Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang Province, one of the most developed province in China. Hangzhou literally means 'a place accessbile by boat'. From this name you can infer that this city is located either by the sea or a river.It used to lie by the East China Sea and is now sitting by the Qiangtang River, the biggest river in this province.

The city of Hangzhou is a small one. It has a population of only 3 million. Compared to Beijing and Shanghai, with 12 million and 13million people respectively, Hangzhou is really 'tiny'.

However, Hangzhou has won many favorable titles, such as 'paradise on Earth', 'Famous Historic and Cultural City', 'State-level Hygienic City', 'Best place to Live in', just to name a few. In the year 2000, Hangzhou won the title of International Garden City. It's the third such city in China. The other two are Guangzhou and Shenzhen, both in Guangdong Province.

Marco Polo, the 13th century Italian traveler once commented: 'Hangzhou is the finest and most splendid city in the world.' As early as in the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907AD), Hangzhou had been known as 'Paradise on Earth'.

Hangzhou is one of the few cities in China that has so much beautiful natural scenery. What's more, the local government has spent a lot of money and efforts in developing more landscapes, even in the urban area. Luckily enough, the scenic and urban scenery are kept in very good balance.

As a second largest metropolis located in the Yangtze Delta area, Hangzhou is blessed with rich tourism resources. Travel to Hangzhou has been heated these year, with more Chinese enjoying their leisure time on the road. However, the city is not relying solely on the West Lake development. The local government is expecting to take in more tourists both form home and abroad and encourage them to come back for a second and even a third visit!

The history of Hangzhou can be traced back to the Qin Dynasty, when the First Qin Emperor unified the whole country in 221BC and set up 36 prefectures, under which were counties. Hangzhou at that time war a small county. Not until the Sui Dynasty (581 - 618AD) when the Grand Canal was drug, did the county become a city. It saw its heyday during the Southern Song Dynasty (1125 - 1279AD), when Hangzhou served as the capital.

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The West Lake lies west of the city, hence the name. But a long long time ago (about 12000 years), the lake was part of the sea, a shallow bay, actually. Due to the silt brought downstream by the Qiantang River, a lagoon gradually appeared. Soon it was completely separated from the sea. But not until the Sui Dynasty about 1400 years ago did a fresh-water lake come into being.

However, the water was still a bit salty even in the following Tang Dynasty. That's why the first governor of Hangzhou by the name of Li Bi, initiated the project of having six wells dug in the city proper. Since then, the local inhabitants could drink sweet water from them instead of bitter water from the lake.

According to a folktale, the lake was a bright pearl coming from heaven.

Once upon a time, there lived a jade dragon and a golden phenix in heaven. They grew up together and enjoyed each other's company. One day when they were enjoying themselves in the open air, they caught sight of a very special stone. The phenix suggested that they carve it into a peal. The dragon thought it a great idea. So they started working together, the phenix with her beak and the dragon with his paws.

Gradually a dazzling pearl was carved out of the stone. It was such a magic pearl that trees grew greener, flowers lasted longer and the land yielded a bumper harvest when bathed in its shine. The dragon and the phenix loved the pearl so much that they decided to live together and guard it on the island where they found the stone forever.

One day, the Queen Mother of the West was amazed by the brilliant rays in the sky and wanted to know from where it came. When reported that it was from a bright pearl, she immediately ordered:'Go and get it for me!'

The pearl was stolen while the dragon and the phenix were fast asleep. The old lady was so carried away by its beauty that she longed to keep it forever. In order not to lose it, she had it locked in a room after nine doors. I mean nobody could steal it unless he passed 9 locked doors. Maybe only Tom Cruise could complete the mission.

When they found their pearl missing, the dragon and the phenix were very upset and searched for it everywhere. They believed that if they kept searching, they'd finally find it by its rays, which could reach very far. But they didn't know that is was locked behind nine doors and the rays could not come out at all.

The big day came when the old lady was celebrating her 900th birthday. She invited all the celestial beings and treated them with a grand feast. It was of course the very occasion for her show off all her treasures. One after another, all the treasures were displayed to the guests. At last, but not the least, it was the pearl's turn.

As soon as the pearl appeared in tray, all the guests were dumbfounded. Nobody had ever seen such a beautiful pearl. And meanwhile the dragon and the phenix saw the rays radiating from the pearl. Without much difficulty, they traced into the palace and found the old lady showing off their pearl.

They pushed their way to her through the crowd and demanded the pearl back. 'We spent 3 long years carving the pearl. Why should you have stolen it?' The lady felt very embarrassed and ordered to have them expelled from the palace. The dragon and the phenix beat the guards and went directly for their pearl.

The three of them were involved in a heated fight. However nobody took hold of the pearl. It dropped onto the ground and rolled all the way out of the palace. It fell and fell and fell and finally it landed on the west of Hangzhou. As soon as it touched the ground, it turned into a beautiful clear lake. That was the West Lake.

The dragon and the phenix, when they saw that their pearl became such a beautiful lake, they felt reluctant to part from it. Consequently, they changed themselves into two hills -the Jade Emperor Hill and the Phenix Hill- standing on the south of the West Lake, guarding this 'bright pearl'.

Today in the lake, there's one natural island, two causeways and three artificial islets. On the lake, there're 'Ten Best Views' or 'Top Ten Views'. These landscapes actually derived their names more than 800 years ago during the Southern Song Dynasty when the city was made capital of China and enjoyed a time of great prosperity.

About 1000 years ago, Su Dongpo, the Song Dynasty poet-governor was enjoying himself with some friends in a pleasure boat, drinking, talking and laughing. It was a nice day and the water was shimmering in the sunshine. He exclaimed that it was only suitable to see the lake on a sunny day. But suddenly a rain came. The water and all the hills, near or far, became vague. This made this lake even more charming. The poet gasped in admiration that the rain was also wonderful. This reminded him of the ancient beauty named Xi Shi, who was charming no matter when she was heavily made up or without any decoration.

