New Ten Views of West Lake
Heavenly Wind over Wu Hill
Wu Hill situates at the end of hills around the lake, is made up of 10 or more peaks. It stretches for several miles and extends into the downtown. Besides, it is locally called Chenghuang Hill. It is also a place where you can enjoy different scenes in different seasons for it is covered with a rich variety of trees and flowers. There are a lot of odd-shaped rocks and inscriptions on the hill. A strange cluster of rocks which is known as the “Twelve Animal Stones” appears like the twelve animals in the Chinese lunar calendar symbolizing the different years in which people are born: rat, ox, tiger, hare, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and hog, and it is also called as the “Twelve Peaks of Witch Hill”. On the hill, there are many camphor trees . One of them, the oldest one, “Song Camphor”, stands in front of a hilltop teahouse which is called “Tea Aroma Tower”, is more than 800 years old.
On the top of Wu Hill, there is a pavilion where you can have a view of both Qiantang River and West Lake as the hill locates between Qiantang River and West Lake. Walking out of the pavilion, you can see an inscription lauding a huge rock as “No. One Peak of Wu Hill” by Zhu Xi, an famous educationist of the Southern Song Dynasty. Recently, Panoramic View Pavilion and Tea Aroma Tower were built on the Wu Hill. Furthermore ginkgo, Chinese sweet gum, pine tree and evergreen camphor were planted all over the hill to accompany the “Song Camphor”. All these create a more attractive appearance of Wu Hill because the new scene blends perfectly with the old.
Dreaming of Tiger Spring at Hupao Valley
Situated at the foot of Daci Hill southwest to the West Lake, Tiger Spring ranks the third best in China. “Dragon Well Tea” and “Tiger Spring water” are rated as two uniqueness of the West Lake. According to the experts, the mineralization of the spring water is as low as 0.02 � 0.15 gram in every liter because the water is seeping through quartzite contains little dissolved matters. Therefore, its water is pure and clear. Tests show that the water is contributive to people’s health.
This attraction is featuring the springs. Along the foot of the hill, there is a streamlet meandering. It is a pleasant experience to listen the spring there. Walking along the path, you will see a tiger status at the foot of the Luxuriant Green Cliff. From the left side of the cliff is the source of the spring. This place gives you a very happiness to watch the spring. Then, you can have a seat in a tea house near the cliff to enjoy a cup of Dragon Well green tea brewed in Tiger Spring water. You will find the spring water can bring out the best in each. It is called “spring taste”.
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