Don't miss the best time of year to visit West Lake!

In the early morning by the Broken Bridge, dew from the night before still clings to the stone path. Standing in the middle of the bridge, the vast expanse of the Outer Lake stretches out to the left, while to the right, the lotus leaves of the North Inner Lake sway gently in the breeze. Locals say that when it snows, the bridge appears half white and half gray, looking as if it's broken from afar. But right now, it's a vibrant green. Walking west along the Bai Causeway, willow branches droop down to the water's surface, creating ripples. The Su Causeway, built by Su Dongpo and the people, is now lined with peach trees and willows, which must be covered in pink blossoms in the spring. Passing by the Flower Harbor, many red koi carp crowded the shore. Someone scattered fish food, and the water's surface erupted in splashes. At noon, I took a boat to the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon. Three small stone pagodas, shaped like overturned gourds, stand in the lake. The boatman said that on moonlit nights, when lamps are lit inside the pagodas, each one can reflect five moons. Together with the moon in the sky and its reflection in the water, there are a total of thirty-three moons. Even though I can't see it now, just imagining it is magical. In the evening, I bought an ice cream at Leifeng Pagoda as the setting sun painted the pagoda gold. There's an elevator inside, but I prefer walking up the steps, each level adorned with murals telling the story of the White Snake. From the top, West Lake looks like a blue-green gem, the surrounding mountains and trees like faint shadows in an ink painting. On the way back, I passed by Calm Lake Autumn Moon, where the lakeside benches were filled with people chatting. Someone was playing the erhu, the melody drifting over the water. It's at this moment that I understood why Su Dongpo compared West Lake to Xi Shi, a renowned beauty. Like her, West Lake is beautiful no matter how she's adorned, revealing a different kind of beauty at every visit.