Hi my dear Steemit friends🌹

我親愛的Steemit朋友們:

Last time I took you to Shanghai, did you like it? This time I'm taking you to Hangzhou, one of the most beautiful cities in China! Are you ready for it🌸?

上次，我帶大家去了上海，大家喜歡這座美輪美奐的城市嗎？這次，我將會帶大家來到中國最美的城市之一——杭州！！你們準備好了嗎🌸？

It took us around 3 hours to travel from Shanghai to Hangzhou by bus. Upon arrival, we realized it had been drizzling in Hangzhou, but surprisingly the place became more mesmerizing because of the rain, giving me an illusion that I stumbled into an undiscovered wonderland. The very first place we visited in Hangzhou is the West Lake.

我們坐巴士從上海到杭州，總共用了3小時。到達杭州後，我們發現這裏細雨綿綿；朦朧的晨霧籠罩著此處，我們彷彿無意間踏入了人間仙境。我們到達杭州後去的第一個地方就是西湖了。

The West Lake 西湖

The West Lake is one of, if not the most well known lake in China. The famous Chinese poet Su Shi use "Xi Shi (Xi Zi)", one of the most beautiful ladies in ancient China, as an analogy to describe the beauty of the West Lake. From then on, The West Lake has also been called The Xi Zi Lake.

西湖堪稱中國最美的湖泊之一了。自從文人蘇軾用西施(西子)來比喻西湖後，西湖就有了「西子湖」這個名稱。

A portrait of Xi Shi西施畫作 (source)

There're 10 best-known scenic spots on the West Lake, each remembered by a 4-character epithet. They are collectively known as the "Ten Scenes of West Lake". Let's take a look at them:

西湖最出名的便是「西湖十景」了。每處景緻皆有鏗鏘的四字詞語作為名字，令我們讚歎不已。讓我們來看看這十景都有哪些吧：

Dawn on the Su Causeway in Spring 蘇堤春曉

Curved Yard and Lotus Pool in Summer 曲院風荷

Moon over the Peaceful Lake in Autumn 平湖秋月

Remnant Snow on the Bridge in Winter 斷橋殘雪

Leifeng Pagoda in the Sunset 雷峰夕照

Two Peaks Piercing the Clouds 雙峰插雲

Orioles Singing in the Willows 柳浪聞鶯

Fish Viewing at the Flower Pond 花港觀魚

Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon 三潭印月

Evening Bell Ringing at the Nanping Hill 南屏晚鐘

You may realize that the beauty of the West Lake is not confined to the Lake itself, but the scenery around it. And I'm sure you'll be stunned by the West Lake's beauty whenever you visit it. We went there in winter (just few weeks ago), in the beginning we were a little disappointed because we weren't lucky enough to see snow, hence the famous Remnant Snow on the Bridge. However, the fog made the Lake a fairyland, making us desperate to unveil the secret it seems to be hiding.

看了這些照片，大家可能會發現西湖的美不僅限於湖的本身；美的，還有它身邊的景物。無論大家何時來到西湖，都一定會被它風格迥異的美所折服。我們是在冬天來的（就在前兩個星期），開始還因為沒有看到雪、與「斷橋殘雪」無緣而感到些許失望。可是，當我們的船被淡淡的霧氣包圍的時候，我們便發現我們猶如步入仙境，對它霧中的神秘面孔產生了無限的神往。

——「水光瀲灩晴方好，山色空雨亦奇。」下面兩句，不用我吟下去，大家也能脫口而出了。也許這就是古代詩歌的魅力，讓幾千年後的我們，來到詩人曾踏過的那寸土地，還能遙想從前，想像昔日此地發生的種種。或許也只有蘇軾能寫出流傳千古的佳句，不然怎會有後人武衍的「除卻淡妝濃抹句，更將何語比西湖」呢？

He Fang Street 河坊街

source

He Fang Street is the home for food and antique. There're more than a hundred shops, and many of them are time-honored brands. The Street presents us what life and architecture was like in the late Qing Dynastey, being one of the most valuable representations of Hangzhou's history.

這裡是特色小吃、古玩字畫等商鋪雲集之處。這裏的約有一百餘家，其中不少是老字號。河坊街體現了清末民初的生活與建築特色，是杭州的歷史縮影。

Interesting Fact: Hangzhou is famous for 5 things, namely "Hang POWDER", "Hang SCISSORS", "Hang FAN", "Hang CIGARETTE" and "Hang THREAD". They're collectively known as "FIVE HANG".
趣味小知識：杭州以5樣特色商品聞名，被通稱為「五杭」，它們分別為：「杭粉、杭剪、杭扇、杭煙、杭線」。

"Hang scissors杭剪"

After arriving He Fang Street we went straightly to "the Chen's Flatbread", which is a famous flatbread shop recommended by many Hangzhou residents. You can see how long the queue is!! After the first bite I could say I totally understand why it's rated high by everyone. All the bread are made RIGHT AFTER you made the order, and that means all the ingredients are fresh, and the bread you're eating was STILL IN PAN 10 seconds before!! For me the "braised pork with preserved vegetable flatbread" tastes perfect!!! You have to try it when you visit Hangzhou :)

到了河坊街後我們立刻來到「陳家餅舖」。據說它遠近聞名，雖然只有3種味道可供選擇，但杭州的居民無一不推薦它。所以，在好奇心的驅使下，我們決定無論如何要試試！咬了一口，我馬上知道它為何有如此高的評價了。因為是即叫即做，所以不僅材料新鮮，而且拿到手的餅一定是10秒內剛出爐的！我覺得「梅菜扣肉」味是最好吃的，餅餡的鮮味與鬆軟的餅皮完美融合，在寒冷的冬天品嚐，簡直是一大享受！來杭州玩的朋友，記得要來這裏試試哦:)

After that we went to some shops selling puff pastry. Look how amazing the packages are!! The most famous shops are called "A Piece of Lovely Cake" and "Tongxiaoman Handmade Tea-Bread". You can try their products for free. My favourite is the "Longjing Puff Pastry":) As you may know, Hangzhou has one of the most well known Longjing tea fields in the world!!! 🍵

然後，我們來到了松塔商店。因為松塔香脆味濃，所以一直以來是我最愛的食品之一。你看，多麼漂亮的包裝呀！這裏最出名的兩家松塔餅店非「一封情酥」與「佟小曼手工茶餅坊」莫屬了。我們還可以在店裏試吃各種不同味道的產品。我最喜歡「龍井松塔」了！它不但有松塔的香脆、還有龍井的清香，絕對值得大家一試！要知道，世界上最出名的龍井茶田之一可在杭州哦！🍵

Hangzhou is a place where you feel like you've travelled to the past. Both the West Lake and He Fang Street reminds us what China was like hundreds of years ago. Next time I'd introduce more of this magical city to you:) Feel free to be amazed! See you❤️!

杭州就是這樣一個地方，讓我們體驗了時間旅行，讓我們仿佛回到了千百年前的中國。下次，我還會與大家分享更多關於杭州的故事，希望大家喜歡:) 我們下次見❤️！

Please follow me @susanlo! Thanks a lot for your support! 🌹

請追蹤我 @susanlo！謝謝你的支持!🌹

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