Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, also known as ‘Xiao Yingzhou’, is located on the lake surface in the south-central part of West Lake. It is the largest among the three islands of West Lake and the only one where tourists can go ashore for sightseeing. The outline of the island is like a Chinese character ‘田’. On the outer ring is a beautiful Jiangnan garden. The interior is divided into four small lakes by a cross-shaped island and bridges, full of poetic and picturesque charm.
To board the island, one must take a West Lake cruise ship. There are multiple docks along West Lake. Cruise ships from Huagang, Zhongshan, and Hangfan (Yue Temple) docks stop on the west side of the island, while cruise ships boarding from Hubin (urban area) stop on the east side. There is no time limit for playing on the island. After the tour, you can return to any of the above docks with your ticket, which is very convenient.Island landscapes: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon is not large. You can walk on the island. The cultural landscapes on the island are concentrated in the north end, including the Ancestral Temple of Sages, Kaiwang Pavilion, Tingting Pavilion, nine stone lions, and the Nine-bend Bridge, etc., which are quite delicate. From the north end, walk on the Nine-bend Bridge and go south along the central line to reach the imperial stele pavilion of ‘Three Pools Mirroring the Moon’.
This is considered the symbol of the entire island, and many tourists take group photos here. Continue walking to the southernmost end. Through the Pavilion of Heart-to-Heart Reflection, you can see three stone pagodas on the open lake surface. This is also the essence of Three Pools Mirroring the Moon. In the past, on moonlit nights, especially during the Mid-Autumn Festival, people lit candles in the pagodas and covered the circular holes on the pagoda body with thin paper. The light then shone through the paper and reflected on the lake surface, creating a beautiful scene that complemented the moon in the sky. This scene is also called ‘Three Pools Mirroring the Moon’ and is one of the top ten scenic spots of West Lake. The background of the one-yuan banknote: Seeing these three stone pagodas, you will definitely feel familiar because this is exactly the pattern on the back of the one-yuan banknote. Therefore, many tourists take group photos here with the stone pagodas and the background of the one-yuan banknote every day. In fact, it is impossible to find the same angle as on the banknote on the island. Moreover, because it is a distant view, in fact, the small holes on the three pagodas cannot be seen clearly. If you start from Huagang dock, you can see the stone pagodas halfway. If you want to see them up close, you can rent a manually rowed boat on the shore of Huagangguanyu and ask the boatman to row to a place about 100 meters away from the stone pagodas. The cost is about 150 yuan per hour.
Opening hours: Open all year round from 08:00 to 17:00.
Preferential policies: Children: Under 1.2 meters (excluding), discounted tickets.
