Have you heard the story about 'Plum wife and crane son'? Lin Bu, also called Lin Hejing, was a real hermit and a talented poet in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127). In addition to compose poems and paintings, he put all his spare time into planting plum trees and raising cranes. Be differ from others, he didn't get married all his life, and as a consequence, people took plum blossom as his wife and considered cranes his children. As for the place he lived, it is today we called Gu Shan.

    Located at the northwestern corner of West Lake, Gushan is 38 meters (about 125 feet) above sea-level, and covers an area of 300 mu (nearly 50 acres). Compared with other hills around West Lake, Gushan is the lowest summit, on the other hand, it is also the biggest island in the lake, and the only natural island as well, which means you can appreciate the beautiful scenery here.

    The reason why the mountain named Gu Shan is that it is surrounded by water, standing solitarily in West Lake. Because it is a lonely island, it can also be called Solitary Island as well. Besides, it has other name, Plum Blossom Island, originates from the flourishing plum blossom planted on the hill. If you choose winter to go, you can enjoy the blooming plum blossom which will leave you a deep impression. Gu Shan is also famous for its beautiful landscapes. The Gushan environment is pretty good also. It is bordered by Bai Causeway on the east, the Outer West Lake on the south, Xi Ling Bridge on the west, and the Inner West Lake on the north. Do you know the ten scenes of the West Lake? One of them is Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake, which is formed on the boundary of Gu Shan and Bai Causeway. In a word, Gu Shan is an ideal place to enjoy the beauty of West Lake and it will not disappoint you.

    Moreover, there are a lot of cultural relics in the scenic area. At the south foot lies Zhejiang Museum, Wen Lan Pavilion (attracting many literati), and Zhongshan Park in the middle of the hill. The park was rebuilt on the site of an imperial garden of the Qing Dynasty. In order to commemorate Sun Yat-sen, who is the great leader of the Xinhai Revolution in 1911, the park was opened in 1927. At the west foot, you can find Fang He Pavilion, which is related to Lin Bu and his story 'Plum wife and crane son'. Besides, next to it is the Tomb of Qiu Jin, a great female revolutionist at the end of the Qing Dynasty. On climbing the top of the hill, you can see the Xi Ling Seal Society, dedicated to the study of seals. This area also includes Cypress Hall, Bamboo Pavilion and Si Zhao Pavilion. You can slow you step here and relax yourself here.