Part C - The Scenic Beauty of West Lake --cont'd

9.8  Bai Causeway (百堤)

The Bai Causeway cuts the lake into two parts - the outer west lake and inner west lake. There are two stone bridges, "Broken Bridge" and "Jindai Bridge" on the Bai Causeway. The "Broken Bridge" is well known in China for its link with a famous Chinese love story - White Snake Legend, a Chinese version of Romeo and Juliet. The Bai Causeway was built after the name of Bai Juyi, a famous poet and governor of Hangzhou in Tang Dynasty.

Why "Broken Bridge"?  In winter when Hangzhou is covered in snow, the snow on the sunny side of the bridge melts first, while the snow on the shady side still lingers. Looking from a nearby hill, the bridge appears to be broken. Hence the bridge is now known as “Broken Bridge”.

The best time to admire the scenery of this Causeway is in the evening when the sun is setting.

Sunset In West Lake

 Sunset over the Broken Bridge Causeway

9.9  Along Su Causeway (苏 堤)                                                                           

The Su Causeway is the longest series of bridges crossing the West Lake. This causeway is named after the Song Dynasty poet, Su Dong Po, who was also the governor of Hangzhou. The causeway runs across the lake from Nanping Road, to the "lotus in the Breeze Quyuan Garden".

The causeway consists of six simple yet beautiful stone bridges and the embankments along the way are lined with weeping willow, hibiscus and magnolia trees.

The six bridges along the Su Causeway offer different views. One can stand on the causeway and feast one’s eyes on the lake far and near through the willow branches.

9.10  Along Yang Causeway (杨 公 堤)

This is more than 3km long and lies one road west of the Su Causeway. It starts at the intersection of Beishan and Shuguang Road and runs north-south.

Yang Causeway includes Quyuan Garden which is the most popular spot to see tons of lotus blossoms in late spring and summer. The water area to the west of the top of Yang Causeway is Maojiabu Scenic area, with orchids blended into the water scenery. Another tourist spot on Yang Causeway is Mr. Guo’s Villa, which was built in 1907 and is considered one of the most “classical” gardens in Hangzhou. At the southern end of the causeway, just before Nanshan Road, is a fish-viewing pond.

                 

9.11   Leifeng Pagoda (雷峰塔)

Leifeng Pagoda is a five story tall octagonal tower located on Sunset Hill south of the West Lake. It was constructed in AD 975 but collapsed in 1924. It was rebuilt in 2002, since then it has been a popular tourist attraction.

The original pagoda was built in 975 AD. During the Ming Dynasty, Japanese pirates attacked Hangzhou. Suspecting the pagoda contained weapons, they burned its wooden elements, leaving only the brick skeleton. Later, due to a superstition that bricks from the tower could repel illness or prevent miscarriage, many people stole bricks from the tower to grind into powder. On the afternoon of 25, Sept 1924the pagoda finally collapsed due to disrepair.

To find out whether there was a mausoleum below, an excavation was carried out in 2001 and many treasures were found, most notably, a gold and silver coated hair of the Buddha. In October 1999, Leifeng Pagoda was rebuilt over the ruins of the old one. The new pagoda was opened on 25 October 2002. The original base of the pagoda is kept in good condition as well as the treasures discovered in an underground chamber.

9.12  Prince Bay Park (太 子 湾 )

The Prince Bay Park is at the South Hill Road, next to the Nanping Hill, with an area of about 20 hectars. It is the largest park for Western-style wedding celebrations. The whole area is scenic and tranquil. 

9.13 Luilang Wenying Park (柳 浪 闻  莺 公 园)

Liulang Wenying Park (The Song of the Nightingale of the Willow Branch Park) was once an imperial garden during the Song dynasty. Nowadays, the park is famous for its willow trees and is the site for the celebration of the Lunar Festival. It is 17ha in size and covered with willow and cherry trees. Under the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279) it was the Imperial Garden.

10.0  Colorful Musical Fountains in West Lake

The most pleasant and colorful sights I saw in Huangshan and Hangzhou was the display of colorful musical fountains in the West Lake. Though the show started from 4.30pm until after 8.00pm, the best time to witness the display was from 7.00pm when the sun was down.   

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