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It is said that the beauty of Hangzhou lies in the charm of West Lake, a scenic spot recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage site in 2011. West Lake is famous for its "first mountain, second dike, third island, fifth lake" and "Three Wonders": Lonely Mountain is not lonely, Broken Bridge is not broken, Long Bridge is not long...
The small mountain named "Lonely Mountain" is actually not lonely at all. On the contrary, it was a famous place of pleasure and entertainment for the Qing dynasty emperors.
The Long Bridge, less than 100 meters long, is named Trường Kiều (Long Bridge) in connection with the famous love story of Lương Sơn Bá and Chúc Anh Đài.
Broken Bridge: Broken Bridge is where Bai Suzhen (White Snake) and Xu Xian met and became husband and wife.
But the most famous feature of West Lake is its "ten scenic spots" (West Lake Ten Scenic Views), each at a different time of day and in each of the four seasons, each possessing its own poetic beauty and associated with many famous love legends such as the love story of Xu Xian and the White Snake or the love story of Liang and Zhu. Each of these scenic spots is marked by a stele with its name written in calligraphy by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty:
苏堤春晓 - Tô đê xuân hiểu: Spring morning on the Tô dike
柳浪闻莺 - Liễu lãng văn oanh: The oriole sings in the willow grove.
花港观鱼 - Hoa Cảng quan ngư: Watching fish in the flower pond
曲院风荷 - Khúc viện phong hà: The wind carries the scent of lotus flowers in the curved courtyard.
南屏晚钟 - Nam Bình vãn chung: Evening bell at Nam Bình mountain
平湖秋月 - Bình hồ thu nguyệt: The autumn moon reflects on the calm surface of the lake.
雷峰夕照 - Leifeng Pagoda in the Twilight
三潭印月 - Tam đàm ấn nguyệt: Three ponds reflecting the moonlight.
断桥残雪 - Duanqiao chanxue: Snow still lingers on Duanqiao Bridge
双峰插云 - Song phong sáp vân: Two mountains piercing the clouds
