Slender West Lake (Chinese: 瘦西湖) is a scenic lake and national park in Yangzhou City (揚州), Jiangsu Province (江蘇), China. Slender West Lake is not exactly a lake, it is a wide river way but as beautiful as West Lake (西湖) in HangZhou (杭州).
To enjoy the scenery of Slender West Lake, a boat trip is one of the best ways. Although it is raining, the lake is still charming.
Slender West Lake was the most in Tang Dynasty (618-907), starting from Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), many local tycoons built their own garden along the river, that’s why the sceneries are so densely concentrated around here.
Diaoyutai (釣魚臺; Fishing Platform) is one of the famous scenic spot in Slender West Lake. It was said that Diaoyutai was a favorite retreat of the Qianlong (乾隆) Emperor, the emperor was so gratified by his luck in fishing at this spot that he ordered additional stipends for the town.
Most of the old buildings are renovated and become shops or restaurants, and look so tacky.
The sceneries in Slender West Lake are man made but still preserve the beauty of nature, you can get a glimpse of the excellent skill of the ancient garden designers.