He noted this event in this poem:
The shimmering ripples delight the eye on sunny days;
The dimmish hills present a rare view in rainy haze.
West Lake may be campared to Beauty Xi Zi at her best;
It becomes her to be richly adorned or plainly dressed.

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1.Spring Dawn at Su Causeway
The Spring Dawn at Su Causeway, which is a thin strip of land nearly three kilometers long covered with peach and weeping willow trees. In spring, with the lakeside sparkling in the morning dew, birds cheerfully chirping among swaying willow branches, the scent of peach blossoms wafting through the air, you'll question whether you¡¯re in the midst of paradise.

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2.Breeze at Crooked Courtyard
This typical West Lake scene has earned its fame since the Southern Song Dynasty, when the lakeside area with an abundant growth of lotus off its shores was known as Crooked Courtyard, and was the location of a brewery. People said the smell of lotus flowers and wine blended by the cool lake breezes was intoxicating. Nowadays the brewery is gone, and the area has been turned into a big park, but plenty of lotus plants still bloom off its shores. They stand gracefully erect in the lake, as if they knew they had visitors coming to admire their beauty.

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3.Autumn Moon on Calm Lake
At the western end of Bai Causeway is located a lakeside park which houses a stone tablet bearing the etched calligraphy of Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, which reads: "Autumn Moon on Calm Lake". The lake is a special place to appreciate the moon and the effect of moonlight on the land. The moon seems especially bright over the waters. The hills look purplish bathed in the moonlight. The best time for nighttime viewing is on Mid-Autumn Day.

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4.Melting Snow on the Broken Bridge
The Melting Snow is the most romantic scene of the ten must-see around the West Lake on the Broken Bridge. The stone-arched Broken Bridge is where the characters of a famous Chinese folktale, Xu Xian and a beautiful girl, who is actually a white snake, first met and fell in love with each other.
After a snowfall, when the snow on the more exposed side has melted, with the shaded side remaining white, it looks as if a long white belt has been ripped apart on the bridge, thus earning the name "Melting Snow on the Broken Bridge".
The Broken Bridge is one of the 'three unusualnesses' on the lake. The 'three unusualnesses' are 'The Broken Bridge is not Broken', 'The Long Bridge is not long' and 'The Solitary Hill is not solitary'.

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PS:The Story of the White Snake

This is a story adopted from a classical Chinese novel. But the story in the play is totally a different account to the origin novel. This is a traditional play but may have different arias with different performing styles.

Once upon a time in the Mountain E-Mei, there were White Snake and Black Snake. White Snake changed into a very beautiful girl, named BAI Su-Zheng (Qing Yi). Black Snake also became a lovely maid, named Xiao Qing (Wu Dan). They came to West Lake of Hang Zhou (Hangchow) for a visit. They were attracted by the beauty of the scene. There over the Duan-Qiao bridge came a young man named XU Xian (Xiao Sheng). BAI immediately fell into an unrequited love. To help her sister, Xiao Qing set a trick to let it rain and they took a tree as shelter. XU Xian opened his umbrella and came near. When he saw them, he offered his umbrella and asked them where they lived. On a quick action, Xiao Qing told him they lived somewhere near WestLake. A boat was then in sight. XU Xian called, paid the boatman and asked him to ship the two ladies to their destination and himself home. He lived with his sister's family. On the boat, they talked a little. BAI Su-Zheng began to know XU Xian a little more. The rain gradually stopped. When the boat made its first stop, Xiao Qing made it rained again. So XU Xian told them to keep the umbrella and he would take it back next day. Xiao Qing told XU that nearby there was a red mansion, which was their home.

Next day, BAI made a red mansion by her magic. XU went there as promised. Having him seated, Xiao Qing made him and BAI some tea. They exchanged a few sentences. And Xiao Qing asked XU whether he had married. When receiving a negative reply, Xiao Qing told him that BAI was also unmarried and suggested they two got married. When the three-attendee wedding ceremony was on, the Abbot, named Fa Hai, of a remote Buddhist temple, Jin Shan (GoldenMountain) Temple, sensed something and then found what was going on. He pledged to capture the white snake.

After the marriage, the three of them moved to Zhen Jiang, a city on the YangtseRiver where BAI provided her husband with a medicine shop. She used her magical powers so that all medicines became especially potent, and the business in consequence prospered exceedingly. Fa Hai found Xu Xian there and warned that his wife was a snake. He suggested Xu a way to find her real self, a festival alcohol drink for the September 9th Day. September 9th was crucial for the two snakes. There would be a moment when they had to change back to their real selves. Xiao Qing suggested to BAI that they both went back to Mountain E-Mei for the day. BAI did not want Xu sense any unusualness. She believed that her magic power could prevent her from the changing and told Xiao Qing to go alone. Xu Xian bought the festival alcohol to celebrate the day and asked BAI to drink with him. Did not want to disappoint her husband and thought she still could control herself, she agreed and finished a cup. But XU asked her a second cup. The second cup made her feel awful. She rushed to the bedroom and warned XU did not get in. Xu Xian saw her in her old form in the bed, and simply just died of fright. When Xiao Qing came back, she waked BAI up. Then risking her life, White Snake went to steal the glossy ganoderma, which was heavily guarded. Moved by her brave and true love, the owner of the drug released her and gave her the drug.

The life of Xu Xian was restored. He suddenly remembered what the Abbot said to him. Recovered from the illness, XU Xian went to the Temple. To separate him from his wife, Fa Hai forced him to become a monk. BAI, along with Xiao Qing, chased to JinShanTemple and begged Fa Hai to let her husband go but got refused. Then in anger, she gathered together a great army of underwater creatures to attack the monastery and used water to submerge the temple. Fa Hai had a magic outer vestment, which made the mountain to grow so that the waterlevel was kept under the temple. Fa Hai also had the magic to command heavenly solders. BAI had been pregnant. She could not fight the battle any longer.

BAI and Xiao Qing fled to WestLake to where they first met Xu Xian. Xiao Qing was very angry at Xu for his unfaithfulness and pledged to kill him when she saw him. XU was secretly released by a young monk when the two sides were fighting and happened to come to the same place. When they met him, Xiao Qing was for attacking him with her sword, but BAI held her back and told XU the truth. With fully understanding each other, they went home.

