There are many West Lakes in China. Among them, Fuzhou West Lake is one of the most famous lagging behind Hanzhou West Lake on scale and fame yet is regarded typical in China.

Fuzhou West Lake is located in the northwestern part of the city covering an area of 45 ha. In the third year of Emperor Tai Kang in Jin Dynasty (282AD), Governor Yan Gao channelled water here from the northwestern mountain areas to irrigate the fields. In the late Tang Dynasty, it was changed into a tourist area, thus the scenic spot of West Lake came into being and has remained a park ever since.

Upon entering the gate of the park. you will see a dyke lined by willow trees over the water leading directly to the Kaihua islet and along the shore of the lake, two pavilions on the water with winding corridors. Kaihua Temple, at the center of Kaihua islet, is now mainly used for the exhibition of flowers and plants in gardens. To the west of Kaihua Islet is the Flying Rainbow Bridge leading to the Xie Ping children' Entertainment Park. To the south is the Stepping on Cloud Bridge, leading to the zoo, which was quite famous in the past. Passing the Stepping on Clouds Bridge, you may also go to the Lotus Pavilion with a square lotus pond at the foot. Beside the Lotus Pavilion stands the Laurel Building which includes the site of Li Gang Memorial Temple, the reading site of Lin Zexu and the Banning on Opium Pavilion,. North of Kaihua Temple, passing the Jade Belt Bridge, you'll reach Jiaojiao Islet where the Fujian Museum, Art Gallery and West Lake Theater are located.

You must visit the Panda Hall on your trip to Fuzhou West Lake, for it seems much more renowned than the latter. It's located at the Dameng (Big Dream) foothills, southwest of West Lake and covers an area of 1.5 ha. The hall is well known for its successful rearing and breeding of pandas ranking first among the nation. The panda performances are so interesting that it's worth having a look. Under the trainer's guidance, the charmingly naive pandas eat watermelon, feed dolls, ride bicycles and seesaws, play basketball and stand on a running ball,. all especially attractive to tourists with children.