Fuzhou West Lake Park
Fuzhou West Lake Park located in the northwestern part of the city and covering an area of 45 hectares. As a favorite leisure spot, the West Lake Park combining the beautiful water scenery, with banyan trees and variety of flowers along the banks. There are some West Lake in China, Fuzhou West Lake Park is one of the most wonderful and popular, beside to the one in Hangzhou.
There are three small islands around the lake, which are Xieping Isle, Kaihua Isle, and Yaojiao Isle. Kaihua Temple, at the center of Kaihua Isle, was built in 1037 in North Song Dynasty, this is the oldest building in the area. Kaihua Isle now mainly used for the exhibition of flowers and plants in gardens. West of Kaihua Isle is the Flying Rainbow Bridge leading to the Xie Ping children' Entertainment Park. Still in the vicinity, there are zoo, a museum, and a pavilion named Opium Prohibition Pavilion, which was constructed in memory of Lin Zexu’s, the hero of anti-opium movement.
Brief History of Fuzhou West Lake Park
In the third year of Emperor Tai Kang of Jin Dynasty (282 AD), Governor Yan Gao channelled water from the northwestern mountain area to irrigate the fields. In late of Tang Dynasty, it became widely known because of its beautiful scenery. During the period of Five Dynasties, an emperor built waterside pavilions around the lake and took it as his imperial garden. Later in Song Dynasty, it became a popular tourist destination and abundant poets visited it and wrote many beautiful poems for it. Currently, the West Lake Park becomes favorite destination and one of the best place in Fuzhou.