Fa Hai went to the heaven and asked the heaven emperor to help him. A powerful fighter with a magic lantern was commanded to assist Fa Hai. BAI was given birth to a son. One day, XU Xian went to buy a hat for his son. The hat was actually the lantern, which made BAI Su-Zheng physically under the spell of the fighter. The White Snake was then imprisoned under the Thunder Peak Pagoda by WestLake. Black Snake fled to her original place and practiced her magic. Several years later her magic was strong enough to take the revenge. She managed to destroy the Pagoda and rescued White Snake. White Snake reunited with her husband and her son. Black Snake then defeated Fa Hai and had him swallowed by a crab. They live together happily forever.

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5.Orioles Singing in the Willows
Retreating from the legendary bridge, here we come to the Listening to Orioles Singing in the Willows, an imperial garden built up in the Southern Song Dynasty. Now the once-imperial garden has been turned into a park open to all. Featuring green willows and singing orioles, there are lawns, pavilions, and bridges that are very impressive, as well.

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6.Viewing Fish and Lotus Ponds at Flower Pond
Another spot to check up the vivid life and catch up with birds chirping out of the ten charms of the West Lake is the Viewing Fish and Lotus Ponds at Flower Pond Over here Flower Pond Park occupies an area of twenty-one hectares on a peninsula in the southwest corner of the lake. In its heart is the Red Fish Pond, where people can relax to the sight of brightly colorful fish swimming around and to the brisk melody of chirpy birdsong. To stay with nature is a highly enjoyable experience.

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7.Sunset Glow over Leifeng Pagoda
Leifeng Pagoda is another renowned scenic spot in Hangzhou. Originally built in the 10th century, Leifeng Pagoda used to stand in front of Jingxi Temple on Nanping Mountain; though failed to stand the test of time, the Pagoda collapsed in early 1900s. In 2002, Leifeng Pagoda was reconstructed; then comes back the typical Sunset Glow over Leifeng Pagoda, one of the ten charms of West Lake, as the Pagoda looks especially majestic when surrounded by the golden hues of the setting sun. With combination of a traditional aesthetic style and modern architecture techniques, Leifeng Pagoda affords a view of West Lake in its entirety.

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8.Twin Peaks Soaring through the Clouds
While it's difficult to take your eyes off the tranquil waters, take time to gaze at the skies above West Lake. You'll be rewarded with the sight of two limestone mountains past the northern edge of the lake, one to the northeast and one to the northwest, five kilometers apart. On a drizzling day in spring or autumn, the two peaks come and go amongst the drifting rain clouds. And here comes the name of Twin Peaks Soaring through the Clouds, another scene you cannot miss around the West Lake.

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9.Evening Bell at Nanping Mountain
Personally I award the title of the Most Poetic to the Evening Bell at Nanping Mountain, out of the ten collections of the West Lake views. Nanping Mountain stretches along the southern bank of the Lake. At dusk, with the sun slowly drifting into the Lake on the west, a huge bell at Jingxi Temple, will ring its farewell to the last sunbeam of the day. With the prolonged bell sound reverberating across the Lake, the peaceful and sacred air offers you a perfect occasion for meditation.

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10.Three Pools Mirroring the Moon
If you can catch one of the tour coaches that leave after dusk, the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon should not to be missed. Just off the southern shore of the Island of Little Oceans stand three small pagodas that seem to float on the water.
The three pagodas mark the three deepest points in the lake and the deepest point is called 'tan' in Chinese, meaning 'deep pool'. When you see the pagodas, you may easilly find they're hollow. They are five holes in each. On the Mid-Autumn Day, candles are lit in the pagodas and the holes are covered with white sheet of paper. Looking from a distance, they are like small moons. In eachpagoda, you can see five moons. With their reflections, there are ten. Three pagodas together, they're 30. With the real moon in the sky and its reflection in water, you can see 32 moons, big or small, true or flase. That's why the name 'Three Pools Mirroring the Moon'.

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1.Lingyin Temple
You will find Ling Yin Temple in a long, narrow valley between Fei Lai Feng (Peak flown from Afar) and North Peak to the northwest of the West Lake at Hangzhou in Zhejiang Province. The temple is without doubt a premier showpiece in the West Lake environs and is notable also as one of the ten most famous Buddhist temples of China. In 1961 the temple was listed for protection as a key provincial historical and cultural site and is considered a leading centre for research relative to Chinese Buddhist culture.
The presence of a temple on this site can be traced back to the Eastern Jin Dynasty (317 - 420AD) when, according to local legend, Huili an Indian monk came to the area where he was inspired by the spiritual nature of the scenery to be found here. To his mind this had to be a dwelling of the Immortals and so he gave the temple a name "Ling Yin (Temple of the Soul's Retreat). The Chinese name is translated into English as either "Temple of the Soul's Retreat' or 'Temple of Inspired Seclusion' for the setting has a quiet and beautiful grandeur that encourages a feeling of peace and for contemplation.
The temple was to gain in importance during the Five Dynasties (907-960 AD) when the King of the Wu Yue State initiated a large-scale development of the temple as a sign of his devotion to Buddha. In its heyday, the temple comprised nine buildings, eighteen pavilions, seventy-seven palaces and halls with over thirteen hundred rooms providing accommodation for around three thousand monks. A monastery on this scale is difficult to imagine and needless to say over the centuries it has been subjected to many changes of fortune due to wars, religious repression and other calamities. The main temple that can be seen today is a result of the restoration that was carried out in 1974 following the ten-year Chinese Cultural Revolution. Upon entering the first hall of the temple, you will see a tablet inscribed with words penned by Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty (1644 - 1911). He was inspired by the sight of the temple shrouded in mist amongst the trees that surround it and gave it the title 'Cloud Forest Buddhist Temple'. This first great hall, with its double eaves and some sixty feet in height, is the 'Hall of the Heavenly Kings.' Upon the door is a couplet that says 'Let us sit and wait upon the threshold, where we shall see another peak flying from afar. Let us welcome spring with a smile as the snow melts and the brook starts to flow once more.'
Upon entering the Hall your eyes will be drawn to the delicately painted ceiling decorated with phoenixes and dragons. Images of the Four Heavenly Kings stand upon either side of the Maitreya, a laughing Buddha with a huge belly who is said to be able to 'endure all intolerance and laugh at every laughable person in the world,' as he welcomes those who enter the hall. On passing through this hall and crossing the courtyard beyond, you then enter the Da Xiong Bao Dian. This is the Hall of the Great Hero. It is seven rooms wide, five rooms deep and single storey construction. The double eaved roof soars to a pinnacle of 33.6 metres (110 feet) making it probably the highest single storey buildings to be found in China. The hall houses a statue of Sakyamuni carved from 24 sections of camphor wood with an overall height of 24.8 metres (82 feet). This is one of the largest wooden statues in China and is covered with gold leaf. The statue is flanked on either side by twenty saints. These are said to be protectors of justice. Twelve disciples who serve as guards are seated along the rear wall. The figures are a very imposing and impressionable sight to behold.

