West Lake's Charm

WEST LAKE PARK, QUANZHOU CITY. The park which is located north of the city is one of its attractions. I went there during the night, so the chance of  seeing the beauty of its landscape have been missed. I was lucky though that the dancing lights, cool breeze and quiet waters replaced it. And although most of the greens where replaced by blacks, it is still an attraction in its own; besides, the surroundings have more colors during the night than it may have in the day.


Locals of Quanzhou apparently loves parks. In my last visit, I've seen a few with a gathering of people either dancing or simply sitting for a talk. This is maybe, the largest park in the city, I heard. And it obviously showed its expanse. We strolled by the park for a little less than an hour, but I guess there are still parts I haven't explored. Since we were also limited by time, we just took a few snapshots of some worth-capturing areas I would suggest for anyone to come visit too:


1. Lake. It was calm during the night. Quite different perhaps in the morning where many would go for a boat ride. During our visit, the boats were all stationed in stillness at the banks.

2. Landscape. Towering trees dominantly stands at most areas of the park. It stands apart the shrubs arranged in a simple landscape.

3.Pagodas. It comes in different sizes, stands in different location. All of which boasts the distinct Chinese features so authentic I could not deny I'm in the mainland.

4. Bridges. It transported us to the other attractions of the park. There are actually two bridges in the park - the long one and the steep one. I crossed both and each has brought me a different feel. One, gave me anticipation to cross the end and reach the biggest pagoda in the park, and the other, chill and cold despite a hard climb of such an elevation.

5. Gates. The characters flashed in the digital monitor may be all foreign but the vibe is just as pleasant. Both entrance and exit gates seem to have welcomed and thanked us - the work-of-art structure was a bonus.

No fee is charged when entering the park. The only charge anyone may have to pay is if he/ she enters the game arena hidden inside the park's biggest temple. It was an unusual site in the park - an old structure housing a modern facility. I actually thought that the noise we're hearing from outside is that of a practicing group of martial artists. We were instead greeted by skaters and arcade players.

Quanzhou has a smaller version of West Lake - East. In the next visit, I hope to visit it too.