West Lake is located in the western area of Hangzhou City. It is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with an area of around 6.5 square kilometers. The circumference周长 is around 15 kilometers.
West Lake is not only famous for its picturesque如画的 landscape, it is also associated联系 with many scholars and national heroes. In addition, many ancient buildings in surrounding areas are among the most cherished珍贵的 national treasures财富 of China, with significant artistic value.
Due to its prominent historical and cultural status among Chinese scenic风景的 resorts名胜,度假地, West Lake was elected as a National Key Scenic Resort in 1982.Moreover, the picture of "Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon" was printed on the backs of RMB one yuan bill issued in 2004.
like in accord, i was given two tickets a couple days ago when the grand landscape show named impression on west lake (yin xiang xi hu) re-opened lately after weeks of stoppage. directed by the probably ever-best chinese moviemaker zhang yimou, the pageantry had drawn attentions from legions of tourists as well as locals, and already made its name one of the golden sales-pitches for the city. as indicated on the tickets, the night performance would be hold just on the lakefront, right at the corner of the breeze-ruffled lotus at quyuan garden ( qu yuan feng he ), adjacent to the greenery-drenched yanggong causeway ( yang gong di ) spanning the ripples nearby and the picturesque islet named solitary hill ( gu shan ) blandly standing afar. the tickets also ensured us two seats that command a very good view from the grandeur, so there seemed no way to miss such an opportunity that would feast your eyes tonight.
my friend and i arrived about 20 minutes ahead of the schedule, although we were once tethered along the congested bei shan road, where cars and pedestrians went in flocks for the gala like a night pilgrimage. before the show started, we were each given by the ushers a silk fan and a foldaway brochure in which the whole program was briefed with nice pictures. it was not that hot as daytime now. we sat side by side in the first row of the bleachers, while breathing the soothing breeze swayed from the lake surface, as if being greeted so politely by the lake in that way. it was truly a good time, good place to join a festival that brought us to the intriguing tales about west lake, and those sparkling names eternally left here. the ball was finally kicked off when we were totally draped with the falling night except some tiny lamps looming along the surrounding skyline. the pitch-black backdrop looked just kind of hollowed cave where a large amount of treasure was badly expected. with the affectionate voice-over paged over the air, a tiny figure in white historical costume appeared from nowhere at the navel of the lake. as wading across the water and approaching to the audience, it could now be figured out as an old-time man of letters dressed up in slack robe-like clothes, perhaps implying the household young scholar xu xian or pronounced litterateur bai juyi. it’s easy to tell that half-inch down the water there must be an extensive stage, although it was still dream-like to find someone walking on unwittingly from darkness, kind of ghostly, but entertaining to all of your sensory organs. we were actually so spellbound by the apparition. the sorcery continued to dazzle us. afloat came along a two-bunk pleasure-boat decked with colorful lanterns and bunting, while the hull was all but flooded with a beam of golden fluorescent as moving close. on the deck stood a couple of men and women, all in gorgeous costumes, while reverberated with beautiful classical tune, gently dancing and telling us their love stories. with my rich knowledge of hangzhou’s history, i tried to learn that it was telling us about the love affair between mrs. white snake and her mr. right xuxian, which virtually occurred at the broken bridge ( duan qiao ) just nearby.what really amazed us was the moment when a colossal pyramid-like stage lifted bit by bit from the lake surface, misted up by the water pelting down like colored drapes of numerous crystal pieces. what a mastermind design! wreathed with uncanny change of lights, the pyramid looked just like a realistic noah's ark that harbored the lovebirds from all kinds of menaces.the three-dimensional giant props was so eye-catching that the actresses weirdly appeared suddenly less engaging as they should have been. but director zhang never failed to strain our eyes again by feasting us another amusement. to resurrect the touching tale about the prominent scholar named lin pu, who led his life as a hermit once by the lake in song dynasty, best-known for his loving of plum blossom and crane, a bunch of lifelike model cranes were directed into the background where a small cottage teeming with plum blooms stood. like human beings, the cranes were prancing about as their master came over to greet those lovely creatures, while slouching over the lakefront when he went out somewhere. not succumbing to the real world, lin would rather fill his yard with plum blossoms as his wife and breed white cranes as his children. his noble exploits were even known today as mei qi he zi, resembling those intellectuals aloof from politics and worldly interests.
the whole program lasted about one hour. no matter how it was once hyped before like hell, i still believe my own eyes to enjoy on the scene. it's a nice sighting that made the free tickets extremely worthwhile. but when my friend told me the original price, i slightly shook my head and got sort of stumped. the price makes it look like an upscale event that cost massive bucks and labors. is that true? i guess it might be very costly, but don't forget that it's initialized to sell our city. i do wonder if there's any connoisseur who would follow such a high price, though it's recorded that a large amount of the tickets are sold for no single cent.