I really love Chinese parks, there is always and air of peace and relaxation here. This seems to be a phenomenon more pronounced in China. In the parks I have been to elsewhere, it also exudes the same feeling of relaxation. You can always see people doing stuff not normally seen in other countries. The West Lake area is something like a huge park. The lake is surrounded by several parks all with their own specific points of interests. Not surprisingly, the some of these places have also acquired their own colorful nicknames.
A lot of history is intertwined with West Lake. Poets would write poems about the beauty of this lake I won’t be surprised to know that this was one of China’s first tourist attractions. In fact, so well known is the West Lake that it was mimicked in other parts of the country which I was fortunate enough to visit. In particular, the parts of the Summer Palace 颐和园 in Beijing 北京 and the Mountain Resort 避暑山庄 in Chengde 承德 was copied from the legendary beauty of West Lake.
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