Hangzhou West Lake Bike Tour: How China Turn Nature into Art

Meet Hangzhou through the eyes of a local cultural researcher and content creator.

With an RMA in Cultural Analysis from the University of Amsterdam, a BA from Nanjing University, and five published academic papers on art and cross-cultural studies, I bring a research-based, cross-cultural perspective to exploring China.

On this bike tour, we’ll explore a simple question: How did a lake become a work of art?

West Lake may look like untouched nature, but its landscape was shaped over centuries by gardeners, monks, scholars and artists. We’ll cycle quieter routes through Yang Gong Causeway, classical gardens and wetlands, then ride into the Longjing tea hills to visit the China Tea Museum and see the tea landscape up close.

Rather than simply checking off famous sights, we’ll explore how Chinese ideas about nature, beauty and landscape shaped one of China’s most iconic places.