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ChinaTravelZhejiang

Hangzhou West Lake Where Jack Ma from Ali Baba met Morley

by kumamonjeng April 23, 2020
written by kumamonjeng April 23, 2020
Hangzhou West Lake Where Jack Ma from Ali Baba met Morley

When you visit Hangzhou, you can’t miss West Lake. It is the place where Jack Ma, founder of Ali Baba used to go to during his earlier year to practice English with the foreigners.

Hangzhou West Lake Where Jack Ma from Ali Baba met Morley

Where is Hangzhou?

From Shanghai to Hangzhou, the distance is 175km and the best way to reach Hangzhou is by high-speed rail which takes an hour and cost RMB50-80 (SGD 10-16.00). There are even direct flights from Singapore to Hangzhou so it is convenient. Hangzhou is the “emerging first-tier city” now in China. China’s city-tier classification is used to track city development. Cities are categorized into 4 respective tier.

Tier 1 cities are the largest and wealthiest, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. Recently Hangzhou has been promoted from second-tier to emerging first-tier city.

Hangzhou West Lake Where Jack Ma from Ali Baba met Morley

Our hotel in Hangzhou is located near West Lake, within walking distance of 10 mins. On the way to West Lake, there are many international brands, including, LV, H&M, Apple stores can be seen.

Hangzhou West Lake Where Jack Ma from Ali Baba met Morley

West Lake in Winter

It was early winter when I was here, the coldest month should be in January so there is still no snow yet. The good thing that you visit West Lake in the winter season is you don’t get too many tourist crowds. Still, there were crowds in West Lake when I was there in the mid of November. West Lake is truly beautiful, it is huge and I only got to see part of it on my first day of arrival in Hangzhou. West Lake is an iconic, symbolic sight in Hangzhou and is regarded as one of the most beautiful sights in China.  I will visit again tomorrow on the other side of West Lake.

Hangzhou West Lake Where Jack Ma from Ali Baba met Morley

“Paradise on Earth”

With its beautiful lakes, mountains, and many other ancient architectures in the background, it has become the world-famous tourist destination and is also known as the “paradise on earth” 人间天堂.

Hangzhou West Lake Where Jack Ma from Ali Baba met Morley

West Lake musical fountain performance

The West Lake musical fountain performance is free which starts at 7 pm and 8 pm. There are chairs lined up in front of the lake for visitors. Seats are taken up fast and it was around 5 pm, those seats are almost all taken up. You are not allowed to stand in front of the seats. Security guards will chase you away if you stand in front of the seats once the performance starts. However, you can stand behind the seats. There are a few rows of seats lining up neatly before the performance starts.

Hangzhou West Lake Where Jack Ma from Ali Baba met Morley

We waited from 5 pm and finally, the performance start at 7 pm sharp. It was very cold while waiting for almost 2 hours in front of the West Lake. Nearby, some snacks stores and cafes are selling hot tea and coffee. We bought some snacks to fill up our hungry stomachs while waiting for the performance to start.

If you have seen the Singapore or Las Vegas musical fountain performances, then you may want to miss this one here. The scale is so much smaller, really not worth waiting for 2 hours in the cold. Furthermore, the crowds are just insane. If you come late, you will not be able to see the performance as the whole place will be blocked by people.

Hangzhou West Lake Where Jack Ma from Ali Baba met Morley

If you still insist on watching the West Lake musical performance, then I suggest you bring along insect repellent in the summer and a thick long jacket in the winter.  Come around 5 pm to secure a seat with a good view.

Hangzhou West Lake Where Jack Ma from Ali Baba met Morley

West Lake Pedestrian Street at night

Hangzhou West Lake Where Jack Ma from Ali Baba met Morley

Dinner was Hangzhou signature dishes:

Beggars’ Chicken (叫花童子鸡) – Chicken is wrapped with lotus leaves.

Hangzhou West Lake Where Jack Ma from Ali Baba met Morley

Scallops with green and red pepper

Hangzhou West Lake Where Jack Ma from Ali Baba met Morley

Dumpling Soup

Hangzhou West Lake Where Jack Ma from Ali Baba met Morley

Final thoughts:

West Lake is a freshwater lake in Hangzhou, a huge place to explore which is divided into five sections. There are temples, pagodas, gardens, and artificial islands within the lake. This part of West Lake that I visited on the first day of arrival in Hangzhou is where the musical fountain performance show is. Nearby, a lot of shopping areas and restaurants.  For the following day, I will explore the other parts of West Lake.

Hangzhou West Lake Where Jack Ma from Ali Baba met Morley

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Hangzhou West LakeJack Ma AlibabaKen Morley西湖
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Hotel Soul Suzhou Review 苏哥利酒店
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Stumble upon Hupan University, created by founder of Ali Baba, Jack Ma while visiting West Lake Hangzhou

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8 comments

Talya April 23, 2020 - 10:24 am

Gosh so pretty! Can’t believe how different it looks at day and night. Love the way it’s all lit up.

Reply
Kate April 23, 2020 - 10:41 am

I went to Hangzhou last year and enjoyed the fresh fish from the lake. It was a truly amazing place and your post conveys the same opinion. Thanks for sharing.

Reply
chad April 23, 2020 - 8:19 pm

omg i soooo wanna go there, the place is magic! I’ve never been to Hangzhou, soon I hope! Can’t wait.

Reply
TheSuperMomLife April 24, 2020 - 1:59 am

In a time where we are not allowed to travel, it’s nice to be able to learn more about places like this online.

Reply
Melissa Cushing April 24, 2020 - 11:45 am

West Lake looks absolutely beautiful and the pictures are everything and make me way to get there to 🙂 I love the delicious foods as well and will have to make sure to get here for a visit myself. Thank Tudor sharing!

Reply
Lush Fab Glam April 25, 2020 - 12:47 pm

The natural view is absolutely stunning, especially the picturesque mountains and sun as the backdrop of the lake.
XO, MJ
https://lush-fab-glam.com

Reply
Laura Schwormstedt May 1, 2020 - 10:47 am

Oh wow this place looks amazing, what a beautiful landscape and amazing looking food – the sunsets are gorgeous

Laura x

Reply
newzense May 3, 2020 - 2:25 am

A magnificent place. Hope to visit HANGZHOU. Just 1 hour for 175KM is amazing.

Reply

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I am the travel writer for Thinkerten. I lived in Japan, Australia, Malaysia and now based in Singapore. Speak 4 languages, Japanese, English, Malay, and Chinese. There are the many types of travels one can experience and mine are mostly focus on self-driving/road trip to explore the places I wanted to see and learn about. Only if you get out of your country, you will see the real you and understand more about yourself, to realize of your own identity, your own culture, and your root.

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