Hangzhou’s famous Legend of the White Snake comes to life in a flurry of costumes, with the West Lake as its natural stage. This is the hauntingly delicate Impression of West Lake, an outdoor theatre of light, music and dance, directed by Zhang Yimou, an internationally acclaimed filmmaker, cinematographer and most notably, the director of the 2008 Beijing Olympic ceremonies. As evening falls over the Yue Lake and its picturesque bridges and courtyards, and famous Japanese composer Kitaro’s soaring orchestra of instruments fills the air, hundreds of performers seemingly glide on the waters of West Lake to put on the nightly spectacle.

A whole town modeled on Song culture is a tourist attraction beyond compare. If the town itself feels like a theme park, that’s because it is. Based on the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival by the noted Song artist Zhang Zeduan, the Song Dynasty Town is constructed by means of realistic, romantic functionalist gardening, resulting in a vision of heaven as imagined by the architects. Bordering the Qiantang River in the south and lying close to five-cloud Hill in the north, Song Dynasty Town is situated in the southwest part of West Lake scenic area. It happens to boast another grand endeavour – a full-length song and dance performance, based on the historical allusions and mythologies in ancient Hangzhou, merged with modern acrobatics and high-tech choreography. Consider it a living history lesson with laser lights, water fountains, live horses, real cannons and hundreds of performers in lavish costumes.