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| West Lake | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 西湖 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
  West Lake | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location | Xihu, Hangzhou, Zhejiang | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates | 30°14′49″N 120°08′39″E / 30.24694°N 120.14417°E | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Freshwater lake | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Primary outflows | The Grand Canal | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Catchment area | 21.22 km2 (8.19 sq mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Basin countries | China | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Managing agency | Management Committee of Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Max. length | 3.2 km (2.0 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Max. width | 2.8 km (1.7 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Surface area | 1,580 acres (6.4 km2) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Average depth | 2.27 m (7 ft 5 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Water volume | 14,290,000 m3 (505,000,000 cu ft) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence time | China Standard Time | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shore length1 | 15 km (9.3 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Surface elevation | 10 m (33 ft) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Frozen | Rarely | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Islands | The Gushan, the Little Yingzhou, the Lake-heart Pavilion, and the Ruan Gong islet | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sections/sub-basins | Outer West Lake, Inner West Lake, West Inner Lake, Small South Lake, Yue Lake | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Settlements | Hangzhou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Official name | West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location |  China | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria | (ii)(iii)(vi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Reference | 1334 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Inscription | 2011 (35th Session) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Area | 3,322.88 ha (8,211.0 acres) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Buffer zone | 7,270.31 ha (17,965.3 acres) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chinese | 西湖 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | "West Lake" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Location | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
The West Lake (Chinese: 西湖; pinyin: Xīhú; Wu Chinese pronunciation: [si ɦu]) is a freshwater lake in Hangzhou, China. Situated to the west of Hangzhou's former walled city, the lake has a surface area of 6.39 km2 (2.47 sq mi),[1] stretching 3.2 km (2.0 mi) from north to south and 2.8 km (1.7 mi) from east to west.[2] In the lake are four causeways, three artificial islands, and the Gushan, the only natural island.[1] Gentle hills surround the lake on its north, west, and south sides,[3] with the Leifeng and Baochu pagodas standing in pair on the south and north banks.[4] Several famous temples are nestled in the mountains west of the lake, including the temples of Lingying and Jingci.[4]
A tourist attraction since the Tang dynasty (618-907),[5] the lake has influenced poets and painters throughout Chinese history for its natural beauty and historic relics.[6] By the Song dynasty (960-1279), during which the dynastic capital moved to Hangzhou, it had became a cultural landmark and one of the most visited tourist destinations of China.[5] Introduced to Europeans by Marco Polo, the lake was once a symbol of Chinese urban culture.[5] It has been featured on Chinese currency, including the one-yuan banknote in the 1979 Bank of China Foreign Exchange Certificate[7] and the 2005 Renminbi,[8] as well as in the Chinese passport.[9] A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011, the lake is recognised to have influenced garden designs in China, Japan and Korea over the centuries, as "an idealised fusion between humans and nature."[10]
The lake, along with the surrounding hills, constitutes the West Lake Scenic Area, which is governed by the Management Committee of Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area, a special administration dedicated to cultural preservation and gardening under the Hangzhou municipal government since 2002.[11] The first major Chinese tourist attraction to cancel admission fees,[12] the scenic area is crowded during public holidays.[13] In the 2024 National Day holiday, the area received 4.426 million visitors in seven days, a 30.92% rise from the previous year.[14]
- ^ a b 浙江省测绘与地理信息局关于启用浙江省主要河流长度、流域面积、主要湖泊面积数据的公告. Zhejiang Provincial Bureau of Surveying and Mapping. 2010-09-30. Archived from the original on 2013-12-02. Retrieved 2011-09-05.
- ^ 西湖概况 [Overview of the West Lake]. 杭州市志 [Hangzhou Chronicles] (in Chinese). Zhonghua Book Company. 1995. ISBN 7101017193. Archived from the original on 2013-03-19.
- ^ Zhang, Rouran (2023-01-04), "West Lake cultural landscape of Hangzhou", Routledge Handbook of Cultural Landscape Practice (1 ed.), London: Routledge, pp. 362–368, doi:10.4324/9781315203119-41, ISBN 978-1-315-20311-9, retrieved 2024-11-05
- ^ a b State Administration of Cultural Heritage 2011, 2.a-5 Historic Monuments and Sites
- ^ a b c Duan 2020, Introduction
- ^ Yang, Hongxun and Huimin Wang (1982). The classical gardens of China: history and design techniques. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. p. 111. ISBN 0-442-23209-8.
- ^ 1979年中國銀行發行外匯兌換券壹圓紙鈔. National Museum of Taiwan History. 2018-09-14.
- ^ Martín, Blanca Marabini San (2022-10-10). "The Scenery on Chinese Bills". European Guanxi. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
- ^ Fang, Jianfeng (2012-05-15). 浙江今起签发电子普通护照 里面可以找到三潭映月. Hangzhou Net. Retrieved 2024-11-05.
- ^ "Ancient Chinese cultural landscape, the West Lake of Hangzhou, inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List". UNESCO. Retrieved 2011-06-24.
- ^ "Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area Administration Commission". CPC Hangzhou Municipal Committee and Hangzhou Municipal People's Government. 2015-08-27.
- ^ You, Xudong (2022-11-03). "How Hangzhou Freed West Lake and Upended Chinese Tourism". SixthTone. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
- ^ "West Lake". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
- ^ 442.6万人次 同比增长30.92% 国庆假期西湖景区又一次成为“顶流” [4.426 million visitors, up 30.92% year-on-year: West Lake Scenic Area made top attraction again during National Day Holiday]. Hangzhou Daily. 2024-10-08 – via CPC Hangzhou Municipal Committee and Hangzhou Municipal People's Government.