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2.General Yue's Temple And Tomb
The Mausoleum of General Yue Fei is located at the southern foot of Qixia hill, on West Lake bank. It was listed as one of the state-level cultural relic protection sites in 1961.
General Yue Fei is the well-known national hero in the war against Jin invaders during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). He, with his army, had won many great battles, so a minister named Qin Hui was quite jealous of him. With the authority of Emperor Gaozong, Qin Hui ordered Yue Fei back to court at once at a time that Yue Fei was fighting furiously with the northern invaders on the battlefield. In fact, the command was just an excuse to order him back. Yue Fei was wrongly accused of seriously defying military order during his mission and was subsequently put to death at the age of 39.
In 1163 Song Emperor Gaozong exonerated Yue Fei and had his corpse moved to the present site. The tomb of Yue Yun, Yue Fei's son, is on his left. In 1221, a memorial temple was built there not only to honour General Yue Fei who made such a great contribution to China defending his country against the aggression of Jin invaders, but also as an educational site for all Chinese to learn about patriotism.
Due to ongoing wars and disasters, the Mausoleum of General Yue Fei saw more than 800 years of ups and downs. But, with great support from the Hangzhou Cultural Relics Association, the present mausoleum complex is the result of the largest restoration since the Chinese Cultural Revolution in 1979. The Mausoleum of General Yue Fei is now formed into a group of ancient-styled buildings. The mausoleum is 23 feet in diameter and 9 feet in height, and is situated in the southwest area of the ancestral temple. Stand in any corner of the mausoleum, and one may feel Yue Fei's total dedication to the service of the Southern Song Dynasty. Standing on both sides of his tomb are stone men, horses, tigers, and sheep that serve as guards around the mausoleum. Down the tomb steps are the cast iron kneeling statues of Qin Hui and his wife, Zhangjun and Mo Qixie. A famous Chinese poem reads: "The green hill is fortunate to be the burial ground of a loyal general; The white iron was innocent to be cast into the statues of traitors." In other words, heroes leave good names forever, but traitors go down in history as a symbol of infamy.
With a vermeil boundary wall and a double-eaved gate tower, the memorial temple clearly demonstrates its grandeur. Upon entering the main gate along the blue stone road, one can see the ancestral temple directly in front of him. The main hall is the typical two-layer-eave of Qing Dynasty architecture with a big plaque "xinzhaotianri" inscribed by the marshal Ye Jianying hung above the door. In the middle of the hall is the sitting statue of Yue Fei in full armor. He looks martial and majestic holding a sword in his left hand and making a fist with his right. Above the statue is a tablet inscribed "return my territory" which represents his outlook on life. Stone steles inscribed with poems full of his praises and eulogies from different dynasties are displayed along the corridors beside Yue Fei's tomb. Visitors can get a thorough understanding of Yue Fei from these artifacts and know why he is so popular in Chinese history.
Yue Fei's heroic deeds and patriotism add a special beauty to the charm of West Lake.

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PS: General Yue's background

Yue Fei, the general, was born in a rich family in 1103 in Henan Province south of the Yellow River. But three days after he was born, his hometown was hit by a severe flood. Fortunately, his mother carried him and was seated in a big vat and floated on water for 3 days and nights. Finally they were rescued and offered shelter. His father and all the other family members were killed during the flood. He was brought up by his mother alone and this explains why he was so filial to her.

At the beginning of the 12th century, the Nuzhen Nationality established a kingdom named Jin. The Great Jin became very strong and started massive attacks against the Northern Song. On the other hand, the Northern Song Dynasty, which had been in existence for over 150 years, became corrupt and the armies were not good at fighting at all.

Very soon, the capital fell into the invaders' hand and to make things worse, the last two emperors were captured, resulting in the fall of the Northern Song Dynasty. The ninth of the last but one emperor Zhao Gou fled to the south and established the Southern Song Dynasty with Hangzhou as its capital.

Yue Fei grew up under such circumstances. He joined the army at the age of 20 and was promoted as petty officer very soon because of his bravery and intelligence. Later he was promoted to a higher position after a big victory and trained his own troop into a well-disciplined and resourceful army. The Jin invaders were defeated in many battles. Among them there was such a saying: it's easy to shake a mountain, but hard to defeat Yue's army.

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1.Baochu Pagoda
The Baochu Pagoda is first built in the year 968 AD. It was so named to bless Qian Chu, king of the Wuyue Kingdom with Hangzhou as its capital.
Over 1000 years ago in north China, the Northern Song Dynasty was established by means of war. Meanwhile in the south, there were ten small kingdoms. The new emperor wanted to unite the whole nation but didn't want to resort to weapons again. So he invited the kings of the kingdoms into the capital and treated them like best friends.
King Qian Chu was there and didn't return until long. All his family members and the ministers became worried about him and someone suggested that a pagoda being built on the north of the lake, in hope of blessing or protecting the king. The pagoda was soon put up and the king returned, safe and sound.
Before he left the capital, the emperor presented him a parcel, telling him not to open it until he arrived home. But halfway, curiosity took the best of him and he had the parcel opened. It really gave him a great shock.
It was a bunch of letters and reports from the ministers to the emperor, asking him to kill the kings and take over their territories. The emperor didn't listen to them. Instead, he gave all the letters to the king. Qian Chu was grateful to the emperor but meanwhile understood that he had no choce but to surrender to the emperor and became a tributary. In this way, the emperor succeeded unifying the whole nation peacefully. And we've got his pagoda left to add splendor to the beauty of the landsacape.

