Located in Hangzhou, provincial seat of Zhejiang Province, the West Lake is one of the most famed tourist attractions in China. For centuries, the West Lake has been well known both for its picturesque landscape and for cultural heritage surviving yet illustrating the past dynasties.

The landscape area of the West Lake includes the surrounding hills and nearby historical sites as well as the lake itself. The lake area covers around 60 square kilometers consisting of 5.68 square kilometers of water area.

The West Lake is the centerpiece of the natural fascination with bluish hills on three sides, serene and charming. Along the Lake, there stand lines of willows with ancient bridges leaping over them. Mist now veils the whole landscape, now just perches lightly on the green and luxuriant hills in the vicinity with tiny streams winding in deep valleys.

The most famous views are the old and new “ten scenes of the West Lake”. Formed during the Southern Song Dynasty, the old ten scenes are Autumn Moon over the Clam Lake, Breeze-ruffled Lotus at Quyuan Garden, Evening Bell Ringing at Nanping Hill, Leifeng Pagoda in Evening Glow, Malting Snow at Broken Bridge, Orioles Singing in the Willows, Spring Dawn at Su Causeway, Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, Twin Peaks Piercing the Cloud, Viewing Fish at Flower Harbor. The new ten scenes are Bamboo-Lined Path at Yunqi, Clouds Scurrying over Jade Emperor Hill, Dreaming of Tiger Spring at Hupao Valley, Heavenly Wind over Wu Hill, Inquiring About Tea at Dragon Well, Nine Greeks Meandering Through a Misty Forest, Precious Stone Hill, Ruan Gong Islet Submerged in Greenery, Sweet Osmanthus Rain at Manjuelong Village and Yellow Dragon Cave Dressed in Green.

There are Peak Flying from Afar, Yue Fei's Temple, Liuhe Tower, Tiger Spring, the Memorial Hall of Su Dongpo, and Hangzhou Stele Forest in the scenic zone.

In 1999 the West Lake is ranked as the National Model of the Ten Beauty Spots by the Publicity Department CCCPC, Civic Virtues Office CCCPC, and National Tourism Administration.