西湖的美在于自然景观与人文景观的天然融合，它三面环山，一湖碧水，构成了卓然风姿。而西湖沿岸历经千年的寺庙、园林等人文景观，又使得西湖增添了浓重的历史文化底蕴，两者相得益彰，互为因果。然而湖山千年不老，但随着岁月流逝，人文景观会失去往日的面貌，这就需要专门的人才对西湖四周的人文景观进行保护和修复。
　　陈叶根自上世纪70年代进入杭州市园文局后，始终与环湖的园林打交道。他终年在施工现场，亲眼看到西湖的园林经他与队友们的共同努力，依旧保存着本来的历史面貌和风韵，他心中的那份喜悦是其他人所无法体验的。
　　他对西湖有太多的感知，西湖园林他大都倾注过心血，他称得上是西湖园林俏妆打扮的化妆师，这位掌管全局、独挡一面、不断创新的总经理谙熟园林这门建筑艺术，对于中国园林建筑艺术讲究点面结合、虚实结合、曲径通幽、柳暗花明等，他都了然于胸。他在管理西湖园林事业上，付出巨大心血，也作出了重大贡献。
　　
　　打响岳庙“第一炮”
　　
　　10年浩劫，让全国重点文物保护单位岳庙被破坏得千疮百孔：岳飞墓被毁，四个奸臣跪像不知去向，大量的碑文、诗词散落，大殿一角坍塌，一时间岳庙荒凉，破败，杂草丛生。“文革”结束，恢复和重建岳庙是全国人民所企盼的，他们对负责施工者更是寄予厚望。陈叶根清醒认识到，重建岳庙难度在于要恢复历史原貌，不能以假乱真。就说恢复岳飞墓，且不论要准确丈量出当时岳飞墓的大小有多难，就是寻找岳飞墓的位置也谈何容易?面对杂草丛生的岳庙，岳飞墓的准确位置在哪里呢?陈叶根凭着多年施工的经验，他从寻找墓道墙着手，几经努力，终于在一处乱草丛中找到了准确位置，为重建岳飞墓奠定了基础；为了复制四个奸臣跪像，他又远涉河南汤阴，在查找到第一手资料后又急返杭州赶到制氧机厂复制；为寻找原先失落的石人石马、石翁仲及大量的碑文诗词，他亲率30多人的一支队伍在岳庙的角角落落找、在西湖风景区一线找，在杭州四围的东南西北找，那“岳王庙”三个大字的匾额，那是他从岳王庙的天花板上取下来的。
　　经过半年奋战，一座壮重巍峨、流金溢彩的岳王庙终于又重新出现在西湖北面，这是陈叶根和他的队友们的精心之作，是他们向杭州人民交出的一份满意答卷。
　　
　　虎跑整修最得意
　　
　　负责建造岳王庙一炮走红后，陈叶根又于1978年率队对灵隐寺进行大修；1980年又担当了玉皇山顶新建园林古建筑及环境工程；1984年杭州西湖环湖绿地建设也由他总承包；直至后来的望湖楼景区、北山路镜湖景区、六公园圣塘路景等等，全由他精心承办，特别是1983年的虎跑公园整修工程，最是他的得意之作：杭州市政府作出整修南山路虎跑 公园重点建设一批弘一法师景观决定后，这一任务又落在了陈叶根身上。300多万元投资，4个月的时间完成，时间不可谓不紧，但最难的还是缺乏第一手资料，于是他四处奔走，并亲自去福建搜集弘一法师的资料。他在细心研究和考证基础上，终于修建成了“弘一法师纪念堂”、“脆樾堂”、“滴翠轩”、“五百罗汉堂”、“梦虎雕塑”等一批人文景观。该工程先后被江苏省、浙江省、上海市评为“两省一市”优质工程样板，并授予优质工程样板奖，这是至今杭州园林古建筑工程的最高奖项。此外颇具特色的中国茶叶博物馆、南宋官窑博物馆也是他的得意之作，其中南宋官窑博物馆仿古建筑，被评为当年杭州市十大优秀建筑之一。
　　陈叶根在实践中感到，要想在景观设计上有所作为，在不断加剧的竞争中站稳脚跟，就必须拓宽视野、敢于吸收、融化国外园林景观设计的先进理念。为此，他于1994年从杭州市园文局走出成立了中国对外建设总公司并任总经理，之后又于2000年成立浙江中集园林古建筑工程有限公司。他想通过这两个公司既把中国传统园林景观介绍到国外去，同时运用中西结合的理念，在国内建设一批具有时尚、前卫的园林景观。
　　
　　把园林文化推向国外
　　
　　
　　上世纪90年代中期，由他率领的30多名员工去日本兵库县成功地建成了一座世界梅花公园，公园完全按中国古典园林格式建造，内设梅资源馆、唐梅阁等。这是日本首座中国式的园林建筑，受到日本各界人士的一致好评。这是中国园林文化首次传入日本，意义重大。他的第二个设想也在国内多个项目中获得成功，最有代表性的是2001年负责施工的温州世纪广场工程。这座投资2亿元的世纪广场，由澳大利亚著名设计师设计，整个布局采用中、古、西结合，充满现代感，大草坪、大广场与大自然高度融合。这座在温州乃至浙江具有里程碑意义的工程终于在他的负责施工下诞生了。此工程相继获得温州市政金奖，浙江省市政金奖，还有可能获得最高级别的中国市政金奖。
　　陈叶根认为随着时代的发展，特别是中国加入世贸组织后，国外的景观设计师担任起我国的一些大型工程设计，如剧院、风景园林、广场等，应该说这是一种进步，中国传统的园林设计思路已在变化，这就是在继承传统园林基础上的形式创新。如今，他感到有种新的紧迫感：如何吸收国外的长处拿来为我所用。他说，我们要努力争取将中国传统园林建筑推广到国外去，让更多的国家拥有中国的园林建筑，同时要广泛吸收国外园林建筑业的长处，在国内建筑更多的具有现代气息的大型园林建筑。
　　
　　A Man Who Adds Beauty to the West Lake
　　By Wang Anxiang
　　The beauty of the West Lake in Hangzhou lies in a seamless integration of its natural scenery and sites of historical and cultural interests. The limpid lake is encircled by hills on the three sides while gardens and temples add a cultural and historical touch to the lake whose national reputation dates back to the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. For this reason, to maintain the lake also means to maintain the sites of historical and cultural interests.