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2.Six Harmonies Pagoda
The Six Harmonies (Liuhe) Pagoda lies in Yuelun Hill on the north bank of the Qiantang River in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. The name "six harmonies" comes from the six Buddhist ordinances, meaning "harmonies of the heaven, earth, north, south, east, and west". The pagoda was first built in 970 AD by the King of Wuyue State, who intended to demonstrate his authority by conquering the evil of the river tidal bore of the Qiantang River. The pagoda fell into ruins and went through reconstruction many times before being listed as one of the key national cultural heritages in 1961.
Commanding a spectacular view of the surging Qiantang River, the pagoda presents a quiet image of age-old majesty. The original pagoda has nine stories with a light on the top, which serves as a navigation tower. In 1156, the pagoda experienced a large-scale restoration. The artisans used carved bricks when reconstructing the inside of the pagoda. By the end of the Qing Dynasty, the upturned wooden multi-eaves and wrapping structure was added to the pagoda and, in the eyes of the people, presented the soul and labor of ancient Chinese. The pagoda we see today is an octagonal structure 200 feet tall. Seen from the outside, the pagoda has the appearance of a 13-story building; in actuality, there are only seven stories.
The Six Harmonies Pagoda is definitely a masterpiece of ancient Chinese architecture that continually attracts visitors both home and abroad. Visitors here may be shocked and entertained not only by the long and splendid history of China but also the arts of Chinese calligraphy and seal-cutting. There are various sorts of stone tablets and stone statues both inside and out of the pagoda, left over from the past times. One may see relics such as a minister's tablet, a Buddhist scripture tablet, a god statue, a poem inscription, and similar artifacts from different dynasties. Moreover, the Center of Ancient Chinese Pagodas has opened near the pagoda. It features all kinds of the ancient pagodas erected in the different areas and different dynasties. One will have an appreciation of the quintessence of ancient Chinese pagodas.

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PS: The legend of Six Harmonies Pagoda

There was a little boy lived by the Qiantan River with his parents. They managed to make a living by fishing. The Dragon King living in the East China Sea often brought tidal waves into the river whenever he pleased and caused a lot of damage to the people living by the river.

One day when fishing, his parents didn't notice the suddenly-came tidal waves and were washed into the river. They didn't struggle much and soon disappeared. The little boy was of course very sad but he was more angry than simply sad. He made up his mind and started throwing stones into the river to fill and level it up.

The stones were carried into the East China Sea and landed in front of the crystal palace of the Dragon King. At first, the Dragon King paid no notice of it. But more stones came and soon there was a huge pile. There was the danger that the crystal palace be buried. The Dragon King became worried and decided to find out what was happening. He came into the river standing on top of the waves and soon saw the the boy throwing stones.

He ordered the boy to stop but got a definite 'No'. The boy replied:'I won't stop unless you promise me three things.' 'What do you want me to promise you?''First, give me back my parents. Second, regulate the tidal waves. And third, reduce the power of the waves.'Hearing this, the Dragon King thought to himself:'Piece of cake.'So he answered:'OK, OK whatever you say.'

The boy stopped throwing stones and the Dragon King retreated into the sea. Soon, there came a small boat from the east. On the boat were the boy's parents, safe and sound. Since then, the tidal waves came only twice a day, and always 40 minutes later than on the previous day. What's more, the power was much smaller.

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1.Xiling Bridge
The Xiling Bridge is one of the three 'bridge of love'. It was at this bridge that Su Xiaoxiao, a most famous geisna in the Five Dynasties Period about 1100 years ago, met her lover Ruan Yu on his tall black horse. They fell in love with each other at the first sight and soon lived together.
But the boy's father who was a high ranking official in the capital thought it improper for his son to marry a geisha. So he wrote him a letter telling him that his mother was seriously ill. The boy was in a hurry go home, but before leaving, he promised Su Xiaoxiao that he'd soon be back and marry her with grand wedding.
He left and had never returned. His father married him to another girl whose father was also a high-ranking official. Such a marriage has been regarded as an ideal match, even today.
Back here in Hangzhou, Su Xiaoxiao waited in great expectation to get married with the boy but ... She waited and waited, but nothing happened. Finally one day, news about Yuan Yu's marriage came. It was such a big shoch that she fell sick, and died soon.
The other two bridge of 'bridge of love' are the Broken Bridge and the Long Bridge.

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1.Bai Causeway
The Bai Causeway was so named to commemorate the Tang Dynasty poet governor Bai Juyi. The name Bai Juyi is known to almost every literate Chinese, for his poems are learned and recited in primary schools, or even in kindergartens. During his term of service in Hangzhou, he did a lot of good deeds for the people including dredging in the lake, making it the most beautiful among all the 36 West Lake in China

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1.Zhejing Provincial Museum
In the Zhejing Provincial Museum, you can find a large collection of archaeological finds unearthed within the province. Among them, the most interesting should be the first cultivated rice in the world, which brought people to believe that the lower reaches of the Yangtze River is another cradle of Chinese civilization besides the middle reaches of the Yellow River in north China. The rice was cultivated over 7000 years ago.

