Quyuan Fenghe Garden on West Lake

Quyuan Fenghe is one of the ten classical views of the West Lake, and its name translates roughly as the breeze over the lotuses by the winding courtyard. A state distillery once stood on this spot, with lotus ponds spreading beside it, and the mixture of the smell of mash with the flowers was held to be the particular mark of the place. Today this is a large park on the western shore of the lake, with channels, stone paths, wooden bridges and pavilions with upturned roofs set directly over the water. The lotuses here grow taller than a person and flower from the middle of June into August, while the rest of the time the park holds up on the green of its willows and dawn redwoods. Entry is free, and in the evening the paths are noticeably quieter than on the eastern shore of the lake.

On the map