　　Chen Yegen is one of those who take care of gardens and temples around the West Lake.
　　The Cultural Revolution (1966-1976) wreaked havoc on the West Lake. The first thing to rescue the West Lake after the chaotic decade was to restore the totally devastated Memorial Temple of General Yue Fei. Tablets were missing. Statues had been smashed. The kneeling bronze statues of the four traitors who framed the general had been stolen. The main hall had one corner collapsed. In charge of the restoration project, Chen knew the essence of the restoration was to restore the temple's old appearance and it was by no means to build something completely new or fancy.
　　He searched the ground inch by inch to find the exact location of the general's tomb. He visited the general's hometown in central China's Henan Province to find the exact copies of the four traitors?kneeling images and had them duplicated in a large manufacturer in Hangzhou. He led a team of 30-strong people to search everywhere around the lake and in town for the lost pieces from the temple. After half a year's efforts, the temple was restored to its old-day splendor and magnificence.
　　Chen's capabilities were highly valued. He was put into charge of important projects. In 1978, he was appointed to restore the Lingyin Temple, the largest Buddhist monastery in Hangzhou. In 1980, he was in charge of a restoration and gardening project for the Hill of Jade Emperor. In 1983, he built a group of sightseeing facilities at the Tiger Running Spring in memory of Master Monk Hong Yi. The project won the highest honor that no other West Lake projects have ever won so far.In 1984, he was the general contractor of the greening belt around the lake. He rebuilt a few landmark pavilions such as the Lakeview Pavilion and the Mirror Lake Pavilion. The China Tea Museum and the Southern Song Imperial Kiln Museum are also Chen's building masterpieces.
　　Chen is not a man yearning for traditions and the past beauty. He has absorbed foreign architectural elements into his projects. He has set up two construction companies for projects outside Hangzhou. The most conspicuous project is the world's first Plum Blossom Park Chen and his workers built in Hyogo, Japan in the mid 1990s. The park represents the first introduction of China's gardening art to Japan in the modern time. The Century Square in Wenzhou built with an investment of 200 million and designed by an Australian architect is Chen's another landmark urban project. The project has won gold medals respectively from Wenzhou and Zhejiang Governments as an excellent city facility project.
　　 (Translated by David)