West Lake, also known as Qiantang Lake, is located at No. 1 Longjing Road, Xihu District, Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China, in the western part of the urban area of Hangzhou. Its catchment area is 21.22 square kilometers, and its water surface area is 6.38 square kilometers. It is one of the three most famous lakes in Jiangnan.
West Lake is surrounded by mountains on the south, west, and north sides, and borders the urban area on the east. To the south, it is separated from the Qiantang River by mountains. Within the lake, the Bai Causeway, Su Causeway, Yanggong Causeway, and Zhaogong Causeway divide the water surface into several sections. There are three islands in the lake. With West Lake as the center, the mountains around West Lake can be divided into four layers from near to far. The annual runoff in the West Lake basin is 14 million cubic meters, and its water storage capacity is nearly 14 million cubic meters. West Lake is a well-equipped and well-managed irrigation and navigation reservoir. Through canals and sluices, it provides sufficient water for Hangzhou's urban area and surrounding farmland. West Lake can also help regulate the water level of the Qiantang River and prevent urban waterlogging.
In 2007, the Hangzhou West Lake Scenic Area, where West Lake is located, was rated as a "National AAAAA-level Tourist Attraction." On June 24, 2011, the West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou was inscribed on the World Heritage List. Mr. Li Shengjiao once left a famous ci poem, "Cai Sang Zi: Four Poems on West Lake," describing the scenery of Hangzhou's West Lake in the four seasons.