Impression West Lake - A Must-see Evening Spectacle in Hangzhou

“A Moonlit Night on the Spring River” is one of China’s ten most famous classical pieces. As the pipa (a traditional Chinese lute) begins to play with gentle and rhythmic plucking, the near waters and distant mountains are successively illuminated. The entire West Lake is gradually lit up, and a picturesque scene of a West Lake moonlit night slowly unfolds.

The Second Segment - Tea Leaf Picking Dance 采茶舞曲

“Tea Leaf Picking Dance” is one of the most representative folk tunes of Hangzhou. It seamlessly follows the opening piece “A Moonlit Night on the Spring River,” blending perfectly with it. Against the backdrop of the West Lake night, tea-pickers in traditional Han clothing, exuding ancient grace and charm, are seen all over the hills and fields.

The Third Segment - Butterfly Lovers 梁祝

From the violin concerto to the Yue Opera aria “Eighteen Farewells,” from classical Chinese dance to the symphonic and choral arrangement of “Butterfly”... the most famous Chinese folk love story is given an ultimate artistic presentation. The folding fan, a symbolic token of traditional Chinese love, also makes an impressive appearance above the waters of West Lake.

“High Mountains and Flowing Water” is one of the most renowned guqin pieces in Chinese history and also one of China’s ten most famous ancient tunes. In the performance, a guqin player collaborates with a cello player, perfectly blending the timbre of the Eastern guqin with that of the Western cello. At the same time, a clear and pure child’s voice recites a famous passage from The Book of Songs: Xiaoya：“The deer are calling out cheerfully in the wild, nibbling on the wild grass. I have distinguished guests visiting, and everyone is playing the guqin and blowing the sheng, making for a very lively scene!” This brings the audience an auditory enjoyment that transcends time and space.

The Fifth Segment - Swan Lake 天鹅湖

The fifth segment, “Swan Lake,” integrates the classic ballet "Swan Lake" into the landscape of West Lake. The dancers of “Swan Lake” perform on the surface of West Lake, creating an illusionary and realistic dance that blurs the line between reality and fantasy. This unique performance forms an unprecedented blend of Eastern and Western aesthetics, presenting a novel and elegant artistic conception.

The Sixth Segment - My Motherland and I 我和我的祖国

The sixth segment, “My Motherland and I,” features a melody that belongs to China but expresses an emotion universal to all humanity—love for one’s homeland. This segment will create a fairy-tale-like scene through a choral performance by a male vocalist and young actors.

The seventh segment, “Colourful Clouds Chasing The Moon,” is a highly representative modern Chinese traditional orchestral work composed by Ren Guang, a composer from Zhejiang. It features the typical musical style of the Jiangnan region. In the performance, this piece has been newly arranged as a piano piece, perfectly integrating the melody of traditional national music with the expressive techniques of modern piano. Through its elegant melody, light dance steps, and gorgeous lighting, it creates a dreamlike and poetic scene, reflecting people's longing for a better life.

The eighth segment, “Unforgettable Jasmine,” is the only newly composed piece in the original G20 performance. It is based on the classic original segments and the famous arias from Puccini’s operas. It expresses the rich understanding and interpretation of jasmine flowers in Chinese sentiment, and once again becomes a new classic.

The Ninth Segment - The Ode to Joy 欢乐颂

The classic choral piece “Ode to Joy,” together with the performance by hundreds of actors, will create a vibrant and bustling atmosphere across the entire West Lake. The performance concludes with this monumental and universally acclaimed masterpiece, conveying the true essence of Chinese magnificence and global unity.

• Venue: No. 82 Beishan Road, West Lake District, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province

The Impression West Lake Ticket Office is located on the northern side of West Lake, near the north end of the Su Causeway and Curved Yard Lotus Breeze Scene. It can be easily reached by car, bus, or bike. A taxi ride from the city center of Hangzhou to the performance venue will cost approximately CNY 30 to 40.

By Bus (suitable for independent travelers): You can take buses such as No. 7, 27, 51, 52, or 118 (only for your reference) to Yue Temple Station and then walk to the performance venue.

Travel with China Discovery (private tour package): If you wish to escape the hassle of crowded public transit, intricate navigation, and complex ticket reservations, you can book a private tour package with us that includes sightseeing, dining, and transportation services. Our local tour guide and driver will escort you to the venue of Impression West Lake with speed and convenience, and take care of all the details. You just need to focus on sightseeing.

2 Days Hangzhou Essence Tour (Most Time-Efficient)

Itinerary: Hangzhou
Highlights: West Lake, Lingyin Temple, Meijia Dock Dragon Well Tea Village, Hu Qing Yu Tang, China Umbrella Museum

Usually, visitors spend 2 days around to enjoy a classic Hangzhou tour to visit the West Lake Scenic Area, including the amazing West Lake, Lingyin Temple, Longjing Tea Plantations, etc. If you want an in-depth Hangzhou tour, you can also pay another half day or so to visit Xixi National Wetland Park, one day around to Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, or one day or so to Thousand Islands Lake, etc. Check all Hangzhou Tours >>

☛ 2 Days Essence of Hangzhou Tour

☛ 3 Days Classic Hangzhou Tour Plus Tea Plantation Exploration

Also, you can spend 1 day to take a side trip to the nearby water towns like Wuzhen and Xitang in Jiaxing, 2~3 days to Putuoshan - one of the four sacred Buddhist Mountains in China, or 1 day to the popular Nanxun Old Town in Huzhou. Check more about Zhejiang Tours >>

☛ 3 Days Best Hangzhou Tour with Wuzhen Water Town

Besides, compared with just travelling Hangzhou, most of the visitors prefer to travel the metropolis Shanghai, Suzhou Gardens and Hangzhou Lakes in One Go! Such an amazing tour will take 5~6 days.

☛ 5 Days Shanghai Hangzhou Suzhou Highlights Tour

☛ 3 Days Hangzhou & Suzhou Beauty Tour by High Speed Train

☛ 4 Days Heavenly Hangzhou Suzhou Tour with Zhouzhuang Water Town

Some visitors also ride a high speed train to Huangshan to visit the world-famous Yellow Mountain. A Hangzhou Huangshan tour needs about 5 days around.

☛ 5 Days Yellow Mountain Tour from Hangzhou

Have your preferences? Please feel free to tell us your likes and let our professional travel consultants customize a personal tour for you!

Since 2012, we China Discovery have helped numerous customers to visit Hangzhou and surroundings. With our fully-inclusive private tour packages, all of our customers enjoyed their trips to the West Lake, Lingyin Temple, etc. Some of them kindly shared their precious photos and stories about their Hangzhou journey, just get inspired now.

"Impression Show is a must see when visiting Hangzhou…" - shared by Nguyen (Read her entire travel story: The Pursuit of Natural Beauty with the Beloved one - 14 Days Beautiful China Exploring Tour)

"This last night in Hangzhou led us to explore a different side of West Lake, vastly changing our erstwhile bland impression of the famed tourist site…" - shared by CS from Singapore (Read her entire travel story: Delightful Journey to Poetic Jiangnan Area)

Besides the wonderful travel stories, many customers who visited Hangzhou with China Discovery also send us their first-hand feedbacks about their trip, feel free to read the Hangzhou Reviews and learn what they say about their experience. If you want to start your Hangzhou tour now, don't hesitate to contact us.