Paradise on Earth

by Shirley Zhang

The Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo once compared West Lake to a famous beauty in ancient China, Xi Shi, "who looks attractive whether she has little makeup on or is richly painted." This description is certainly accurate, for West Lake looks beautiful always, no matter what the season.

West Lake is surrounded by mountains on three sides and on the fourth by the city of Hangzhou. Trees on the lakeside are luxuriant, and the many ancient pavilions and buildings provide a quaint, peaceful atmosphere.

Grass is everywhere. People can not only walk on the grass but also sit or lie down for a rest. There are two brocade ribbon-like causeways inside the lake, namely Bai Causeway and Su Causeway, and they help divide the lake into five parts. The scenery in this part of West Lake is unusually enchanting in springtime. The causeway is lined with willow and peach trees, and the pink peach blossoms mixed with patches of green willow leaves create a wonderful combination of colors.

When it rains in Hangzhou, it usually drizzles, but that only gives the lake more atmosphere. There are fewer people then, and the whole area seems so quiet. The surrounding mountains and the three islets in the lake appear one moment and disappear the next. Everything seems nurtured by the drizzle.

A bicycle tour is a great idea, because the best views of West Lake conjure an illusion of sparkling pearls on the water's surface. Each such view is not so far from the next. And vehicles are forbidden on the causeways.

West Lake also yields the region's best food. The most famous are West Lake fish in sweet and sour sauce, shelled shrimp with dragon well tea and West Lake water shield soup. The sweet and sour fish is prepared with a West Lake grass carp, weighing about a half-kilogram and starved for two days. Boiled for three minutes and with sugar and vinegar sauce poured over it, the fish somehow has the delicious taste of crab. The shrimp is prepared with the well-known dragon-well green tea leaves. It is beautiful in color and has a special taste. The water shield comes only from West Lake. Boiled with minced chicken, it tastes wonderfully fresh. Not only big hotels, but also home-style restaurants have these specialties.

Tea rooms are easy to find in the street since Hangzhou is famous for its green tea. Dragon well tea, produced in the hills near West Lake with a history of 1,200 years, is the best green tea in China. It is well-known for its green color, fragrance, pure taste and beautiful shape. Both traditional Chinese tea houses and Western-style tea bars are popular in the city.

For all the beauty of West Lake, it's curious that few hotels provide views of it. The Shangri-la Hotel Hangzhou is the exception. It is located at the foot of a hill just beside the lake, and the atmosphere is just an open window away.

The ancient saying goes, "There is a paradise in heaven, and down on earth, there are Suzhou and Hangzhou." Hangzhou certainly holds up its end of the adage well.