Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, the West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province, is more than a postcard-perfect destination — it is the cradle of Chinese aesthetics. Since the 9th century, it has inspired emperors, monks, poets and artists.

The landscape comprises the lake itself and the forested hills that surround it on three sides, as well as numerous temples, pagodas, pavilions, gardens and ornamental trees. A poetic fusion of humanity and the natural world is realized right here.

West Lake has not only shaped Chinese landscape design but also influenced landscape design in East Asia, standing as an enduring cultural testimony to the art of idealized living with nature.

In Chinese aesthetics, beauty whispers. It flows with the water, hides in the mist, lingers in silence.