges, and people are all coated with a layer of bright gold. Su Di suddenly became lively. People doing morning exercises twisted their waists, shook their legs, squatted, ran, and cycled in various postures. There are also swimmers. This is West Lake. The water is very cold, but it seems that the swimmers don’t think it’s a problem, and the onlookers don’t think it’s a problem either. And the aunt enthusiastically guided the young man: first put some water on your chest, warm yourself up before getting into the water, and once you get into the water, don't go ashore casually, it's cold. . . .

Quyuan Fenghe was originally a place where wine was brewed, but the aroma of the wine has faded away. Now all we see are the remnant lotuses all over the courtyard and a few wine-tasting statues. It's really sad that I can't taste wine here.