It was pure coincidence the destination on my plane ticket said HGH (Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport). The proximity of Longjing tea village tipped me over when I was searching for KLM destinations in China. And there I was: Hangzhou, home to nearly 7 million people, including the metropolitan area maybe as much as 21 million. I booked a hotel at walking distance of the West Lake. I had no idea what to expect.

The West Lake of Hangzhou is inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List because it “has influenced garden design in the rest of China as well as Japan and Korea over the centuries and bears an exceptional testimony to the cultural tradition of improving landscapes to create a series of vistas reflecting an idealised fusion between humans and nature” [1].

The lake has been shaped by many dynasties over the course of more than 2000 years. The Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907-979) was particular important in the development history of the city and its lake. Much of the development of West Lake has been driven by tourism, especially domestic tourism. I spent four nights in Hangzhou but only after returning home, I realised you could spend a week exploring the lake and its surroundings.

Ten Scenes of West Lake

You need a lifetime for the “Ten Scenes of West Lake”, each characterised by a four-character epithet, like Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon (三潭印月) and Two Peaks Piercing the Clouds (雙峰插雲). The Ten Scenes were formed during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279) and are viewpoints from which a characteristic of the lake will show itself to the viewer. Many scenes are dependent on the time of year: Autumn Moon on Calm Lake (平湖秋月) and Melting Snow on the Broken Bridge (断桥残雪) might not evoke the same feeling on a hot summer day.

Hangzhou 杭州

In China they say the lake is more mysterious when it is raining. I was lucky. The day of my arrival in China it was raining in Hangzhou. The hidden sun was almost setting. I jumped on one of the tourist boats for a short trip around the lake. At that moment I didn’t quite grasp the meaning of it all. Casually viewed, West Lake is just an ordinary lake. It is the people who make this lake magical.

At night the lake really comes alive with colourful dragon boats, a fountain show and coloured spotlights illuminating the trees. If you are in a contemplative mood, you’d better not visit the lake on the Eastside. At night police has to regulate the large crowds.

E-commerce giant Alibaba Group has one of its headquarters in Hangzhou, co-founder Jack Ma was born in Hangzhou. Emerging technologies and people pour into the city, making Hangzhou liveable, rich and crowded.

Fleeting ink

Ground writing or ‘dishu’ 地书 became popular in Beijing in the 1980s. The practice has spread to public parks all over China, including the lakeside area of West Lake. Dutch researcher Laura Vermeeren is writing a PhD thesis on Contemporary Practices of Calligraphy in Beijing. Evaporating Ennui — Water Calligraphy in Beijing. It is fascinating to watch these men painstakingly writing these characters with fleeting ink. Too much sun and the characters will evaporate, and just a little rain will wash away lines of poetry, never to return.

Hangzhou kitchen

Lou Wai Lou/楼外楼, Location: No. 30, Gushan Road, Xihu District (close to Moon over the Peaceful Lake)

The Hangzhou kitchen might not be very well known, it is very distinctive. Once you know what to look for, you will recognise it. On the first night I had West Lake Fish in Sugar-Vinegar sauce (西湖醋鱼) in a restaurant in the city. On the second night I went to Lou Wai Lou on Gushan Road. This famous restaurant was founded in the 19th century. It hardly caters for solo-guests, so I had trouble finding something affordable on the menu. In the end I ordered a West lake water-shield soup (西湖莼菜汤) with a few shrimp floating in it. Water-shield is also knows as Brasenia and is an aquatic plant with floating leaves. The second dish was “Dong Po” braised pork (东坡肉), an incredibly soft piece of pork, which melted on my tongue.

Other famous Hangzhou dishes are Fried Shrimps with Long Jing Tea (龙井虾仁) and Beggars’ Chicken (叫花童子鸡).

More on the the West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou:

• Longjing tea 龍井茶

• Temple of the Soul’s Retreat