My Story with Hangzhou
Although I live in Zhejiang Province, I had never been to Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang Province, until I was 16. Before my first visit, all I know about Hangzhou was from the textbooks in school. I knew Hangzhou was famous for the West Lake, which attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists, poets, artists, and photographers. But I could not feel the beauty when I was not able to see it myself.
Two years ago, I decided to study abroad. To prepare for the new changes and tests, I had to go to Hangzhou to take classes. I was kind of nervous and excited at the same time because I need to live alone in the hotel for months while taking the prep-classes. It was my first time to travel to and live in a city alone, but I got used to everything very quickly. I guessed it was one of the advantages of being a left behind child: everywhere can be home for me.
In the beginning of my stay, I gradually got bored because I was afraid to make friends with my new classmates and I barely talked in class. To be honest, I had no friends in Hangzhou. My life became extremely simple. Every morning I got up and went to classes, and every afternoon I walked back to the hotel and locked myself up in the small room. I became even quieter and my appetite got worse and worse. I believed I must look very pale, but no one would pay attention to me nor talk to me. I comforted myself that this was one of the difficulties I had to go through to study aboard.
One day I was talking with my friend back in Jiangshan and he sent me some pictures of the West Lake. He was surprised that I did not go to visit the West Lake after weeks of stay in Hangzhou. I did not tell him actually I did not visit any place in Hangzhou. He strongly insisted that I should go to the West Lake at least once. After talking to him, I started to look over his pictures. As I thought, it was just a lake. The water looked exactly same as the water near my house. But I was so bored at that time and I thought visiting a lake would not cost me anything.
I went to the West Lake on the coming Saturday. I really enjoyed the weather in Spring because it was a sunny day but not hot. Everything was so clear that I could tell the shape of the leaves that were shining under the sunlight. I followed the Map and realized the West Lake was only about half a mile from my hotel.
As soon as I saw the lake, one word immediately came to my mind: huge. It was a lot larger than I thought it would be. The crowd surrounded the lake. Some were tourists, some were local; some walked in pairs, some wandered alone. There were hundreds of thousands of people here, but everyone seemed walk slowly. I joined this interesting parade with my little camera. It was true that the water was not as clear as the sea water, but I suddenly realized that the West Lake was not only famous for the water, but the combination of everything here. Life style seemed very relaxing and slow here.
I started to follow the crowd. Rows of willows led my way. It reminded me the poems I learned back in elementary school. One of the lines compared the West Lake to be Xishi, who was one of the most famous beauties in ancient China, and it says no matter it is rainy or sunny, the West Lake is always attractive. Before I saw the West Lake, I thought most of the lines were exaggerated because many writers liked to add their imagination to the reality. However, I was right at the West Lake. I started to believe that everything the writers said was true. The beauty of the West Lake was not shocking, but slowly melting my soul. Lots of ships took the passengers traveling around the lake. It was Spring and the lotus had not bloomed yet. Under the huge lotus leaves, some fish were swimming and seeking. Trees that I could not tell the name had different weird shapes, growing towards the water. Although there were so many tourists around me, I only felt peaceful and quiet. I had always tried to find so-called inner peace and the West Lake was a perfect place for me to calm down and meditate. I walked by the Broken Bridge, Leifeng Pagoda, and Sudi. Actually, I did not pay much attention to the names of the places because every little piece made the West Lake a unique place.
After visiting the West Lake for the first time, I felt I was addicted to this place. As soon as I had free time, I walked to the lake. I could not remember how many times I had been to the lake during my stay in Hangzhou. I never got bored while walking around the lake. Sometimes I wished I could be part of the water, the willows, and the mountain. I loved the peacefulness I got from there. I started to try to talk to my classmates, but no one was as supportive as the West Lake. I hoped she did not mind I called her my friend.
The West Lake changed my opinion of traveling alone. Traveling alone is indeed lonely, but this is the only disadvantage I can see. I do not need to worry about my partner, and I can make the schedule on my own. I am able to control my traveling time. Every step is so flexible.
I started to go to more places in Hangzhou. I just simply walked on the streets for most of the time because visiting a city did not mean only going to the famous places. Walking on the streets would allow me to see the city itself. I felt so regretted that I wasted so much time, locking myself up in the small hotel room. I was really grateful about the city. Hangzhou became my favorite city in China. It really changed me and I found out that I was good at looking at maps and finding the direction. Maybe I was supposed to travel.
My Gypsy Life 