Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – As the bus travels along Nanshan Road, the Leifeng Pagoda outside the window is illuminated by warm yellow lights, its reflection shimmering on the surface of West Lake like shimmering golden spots. Soon after, the bus turns into Manjuelong, and the evening breeze carries a faint fragrance of flowers into the window – in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, the "West Lake Night Tour Bus," which has restarted after more than a decade, is allowing more people to appreciate West Lake at night.
As Hangzhou's "night economy" continues to heat up, the enthusiasm of citizens and tourists for night tours of West Lake is also rising. According to statistics, as of August 22, in the week since the route opened, it has made 30 trips, serving nearly a thousand passengers, with tickets repeatedly selling out as soon as they went on sale.
This year, Hangzhou launched two unique nighttime tour routes: the "West Lake Ecological Sightseeing Bus" focuses on ecological healing, leisurely exploring the ecological secrets of the western part of West Lake; the "City Roller Coaster Pro" winds its way through mountain roads and tea gardens, creating a perfectly balanced weightlessness experience on its undulating terrain.
These new ways to experience West Lake at night unlock its multifaceted charm.
On the "City Roller Coaster Pro" route, screams and laughter constantly alternate. "The slight weightlessness makes my palms sweat, but it's not overly scary," said Lin Ming, a tourist born in the 2000s from Wenzhou, Zhejiang. This "light adventure" experience allows passengers to capture the fleeting moments of the night mist through the bus window, experiencing a different kind of West Lake summer night.
The West Lake nighttime bus tour is already deeply ingrained in many people's memories. Hangzhou launched its first nighttime bus tour route as early as 2004, and it has made several brief appearances in the summer since then.
Now that it has resumed its journey, many passengers have come specifically to relive those memories.
Liu Siqin, who grew up in Hangzhou, jokingly calls herself a "bus enthusiast." During her high school summer vacations, she and her friends often took night bus tours around the lake, chatting about dreams and relaxing. "Back then, I felt that West Lake at night was like a quiet old friend." This summer, she and her husband made a special trip to relive those memories, saying, "Taking the bus brought back that relaxed, comfortable feeling I used to have."
This surge in nighttime bus tours mirrors the popularity of "Blues West Lake" on social media—whether it's cycling at dawn to capture the lake's serene blue glow, or sitting comfortably on a bus and experiencing the nighttime tea plantations, people are engaging with West Lake in their own ways.
Leveraging West Lake's unique nighttime ecosystem and profound cultural heritage, "bus night tours" have become more than just a way to travel; they've become a cultural link connecting the city's memories. By continuously expanding cultural and tourism scenarios, Hangzhou is telling the poetic story of West Lake in a lighter and more contemporary way. (End)
