Attractions in Hangzhou
Hangzhou is the capital and largest city of Zhejiang Province in Eastern China. It has been one of the most renowned and prosperous cities in China. Popular sights in Hangzhou include West Lake (西湖), Leifeng Pagoda (雷峰塔), Su Causeway (苏堤), Lingyin Temple (灵隐寺), etc.
West Lake is like a shining pearl in Hangzhou Bay. It covers an area of 3,323 ha (8,210 acres) and includes some of Hangzhou's most notable historic and scenic places. For centuries, the Lake has influenced numerous poets and painters throughout Chinese history for its natural beauty and historic relics. They left behind a lot of works to describe and record the beauty of the Lake. For example, in his famous work of Song poetry, Praising West Lake through Sunshine and Rain (饮湖上初晴后雨), the renowned poet Su Dongpo compared Xi Shi(西施, one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China)'s beauty to the West Lake. Nowadays, the Lake still offers many attractions for tourists at home and abroad, such as Dawn on the Su Causeway in Spring (苏堤春晓), Leifeng Pagoda in the Sunset (雷峰夕照), Fish Viewing at the Flower Pond (花港观鱼), Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon (三潭印月), etc.

Leifeng Pagoda is a five-story tower with eight sides, located on Sunset Hill south of the West Lake. It was originally constructed in the year AD 975 and rebuilt in 2002. Leifeng Pagoda is one of the ten sights of the West Lake because of the popular Legend of the White Snake, which depicts a romantic love story in ancient times between Xu Xian (许仙) and the "White Lady" or "White Maiden" (白娘子), who fell in love with each other to break though the laws of nature.

Su Causeway is the longest series of bridges crossing over West Lake. It was built by the famous poet Su Dongpo to connect the West Lake. In memory of him, this causeway was later named after him as the "Su Causeway". It consists of six simple yet beautiful bridges and the embankments along the way are all landscaped with trees and flowers.

Lingyin Temple, commonly translated as "Temple of the Soul's Retreat", is one of the oldest and ancient temples in China. It was originally founded in 326 AD, but has been rebuilt no less than sixteen times since then. It contains numerous pagodas and Budddhist grottoes. As one of the largest temples in Wulin Mountain in Hangzhou, the thriving temple attracts thousands of visitors and Buddhist because of its long history and charming scenery each year.