The Top Fishing
Chapter 344: The 181st Photo: Returning to Sell Fish_3

Chapter 344: The 181st Photo: Returning to Sell Fish_3

Speaking of this place, it has an impressive history. A few years ago, during an international summit, this was designated as the residence for friends from various countries, which is why it was built to a very high standard. Moreover, to promote our traditional culture, virtually all the architecture here is of traditional and classical design, with furnishings and utensils also styled in classical fashion.

Today, only a section of this area is open to the public, and, of course, the cost of staying here is outrageously high.

When Lin Yang and his friends arrived, it was naturally arranged by Wang Feng in advance. They rented two rooms here. The environment is especially pleasant, and just out the back door is West Lake.

After settling in, they stepped into the backyard, where the crisp West Lake breeze met them head-on. Before them lay rippling waters under a shimmering view, with the brightly lit modern Hang City on the distant shore.

On the other side of the waterline lay a series of undulating hills, atop which stood several ancient pagodas gleaming with lights.

Yue’er, looking at the rippling lake, pointed at the towers: "What are those places? They look ancient and quaint, probably historical landmarks, right?"

Lin Yang, after orienting himself, though it was his first visit to Hang City and West Lake, was able to identify the buildings easily with his intellect and some prior research. When he saw the actual landscapes, it wasn’t hard to match them to his knowledge.

He pointed and said, "That one should be Chenghuang Pavilion, the highest place in West Lake. This one here is Baoshu Tower, also very famous, situated atop Hama Peak. It’s said to be the most famous vantage point for viewing West Lake in Hang City. As for the last one, it is also very famous; it’s called Leifeng Tower."

Li Xiaopeng’s eyes lit up upon hearing this name: "Leifeng Tower? Is that the one that suppressed the White Snake?"

"Pretty much."

"Damn, we’ve got to find time to check it out."

Yue’er also nodded repeatedly on the side; she was quite interested in the Legend of the White Snake and now that she was at the location where the story took place, how could she miss the opportunity to visit.

Lin Yang pointed to another place and added, "Look over there, that bridge should be the Broken Bridge. It is said to be where the White Snake and Xu Xian met.... In that direction, there’s also the tomb of the talented Su Xiaoxiao, and further on, the famous Xiling Seal Engraving Society...."

Inside West Lake, there are so many beautiful sights and historical landmarks worth seeing, one might say there’s a picturesque scene every ten steps.

But now it was a bit late, they hadn’t even had dinner yet, plus, Wang Feng was soon to return, so the three of them resisted the urge to go out.

By around seven o’clock in the evening, Wang Feng also rushed back by car. He mentioned he was dealing with club matters, which is why he was delayed.

For the Warrior’s Battle competition in Hang City, he only brought one assistant. It’s said that his assistant, Xiao Zhang, is a local from Hang City and his family is from here as well.

That evening, Lin Yang and Wang Feng, who hadn’t seen each other for a while, reunited by the side of West Lake. Due to time constraints, they had a simple buffet dinner there, chatted for an hour or two, and then went back to rest.

....

The next morning, everyone got up early because they had already agreed to have a proper visit to West Lake, especially since it was just yesterday evening that Lin Yang and his friends had arrived and were already captivated by unique historical monuments like Leifeng Tower and the Broken Bridge. With no commitments today, of course, a tour was in order.

Thus, the group set out on foot from the West Lake State Guesthouse, meandering along the walkways and paths by the lake.

The location of the West Lake State Guesthouse is outside Su Di, on Yanggong Dike, and along with Bai Di, they are the famed Three Dikes of West Lake. Yanggong Dike was built by a notable figure from the Great Ming era, Yang Mengying. Su Di is even more remarkable, built by the literary giant Su Dongpo during the Song Dynasty. As for Bai Di, its history is even longer; it has existed since the Tang Dynasty.

Bai Juyi once wrote a famous poem about this place: "My favorite walk isn’t enough on the east side of the lake, where green willows shade the white sandy dike."

Lin Yang and his friends started from Yanggong Dike. This dike connects famous attractions such as Lotus in the Breeze at the Crooked Courtyard, Jinsha Port, Hangzhou Flower Garden, Maojiabu, Turtle Pond, Three Terraces Dream Traces, Yuhu Bay, and Huagang Viewing Fish.

Among these, Lotus in the Breeze at the Crooked Courtyard and Huagang Viewing Fish are among West Lake’s top ten scenic spots, very famous indeed. So, the group began their tour starting from these attractions, and along every part of their journey, whether landmarked or unnamed places, the scenery was incredibly beautiful.

"It’s truly a heaven on earth, the scenery is just marvelous."

"Yes, West Lake is full of sights everywhere; it’s no wonder that so many famous poets and scholars find it hard to leave."

The group walked on, and after traversing Yanggong Dike, they turned into another road on the north side, and saw a towering pagoda standing by the lakeshore.

"That’s Leifeng Tower over there!"

Upon seeing Leifeng Tower, they all showed great interest; after all, everyone grew up with the Legend of the White Snake. Legend has it that after the White Snake was subdued by Fa Hai, she was suppressed under Leifeng Tower. The group couldn’t wait to hurry to the tower, buy tickets, and enter the park.

It was the end of April, just a few days before the busy travel season of May Day, so not too many people were around at the moment.

Entering Leifeng Tower, Lin Yang and his friends were somewhat surprised; this place was not like what they had imagined, with the Legend of the White Snake as its selling point. Instead, there were many other attractions worth seeing.

Leifeng Tower consists of a two-tiered base and six floors in the main body of the pagoda. The main body was actually reconstructed a few decades ago to mimic the style of ancient times, while the original Leifeng Pagoda had faced numerous disasters. Since its construction in the Tang and Song dynasties, it went through several destructions and collapses.