Then comes the Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard (qǔ yuàn fēng hé 曲院风荷). This typical West Lake scene has earned its fame since the Southern Song Dynasty, when the lakeside area with an abundant growth of lotus off its shores was known as Crooked Courtyard, and was the location of a brewery. People said the smell of lotus flowers and wine blended by the cool lake breezes was intoxicating. Nowadays the brewery is gone, and the area has been turned into a big park, but plenty of lotus plants still bloom off its shores. They stand gracefully erect in the lake, as if they knew they had visitors coming to admire their beauty.

The next listed on the ten scenic itineraries is the Autumn Moon on Calm Lake (píng hú qiū yuè 平湖秋月). At the western end of Bai Causeway (bái dī 白堤) is located a lakeside park which houses a stone tablet bearing the etched calligraphy of Emperor Kangxi (kāng xī 康熙) of the Qing Dynasty (qīng cháo 清朝), which reads: "Autumn Moon on Calm Lake". The lake is a special place to appreciate the moon and the effect of moonlight on the land. The moon seems especially bright over the waters. The hills look purplish bathed in the moonlight. The best time for nighttime viewing is on Mid-Autumn Day.

The most romantic scene of the ten must-see around the West Lake is the Melting Snow on the Broken Bridge (duàn qiáo cán xuě 断桥残雪). The stone-arched Broken Bridge is where the characters of a famous Chinese folktale, Xu Xian (xǔ xiān 许仙) and a beautiful girl, who is actually a white snake, first met and fell in love with each other.

After a snowfall, when the snow on the more exposed side has melted, with the shaded side remaining white, it looks as if a long white belt has been ripped apart on the bridge, thus earning the name "Melting Snow on the Broken Bridge".

Retreating from the legendary bridge, here we come to the Listening to Orioles Singing in the Willows (liǔ làng wén yīng 柳浪闻莺), an imperial garden built up in the Southern Song Dynasty. Now the once-imperial garden has been turned into a park open to all. Featuring green willows and singing orioles, there are lawns, pavilions, and bridges that are very impressive, as well.