West Lake or Xī Hú is a famous fresh water lake located in the historic area of Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province in eastern China. It evolved from a shallow bay through which the Qiantang River flowed into the East China Sea. In the ancient times it was called Wulin Waters, Golden Buffalo Lake, Qiantang Lake and Xizi Lake.

　　西湖是座落在历史悠久的中国东部浙江省会城市杭州的著名的一个淡水湖泊，是由古代钱塘江流入东海前的一个浅海湾演变而成的。古称西湖为“武林水”、“钱塘湖”、“西子湖”等。

　　The name of West Lake was fixed as early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907). In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the Chinese renowned(著名)poet Su Dongpo wrote a poem to praise the West Lake and compared it to Xizi, a Chinese legendary beauty. Since then, the West Lake has another elegant name Xizi Lake. And as it lies in the west of Hangzhou, it is usually called the West Lake.

　　西湖的名字早在唐朝(618-907)就固定下来。 在宋代 (960-1279 年)，中国著名诗人苏东坡写的一首诗来赞美西湖，把它和中国传说中的美丽西子相比。自那时以来，西湖有另一种优雅的名字西子湖。并且由于它位于杭州市西部，它通常称为西湖。

　　West Lake covers an area of 6.38 square kilometers. The average depth is 2.27meters with deepest being 5 meters. Three sides of the lake are surrounded by verdant（翠绿的） mountains and one side the prosperous（繁荣的） city. After a large scale reconstruction（重建）, the current West Lake has recovered the panorama（全景） over 300 years before when it reached the most prosperous period in history。

　　西湖水域面积为6.38平方公里ニ深平均2.27米。西湖三面环山，一面濒城。西湖大规模重建后，目前已恢复全景超过300年之前，它到达最繁华的历史时期。 Centering around the West Lake, the scenic area is a national scenic area with a total cover of 59 square kilometers. There are over 60 Chinese national, provincial and municipal cultural relic protection sites and over 100 scenic areas. The main attractions include: Ten scenes of the West Lake, Ten New Scenes of the West Lake; Lingyin Temple, General Yuefei’ Temple and Pagoda of Six Harmonies and so on.

　　以西湖为核心的西湖风景名胜区总面积59平方公里，是中国国家级风景名胜区。区内有国家级、省级、市级文物保护单位60多处和风景名胜100余处。其中主要有“西湖十景”、“新西湖十景”有灵隐寺、岳王庙、六和塔等等。

　　The lake is divided into 5 parts by the causeways of Sū Dī (苏堤), Bái Dī (白堤), and Yánggōng Dī (杨公堤 ). There are numerous temples, pagodas, gardens, and artificial islands within the lake.With ripples on the water’s surface and thickly-wooded hills dotted by exquisite pavilions on its four sides, the West Lake is one of China’s best known scenic spots.

　　西湖被苏堤、白堤和杨公堤分割成五部分，有许多寺庙、 宝塔、 花园、 和内湖人工岛屿。湖水泛着涟漪，四周山林茂密，点缀着楼台亭阁，是我国最有名的旅游景点之一。

　　The famous West Lake is like a brilliant pearl embedded in the beautiful and fertile shores of the East China Sea near the mouth of the Hangzhou Bay.

　　The famous Italian traveler Marco Polo was so impressed by the beauty of Hangzhou that he described it as “the most fascinating city in the world where one feels that one is in paradise.” As it is beautiful all the year round, the West Lake was compared by Su Dongpo, a celebrated poet of the Song Dynasty, to a beauty “who is always charming in either light or heavy makeup.”

　　著名的西湖就像一颗璀璨的明珠，镶嵌在美丽富饶的杭州湾口附近的中国东海沿岸。意大利著名旅行家马可·波罗曾这样叙述他印象中的杭州：“这是世界上最美妙迷人的城市，它使人觉得自己是在天堂。”西湖一年四季都美不胜收，宋代著名诗人苏东坡用“淡妆浓抹总相宜”的诗句来赞誉西湖。

　　And the beauty of the West Lake lies in its lingering charm（韵味）that survives the change of seasons in a year and of hours in a day. Among its beautiful sights, the most famous sites are the Ten Sights in West Lake （西湖十景） .

　　A collection of ten scenic views formed during the Southern Song Dynasty, they are distributed around and within the lake, and serve to show the charms of the West Lake. Each scene is unique, and when taken together, are said to present the essence of West Lake scenery, and form the core of any West Lake tour. Visitors to the lake can plan to spend their time viewing the "Ten Scenes of the West Lake".

　　西湖的美在于它的韵味，存在于它一年四季甚至是每天、每刻的变化之中。在其美丽的景点之中，最著名是西湖十景。

　　在南宋期间，形成了十景的说法，它们分布在附近和内湖，有助于展现西湖的魅力 。每个景点都是独一无二的，并且当他们结合在一起时，可以说展现了西湖风景的精华，构成任何西湖旅游的核心 。到西湖的'游客可以计划花一些时间在观看“西湖十景”中。 The first one is Spring Dawn at Su Causeway （苏堤春晓）.

　　It is a thin strip of land nearly three kilometers long covered with peach and weeping willow trees. In spring, with the lakeside and dew sparkling(闪闪发光的) in the morning , birds cheerfully chirping among swaying willow branches, the scent of peach blossoms wafting through the air, you'll question whether you're in the midst of paradise.

　　它是一条近3公里长的土地，陆地几乎被桃和垂柳树覆盖 。在春天，湖畔波光粼粼，清晨的露珠闪烁，鸟儿鸣叫在摇曳的柳枝中，桃花在空中飘扬的香味，你会怀疑你是否在天堂之中。

　　The second one is Breeze-ruffled Lotus at Quyuan Garden(曲院风荷）

　　This typical West Lake scene has earned its fame since the Southern Song Dynasty, when the lakeside area with an abundant growth of lotus(荷花) off its shores was known as Crooked Courtyard, and was the location of a brewery（啤酒厂）. People said the smell of lotus flowers and wine blended by the cool lake breezes was intoxicating（醉人的）. There are plenty of lotus plants still bloom off its shores. They stand gracefully erect in the lake, as if they knew they had visitors coming to admire their beauty.

　　这个典型的杭州西湖景点从南宋就赢得了它的名望，当湖边区域莲花大量生长的时候，它岸边叫被称为作曲院，并且是啤酒厂的地点。人们说莲花的香味和酒香混合西湖的微风令人陶醉。有很多的荷花仍绽放在湖岸。他们优雅地矗立在湖中，好像知道他们有访客来欣赏自己的美丽。