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2.China Silk Museum
China's National Silk Museum is the first state-level museum dedicated to silk culture and the biggest silk museum in the world. Chinese former chairman Jiang Zemin made an epigraphy 'Opening up a New Silk Road, Promoting Chinese Silk Culture' for celebrating the opening of the museum in spring 1992.
Located at the foot of Yuhang (Jade Emperor) Hill south of West Lake, the museum occupies a total construction area of approximately 8,000 squares meters (about two acres), which includes eight different exhibition halls: the Prelude Hall, the Relics Hall, the Folk Custom Hall, the Silkworm Hall, the Silk Manufacturing Hall, the Weaving Hall, the Dyeing Hall, and the Achievement Hall. The museum exhibits silk production artifacts from the Neolithic Age to the Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. In the Modern Achievement Hall, a series of refined silk products made in modern society are on display, demonstrating the great achievements that have been made in the silk industry with the support of Chinese government since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949.China is the birthplace of the silk industry with approximately 5,000 years history of planting mulberry trees, doing sericulture and filature,and twining silk. Thus, visitors here have the opportunity to see the silk production tools and silk production lines from many eras and enjoy the rich silk culture, local customs, folk tales about silkworms, and the silkworm cocoon harvesting ceremony. In addition, visitors with enough curiosity can try to weave silk themselves, an effective way for them to know how silk is manufactured. Each year, countless silk professionals and aficionados from all over the world meet here to appreciate those masterpieces made by ancient laboring Chinese and celebrate the silk festival at the same time.
China's National Silk Museum all the while pays much attention to friendly cultural exchanges about silk with any other countries. With past years' efforts, the museum has been gradually developing to a high - standard research, collection, and authentication of the ancient Chinese silk cloth. The museum is a hot tourist destination, which attracts those who are really interested in the Chinese silk

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3.China Tea Museum
National Tea Museum is situated in the Longjing (Dragon Well) Tea plantation near West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. The building complex in 'Jiang Nan water-town' is a perfect example of ancient Chinese civilian architecture. The museum was first built in 1987 and opened to public in April 1991, occupying a total construction area of 3500 square meters (less than one acre).
National Tea Museum is the only state-level museum specialized in the theme of tea culture. It is also the largest tea museum in China with the most comprehensive collection of tea utensils and other relative exhibits on view. The museum is made up of five themed buildings: exhibition, tea drinking, tea performance, multiple functions, and international exchanges. The exhibition hall is the main body of the museum. Branching off it are areas dedicated to the history of Chinese tea, tea drinking customs, tea utensils used in past dynasties, and the knowledge surrounding tea culture, and even the complicated process of picking and roasting tea leaf.
The two locations dedicated to tea drinking and tea performance are designed to introduce the ways of drinking tea and show the diverse tea-related performances in different regions of the world. The two are also considered the denotation and supplement for tea culture.
7 Visitors here not only appreciate but also take part in the tea-drinking ceremony. Guests can choose their own particular tea, for example the Chinese Longjing tea named as the imperial tea by the Emperor Qianlong during the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The multiple function rooms generally hold international seminars and exchanges on any sort of tea culture. That is to say, National Tea Museum would rather be an international-level research center on tea and tea-related culture than just a museum showing the history of tea. Each year, tea professionals and aficionados come to Hangzhou city from all over the world for the 'West Lake International Tea Festival'. Tea, as the symbol of world peace and friendship, connects people from all over the world.
National Tea Museum plays an important role on the tea stage and offers the chance and space for international research and exchange about tea and tea culture. So far, the museum has been a hot tourist spot and an educational base that attracts millions of people from both home and abroad. Undoubtedly, National Tea Museum will help begin a new era in tea development.

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PS:Dragon Well Tea

Longjing (Dragon Well) Tea is most famous for its unique fragrance and flavor; flat, slender strips of tea leaves in bright green liquid. Furthermore, Longjing tea aids one's health in many ways regardless of your age. It is used to deter food poisoning, refresh the body, stop cavities, fight viruses, control high blood pressure, lower the blood sugar level, and to prevent cancer. Hence, Longjing tea is regarded as the elixir for health and is widely sold and accepted all over the world.

The name Longjing is from a small village on the Fenghuang Hill, in Hangzhou Zhengjiang Province. It is said that residents in ancient times believed that a dragon dwelled there and controlled the rainfall. As a result, people went there from all the surrounding areas whenever there was a drought to pray for rainfall, from as early as the Three Kingdoms Period (221-280).

Longjing tea is grown in the Longjing mountain area of Hangzhou, southwest of the West Lake. The fertile land is both rich in phosphorus and sub-acidic sand. This region prevents the cold current from the north and holds back the warm current from the south, thus the growing area of Longjing tea can be coated by cloud and mist for long periods of time. With such favorable growing conditions, needless to say, Longjing tea is considered the best tea in China.

The tea has a long history; more than 1000 years. Its earliest record may be found in the book named chajing, the first book on tea in the world, written by the Chinese expert of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Lu Yu. Longjing tea was not given its name until the Southern Song Dynasty. Hangzhou as the capital of the country carried out further development in tea production. Knowledge of the tea began to spread and became known all over the country by the times of the Yuan and Ming Dynasties.

Especially in the Qing Dynasty, the fame of Longjing tea became widespread throughout the country. One of the most remarkable emperors of the Qing Dynasty, Qianlong, paid four visits to the growing area of Longjing tea, not only to enjoy sipping tea, and to write and sing poems to praise the tea, but also to watch the process of picking and roasting it with serious intent. He was so interested in Longjing tea that he named the eighteen tea trees in front of the Hugong Temple "royal tea". From that time forward, the tea became increasingly popular for everyone.

By the early 20th century, Longjing tea was witnessing its highest popularity in history. The Chinese government has made a great effort to promote it and introduce advanced technology in planting, picking and roasting of the tea since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949. Subsequently, a high quality standards system for tea grading was set up. All these innovations contributed to the standardization of the tea production.

According to local custom, the right time for picking the tea leaves is very short. The period between Qing Ming and Grain Rain (from April 5 to 21) each year is generally considered the prime time to get the highest quality Longjing tea. The brewing method we highly recommended is to put a pinch of dry, roasted tea leaves into a porcelain or transparent glass cup and pour hot water at about 85C into the cup. Sip and enjoy!

In conclusion, Longjng tea is famous both because of its good quality, as well as its historical interest and the cultural connotation it has endured. Chinese Longjing tea has not only the value of tea when it is consumed, but it is also the symbol of cultural values of China.

