May Day Trip to Huizhou West Lake

During the May Day holiday, I took my child to Huizhou to follow in the footsteps of Mr. Su Dongpo. During the Qingming Festival, West Lake was more crowded than I had imagined. Walking in the crowded crowd, I couldn't appreciate the beauty of West Lake. Following the crowd, we crossed the Su Causeway and arrived at Fenghu Academy. It was crowded and noisy, so we just took a quick look and headed towards Sizhou Pagoda via Chen Causeway. I accidentally discovered that the scenery along Chen Causeway is stunning. The winding path is full of bougainvillea, and it's also the perfect spot to view Sizhou Pagoda. The lake water is crystal clear. At the foot of Sizhou Pagoda, we had to climb a flight of stairs. The pagoda looks most beautiful halfway up the stairs. Su Dongpo once wrote a poem, "At the first watch, the mountain spits out the moon, and the jade pagoda lies in the ripples." Unfortunately, it was too crowded, so we just glanced at it and left. Crossing Sizhou Pagoda and descending the opposite stairs, we arrived at Gushan. We came for Su Dongpo, so Gushan was the highlight of our trip. After leaving Gushan, we arrived at Zhunti Temple. Just as we were tired from walking, we took a boat ride. A 30-minute ride on a four-person electric boat cost 120 yuan. Although expensive, it was worth it. We sailed near Bird Island and saw many egrets. It was the first time I saw an island and trees full of birds, truly amazing. After the boat ride, we continued to Zhunti Temple, walked towards Yanxia Bridge, and exited through the small north gate to reach Fengzhu Garden. Then, we strolled along Yingxian Bridge, Fanghua Isle, Diancui Isle, Jiuqu Bridge, and Su Causeway, enjoying the night view of West Lake and walking back to our hotel across the lake. The lanterns and the lake water complement each other, and the warm yellow lights reflect on the lake surface, creating a sparkling, dreamlike scene. I thought our West Lake trip had come to an end, but the rain the next morning disrupted our plans. My child suggested visiting Gushan again, saying, "There were too many people yesterday. I want to take a closer look at Gushan!" So, the four of us, holding two small umbrellas, set off for West Lake again. Early in the morning in the rain, there were very few tourists at West Lake. We held our umbrellas and leisurely strolled along the Su Causeway, carefully observing West Lake in the rain. Ah! This is the West Lake I imagined, shrouded in mist and rain, too beautiful to describe. We climbed the steps of Sizhou Pagoda again. This time, there were no crowds, and it was so quiet that we could only hear our own footsteps. As we descended the stairs, we encountered a cleaner who was not sweeping leaves but using a blower to disperse them. At that moment, the only sounds at Sizhou Pagoda were my footsteps and the sound of the cleaner's blower. I felt like I had traveled through a thousand years of time and space. This scene lingered in my mind for a long time. We went to Gushan again and visited the tomb of Chao Yun. Wang Chao Yun was Su Dongpo's confidante and concubine. When Su Dongpo first met Wang Chao Yun, he wrote the poem "Light makeup and heavy makeup are always suitable." Chao Yun was the woman who understood Su Dongpo's unconventional thoughts. My child went straight to the Su Dongpo Memorial Hall. Although the memorial hall is not large, some of the decorative details are eye-catching. The historical materials and introductions are extremely accurate and detailed, and easy to understand. There are also touch screen quizzes, so my child learned a lot while visiting. The second West Lake trip was truly worthwhile. I'm really grateful for the rain, which allowed us to experience the beauty of Huizhou West Lake once again. In summary, when visiting Huizhou West Lake, try to avoid holidays and try to go early in the morning to avoid the crowds, because these are two completely different experiences.