There's an old Chinese saying, "Up above there's heaven, down below there's Suzhou and Hangzhou". The two ancient Chinese cities are renowned for their scenic landscapes. For Hangzhou, the essence of its beauty lies along the bank of the West Lake. CCTV reporter visited Hangzhou for a glimpse of this famous scene.
In the hot summer time, touring the West Lake on a boat is a pleasant thing to do. Tourists can check out the city's skyline, or simply sit by the lake to enjoy the view.
A tourist from Guangxi even takes a photo with her luggage, right after she arrived in Hangzhou.
"The environment here is quite good. This is my first time visiting Hangzhou. I find the city very pretty," said Zhou Yijuan, a tourist from Guangxi.
"The West Lake is very beautiful. I'm from Shenzhen and we do not have such a big lake. It's a blessing for Hangzhou to have such a beautiful lake, because water is like the soul of a city. With West Lake's rich cultural and historic relics, I find many stories and anecdotes here." said Tang Lin, a tourist from ShenZhen.
A tourist from Shanghai Song Jiahui said, "The water is very clear, much clearer than Huangpu river in Shanghai."
"The West Lake, at the heart of Hangzhou, is the city's most famous name card. The lake was China's first top level tourist spot that was completely open to the public for free. In 2002, the lake was 'returned' to the Hangzhou residents and it has since then, attracted more and more tourists to this amazing city," Xing Zheming said.
The lake was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012. And this year, the West Lake will also be an important spot for the G20 summit. So the beauty of this lake, especially with its newly-designed night view, will be shown to the world through global media coverage during the summit.
Hangzhou has a landmark fountain show by the West Lake. And this year, the show was upgraded, with a brand new look.
West Lake is surrounded by mountains on three sides. And the mountains are now decorated with LED lights, allowing tourists to have a better view when they visit in the evening.
"Hosting the G20 summit will undoubtedly improve Hangzhou's reputation across the world. More tourists will come to the city and the local residents would earn more money from this," Xing Zheming reported from Hangzhou.