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4.Huqingyu Tang Chinese Medicine Museum
The Huqingyu Tang Chinese Medicine Museum is the only Chinese herbal medicine museum in China housed in the ancient buildings of the famous Hangzhou Chinese herbal medicine shop. The exhibition halls introduce the origin, development, and application of traditional Chinese medicine and its role in the world history of medicine. Samples of the herbal plants and a hand- processing workshop are among the displays. The museum also includes a clinic and a restaurant for Chinese herbal medicine food.

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5. The Southern Song Dynasty Guan Kiln Museum
The Southern Song Guan Kiln Museum is located at the western foot of Tortoise Hill in Hangzhou,lies on the south edge of West Lake scenic spot.With the tasteful display,substantial content and quiet and beautiful environment,it is the first special subject museum on ceramics in China.
The Southern Song Guan Kiln,sepecially eatabished by the royal government,was a royal porcelain kiln,where skilled workmen gathered to produce celadon wares for imperial use exclusively.With its dignified and graceful shape,sparkling jadelike colour,thin body and thick glaze, Guan ware was recognized as the best among the five famous wares in the Song Dynasty and filled its own colors in Chinese ceramics history.The museum was built accoding to the architecture of the Southern Song Dynasty.It includes three parts:the protective hall of the ancient kiln site,the exhibit hall of unearthed wares and the workshop of traditional manufacture.
There are three showrooms in the museum.The first showroom shows the representative ceramics through the ages and reflects the evolving course of ancient Chinese ceramics.The second showroom makes a detailed display about the origin,establishment and development of the Southren Song Guan Kiln,the characteristics and making lechniques of the Guan ware.
There is an imitation of the ancient ceramics workshop and ceramics by themselves under the help of the master worker.

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6.West Lake Art Gallery
Next to the Zhejiang Provincial Museum is the West Lake Art Gallery. Talking about art, we should also mention the fine academy in Hangzhou. In China, there are two best fine arts academies; one in Beijing, the Central Fine Arts Academy and the other here in Hangzhou, the China Fine Arts Academy. It is located on the south bank of the lake. Many foreigners come to learn Chinese painting here.

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1.Ruan Gong Islet
The Ruan Gong Islet was built in the Qing Dynasty, the last feudal dynasty about 200 years ago. It was also built with the silt from the lake bottom but had long been a wildlife retuge since the soil was too soft to support any building. It was not until 1982 did the local government reinforced the foundation, planted trees and had some bamboo pavilions built on it, making it one of the New Top Ten Views on the lake. Every evening in summer, there's a show of local opera entertaining the pleasure-seekers from both home and abroad.

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2.Mid-lake Pavilion
The Mid-lake Pavilion Islet was set up by Su Dongpo, governor of Hangzhou in the Northern Song Dynasty, over 1000 years ago. Like Bai Juyi, another governor in the Tang Dynasty, he dredged the lake and had two causeways and this islet built with the silt from the bottom of the lake. Located in the center of the lake, the paviliion on it was named 'Mid-lake Pavilion' and hence the name of the islet.

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1.The Solitary Hill
Today in the lake, there's one natural island, two causeways and three artificial islets. The Solitary Hill is the only natural island. It sits in nothern part of the lake and is the home of quite a few important tourist attractions, such as the ruins of the Temporary Palace of the Qing emperors, the Xiling Seal_engravers' Society, Wenlan Ge Library, which is one of the 7 imperial libraries in China, the Crane Pavilion, which is the reluse residence of the Northern Song Dynasty poet Lin Hejin, Tomb of Qiu Jin, a heroine who contributed in toppling the last feudal dynasty etc. Through the trees over there, you can see the statue of the heroine. It was her own will to be buried there. She was executed by the Qing government at the age of 31 in her hometown Shaoxing.

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2.Feilai Feng - Peak Flown From Afar
Fei Lai Feng (also named Ling Jiu Feng), stands next to Ling Yin Temple and is a must-see in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province. There are many legends about the peak's name. A well-known legend states that an Indian monk named Huili arrived in the valley 1,600 years ago and was surprised to see a peak so dissimilar from any other one in the valley. He believed that the peak had flown over from India because the shape, although unique in China, was common in India. However, he did not know why the peak would have flown to this spot so far from his country. Hence the peak's name was created and has passed down to the present day.
Fei Lai Feng, 209 meters (about 700 feet) tall, is a pure limestone mountain that is very distinctive from the sandstone mountains around it. Large stones scattered along the peak are said to resemble animals like a flying dragon, a running elephant, a crouching tiger, and a fleeing monkey. On the other side of the peak, a pavilion named Cui Wei was erected to immortalize the national hero Yue Fei. This man contributed greatly in the war against Jin Tribe during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279).The pavilion was destroyed many times before the large restoration of 1942. The current pavilion keeps its old face with fresh paint.
| The caves of this mountain shelter about 330 stone statues dating from the 10th to the 14th centuries. The statues appear in a variety of poses ranging from standing, to sitting, to sleeping. A favorite may be the Laughing Buddha, sitting on the cliff along the stream with exposed breast and belly. If you wonder why he has such a big belly, the answer is that his belly is where the Buddha keeps all of the world's troubles. The question always comes out "why are there so many Buddha statues in the cave?" Local legend has it that the peak had destroyed many villages before it settled down in Hangzhou. In order to prevent the peak from causing even more damage, over 500 Buddha statues were caved out of the peak to suppress it. Consequently, the water-eroded caves in the peak are regarded as the very birthplace of many local legends.
In 1993, a new site by the name of "China Grotto Art Garden" was set up around the Fei Lai beauty spot. Thousands of professionals and aficionados in the fields of engraving and grotto research flock to this place to study the unparalleled Chinese classical rock carvings.
Among all the mountains around West Lake, Fei Lai Feng is the one most likely to simulate the imagination and make one reluctant to leave. Some even say that one experience at Fei Lai Feng will leave you with memories that will last the rest of your life.

