Autumn at Hangzhou West Lake, Nov 2025

I came to Hangzhou hoping to enjoy the beautiful autumn colors, but because of climate change and leap June where two June months are present in the lunar calendar of this year, most leaves have yet to turn golden.  Yet I still managed to find some small areas of colorful autumn foliage.  Described as “the finest and most splendid city in the world“ by Marco Polo, the Song Dynasty capital of Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province is filled with natural beauty and rich cultural heritage.  Most representative of this “Heaven on Earth” is the UNESCO West Lake that inspired emperors and poets through the ages. I focused my short visit on the sights around the lake.  There are more than 100 historical and cultural sites around the lake with the most famous being the “Ten Scenes of West Lake” which Emperor Qianlong marked each with a four-character inscription 200 years ago.  I didn’t have enough to visit all ten but there is always next time.
Dawn at Maojiabu Scenic Area 茅家埠

 

Dawn at Maojiabu Scenic Area 茅家埠

 

 

 

 

Dawn at Maojiabu Scenic Area 茅家埠

 

 

 

Maojiabu Scenic Area 茅家埠

 

 

 

West Lake

 

 

West Lake at dawn
Marco Polo wrote: “A voyage on this lake offers more refreshment and pleasure than any other experience on earth”, so a cruise on the lake with views of ancient pagodas, traditional bridges, beautiful hills, and green islands is a must.  I took the cruise from outside Grand Hyatt Hangzhou to Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (三潭印月), the scene on the back of the one yuan bill.
West Lake
West Lake cruise
West Lake cruise
West Lake

 

West Lake

 

 

 

 

One of the 3 islands of the West Lake is Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (三潭印月) featuring winding bridges, pavilions, and towers.

 

 

 

The gardens of Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (三潭印月)

 

 

 

 

The gardens of Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (三潭印月)

 

 

 

 

West Lake with the view of Leifeng Pagoda

 

 

The gardens of Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (三潭印月)

 

 

 

The gardens of Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (三潭印月)

 

 

 

 

The gardens of Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (三潭印月)

 

 

 

Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (三潭印月)

 

 

 

Taiziwan Park 太子灣公園

 

 

Taiziwan Park 太子灣公園

 

 

 

Taiziwan Park 太子灣公園

 

 

 

Taiziwan Park 太子灣公園

 

 

 

Taiziwan Park 太子灣公園

 

 

 

Taiziwan Park 太子灣公園

 

 

 

Viewing Fish at the Flower Harbor 花港观鱼, in the southwest section of West Lake, is a 54-acre park with many varieties of trees and flowers.

 

 

 

Mandarin ducks at Viewing Fish at the Flower Harbor 花港观鱼

 

 

 

Mandarin ducks at Viewing Fish at the Flower Harbor 花港观鱼

 

 

 

Viewing Fish at the Flower Harbor 花港观鱼

 

 

View of Leifeng Pagoda of West Lake

 

 

 

The iconic Leifeng Pagoda 雷峰塔 gained fame due to its association with the story of Legend of the White Snake in which the character Bai Suzhen was said to be imprisoned beneath it.  After being reconstructed in 2002, it has become one of the most important landmarks of West Lake.

 

 

Sunset glow over Leifeng Pagoda is the classic West Lake sunset view, and best viewed from Changqiao Park 长桥公园

 

 

 

Sunset glow over Leifeng Pagoda is the classic West Lake sunset view, and best viewed from Changqiao Park 长桥公园

 

 

 

Leifeng Pagoda shining into the night

 

West Lake is quite big and I only had time to pass by the other sites on the sightseeing bus that runs clockwise around the lake.  It takes about an hour to circle the lake.  Until the next time Hangzhou!

 

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