Lakeside Sunny and Rainy Scenery is the first attraction that visitors encounter when they walk from the city to West Lake. This scenic promenade on the east bank of West Lake stretches 1.2 kilometers long. Gazing upon West Lake from here, it presents a beautiful scene with sparkling waters on a sunny day, and a misty, ethereal view of the mountains during rain, hence its name in the Top Ten West Lake Scenes, ‘Lakeside Sunny and Rainy Scenery’.
Older Hangzhou residents affectionately refer to Lakeside as ‘Qi Xia’. This is because, during the Qing Dynasty, this area was a military training ground for the Eight Banners, known as ‘Qi Xia Camp’. After the Xinhai Revolution, a lakeside park was established here, which is colloquially known as the Sixth Park among Hangzhou locals.
The new Lakeside scenery, renovated in 2002, starts from Sheng Tang sluice in the north and extends to the First Park Wharf in the south. Along the way, there are over ten attractions including the memorial sign for Tang Li Bi’s water diversion, the Storm Pavilion, the Sheng Tang Road villa architecture complex, Farewell to Bai Gong, and the Marco Polo and Hangzhou Memorial Sculpture. Among them, the West Lake Music Fountain is undoubtedly a major highlight, with many visitors waiting by the shore every evening. The fountain shows at 19:00 and 20:00, and it is free to watch. It is open all year round.