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PS: The legend of Feilai Feng

'How can a hill fly?'That was also the question asked by the local people when the Indian monk Huili, who founded the temple, claim over 1670 years ago that the hill in front of the temple had flown from India. 'Can it be from India, flying?' They kept asking. The monk replied:'There're two apes, one black and one white, meditating on the hill in my hometown. If I find these two apes, they can prove that the hill came after me flying from India and landed here.' At this, he went to one of the caves and called the names of the two ape. Soon, the two apes, one black and one white, appeared from inside the cave. Seeing is believing, the local people had to believe that the hill had flown from India, hence the name.

But according to a local monk, the hill had flown from inside China, Sichuan Province to be exact.
The local monk had been known as the Crazy Monk, for he had been drinking wine-rice wine, eating meat-especially dog meat, which were against Buddhist rules, and had never taken a shower or a bath. You can imagine what kind of a smell he had. But crazy as he was, he had extraordinary powers. For example, he could cure all kinds of disease-flu, TB, cancer, anthrax etc. The only medicine he used was produced on his body. Rubbing with a finger on his body, he could get a pill. The patient took the pill and the disease was cured. Now you can understand why he never took a shower or bath.

What's more, he could foretell things. One day, after drinking some wine, he suddenly realized that a hill was flying from Emei Mountain and would land in front of the temple, burying the whole small village. He was really startled and became sober. He ran into the village, telling every family one after another that a hill was coming flying and told them to escape as soon as possible.

The villagers thought he was just being crazy again and nobody believed him. Time passed by and the hill was coming very soon. But he didn't know what to do to make people believe. Just then, he heard some drum beating, music playing and fire cracks setting off. It was a wedding!

Now the Crazy Monk had an idea. Stealthily he went to the wedding and all of a sudden grabbed the bride and carried her on the back and started running out of the village. The villagers didn't realize what was happening until someone shouted:'The Crazy Monk has taken the bride!' Hearing this, all the villages chased him.

The Crazy Monk ran fast, though the bride was not light at all. After a while, when he knew it was safe, he stopped. The villagers swarmed up and besiege him. They were all so angry and were ready to give him a good beating.

But the Crazy Monk said:'Wait! Wait! Wait! Just look back!' The villagers all looked back and they saw a huge hill coming flying on a piece of dark cloud landing above their village.

Not until then did the villagers realize that the Crazy Monk was not really interested in the bride, but rather, he was trying to rescue them, Just when they were ready to express their gratitude, a little boy cried:'But my grandma is too old to run, she's still in the village.' Hearing this, the Crazy Monk dashed into the village, quickly found the old lady, carried her on the back and started running out. He ran really fast, but the hill was even faster. The villagers saw with their own eyes that the Crazy Monk and the old lady were buried underneath the hill.

The villagers were dumped into deep sorrow. They had lost not only their houses and their furniture, but also the loving Crazy Monk and the lady.

Soon after the dust vanished, to their great surprise and joy, they saw the Crazy Monk coming out from the cave, with the old lady on his back. The crowd cheered and cheered. Everybody was happy now beacause nobody was hurt during this disaster. Now they had time to say all those nice words to the Crazy Monk to show their gratefulness. But the Crazy Monk said:'Now that the hill has flown from the Emei Mountain and landed here, maybe it will take off again one day. What if it landed at a place where there were not a person like me to rescue the local people?'

The villagers all nodded. 'Right! What shall we do?' they asked. The Crazy Monk said:'Why don't we keep the hill here with the power of Buddha?' All the villagers thought that a good idea. So they started working on the hill and carved altogether 338 Buddha images.

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1.The Zhongshan Park
The Zhongshan Park is in memory of Dr.Sun Yat-sun who led the Revolution of 1911, which toppled the Qing Dynasty. On one of the many pavilions in the Park, there's one coulpet that reads:
'With waters and hills, every place looks bright and beautiful;
Rain or shine, every moment appears pleasant and wonderful.'

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2.Hupao Spring
Hupao Spring is ranked the third in China, according to scientific research on the quality of the water of the spring, followed by Leng Spring in Zhejiang and Hui Spring in Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. The pleasures to be gained from Hupao Spring are listening to the spring, viewing the spring, tasting the spring, feeling the spring, even dreaming that the spring enables every thought about the spring to come to mind.
Hupao Spring is well famed for its unique fountain. People of all ages highly praise it after tasting a cup of Longjing tea made of water from Hupao fountain. Many laudatory poems about the spring have been composed by famous Chinese poets, both in ancient and in modern times. No surprise then that Longjing (Dragon Well) tea and Hupao (Tiger Running) fountain bring out the best in each other and are acknowledged as 'two wonders of West Lake'.
Hupao Spring is at the foot of Daci (Great Compassion) Hill, five kilometers away from Hangzhou city, which stretches between West Lake and the Qiantang River. A temple named after Daci Hill was erected there during the Tang Dynasty (618 - 907). Legend has it that a monk named Xingkong lived in Daci Temple. Coincidentally, he dreamed one night that an immortal told him that two mighty tigers would move a fountain there, just after he had made plans to leave the temple, due to lack of water. To his surprise, two mighty tigers sure enough came in the following day from Mountain Hengshan and dug a hole in the spot where the spring immediately gushed forth. Hence, the spring was named Hupao Spring (Tiger Running Spring).
Actually, Hupao Spring forms as the result of underground water seeping through veins and cracks within quartz sandstone that is not eroded by acid materials. Due to its low content of mineralized ingredients and its high percentage of radon (a radioactive element), the spring water, which tastes pure, sweet and cold, is an ideal beverage for good health. Most interestingly, the spring water rises three millimeters above a bowl edge without overflowing even if a coin is put into the bowl, a scientific phenomenon made possible by the high surface tension of the spring water.
Today, Hupao Spring and the surrounding twisting valley have been turned into Tiger Running Spring Forest Park. On the site is Li Shutong Memorial erected in honor of the scholar and hierarch, who was outstanding in the fields of music, drama, painting, and calligraphy, and entered into Buddhism in Daci Temple in 1981.
No matter when locals ponder over the new top ten scenic spots of West Lake in Hangzhou, Hupao Spring must be chosen for its excellent temperament.

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