Authorities in the famous scenic city of Hangzhou in east China's Zhejiang province are considering expanding the area of the West Lake by one-fourth by inducing the water westward.

The project has been listed in the city's plan for the coming five years, it has learnt recently.

Booming tourism in the West Lake has harmed its reputation as a serene recluse. Statistics show that tourists visiting an island in the center of the lake alone can hit 40,000 in number.

Increasing a few patches of water areas to the west of the current West Lake can meet the taste of tourists by providing them with unexpected pleasant surprises while enlarging its capacity to receive tourists, local officials argued.

However, it has sparked debate if such modifications to the look of the West Lake, which has for decades remained unchanged, may actually harm its integral beauty.

(People’s Daily 02/28/2001)