Huizhou West Lake Tourist Scenic Area

Not the West Lake you were looking for

There are dozens of lakes in China named West Lake, and two of them are nationally known. This is the Guangdong one: Huizhou West Lake, in the center of Huizhou city at about 23.094°N, 114.397°E, roughly two hours from both Guangzhou and Shenzhen. The far more famous West Lake is in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, more than a thousand kilometers to the northeast.

The confusion is not accidental. Both lakes are associated with the same man — Su Shi, the Song dynasty poet also known as Su Dongpo. He dredged and embanked the Hangzhou lake as its governor, and years later, exiled south in 1094, he spent his Huizhou years writing about this one. Both lakes have a causeway named after him, which is why search results for the two so often cross over.

What to see

The scenic area is conventionally described as five linked lakes, six bridges and eighteen views, threaded by causeways that make the whole thing walkable. It is an urban lake in the fullest sense: the city is visible across the water from almost everywhere, and the paths carry morning exercisers and evening strollers rather than only visitors.

The lake is at its best early and late. Midday flattens the water, while dawn mist and the hour after sunset — when the bridges and the far bank light up — are what local photographers come for.