Baima Lake and Chunhui Celebrity Garden

Baima Lake and Chunhui Celebrity Garden

“Baima Lake and Chunhui Celebrity Garden” are located within Chunhui Middle School, a provincial-level cultural heritage site about 4 kilometers from downtown. The area is surrounded by mountains on three sides, dotted with lakes, serene and elegant, boasting extremely pleasant natural scenery. Educators such as Xia Mianzun, Zhu Ziqing, Feng Zikai, Liu Xunyu, and Liu Shuqin came to teach here, while notable figures like He Xiangning, Cai Yuanpei, Ye Shengdao, Li Shutong, and Hu Yuzhi delivered lectures, attracting large numbers of students to study here. It once gained fame across the nation, earning the reputation of “Nankai in the north, Chunhui in the south.” “Chunhui Celebrity Garden” consists of the former residences and workplaces of those prominent figures, including Xia Mianzun’s “Pingwu,” Feng Zikai’s “Xiaoyangliuwu,” Li Shutong (Master Hongyi)’s “Wanqing Mountain House,” and Jing Xiengyi’s “Changsong Mountain House.” Over the years, these historic sites have drawn countless celebrities to visit and pay homage.

Baima Lake is not a perfectly round or square lake, as you might imagine—rather, it is the collective name for many winding, varying-sized bodies of water. The lake water is extremely clear, just as you’d expect, as mirror-like as can be. There’s no clearer water along the railway than here—that’s the consensus. Even during dry summers, when other lakes grow overgrown with weeds, this one remains crystal clear. The largest and best of Baima Lake is the one right in front of the house we stayed in. The lake isn’t small, but its entrance is flanked by hills on both sides. From the outside, only a faint ripple can be seen—no hint of the vast expanse that lies within. At the far end of the lake lies a village of thirty or forty households called Xixuyao, named for the prevalence of the Xu surname. This village used to be completely cut off from the outside world, with villagers having to take boats to come and go. Later, when Chunhui Middle School built structures by the lake, two quaint little wooden bridges were constructed, along with a coal-dust road leading directly to Yiting Station. That narrow footpath meanders along, and though it often seems deserted, walking it never feels lonely.

Spring is naturally the best season at Baima Lake. The mountains are so green they seem to drip, and the water is full and soft. Along the small roads, peach trees and willows are planted alternately. Each peach tree is adorned with a few double-petal red flowers, like scattered stars in the night sky. The willows sway gently in the warm breeze. Walking along this path, occasionally hearing the sharp, long whistle of a train has a certain charm. In spring, whether it’s sunny or rainy, under moonlight or in darkness, Baima Lake is beautiful. During the rain, the yellow flowers in the fields are the first to bloom brilliantly; even at night, though nothing is visible, you can quietly soak in the power of spring. Summer nights also have their charm. On moonlit nights, you can row a small boat on the lake, surrounded by a sea of green mist. From the boat, other villages appear like mirages floating on the water, hazy and dreamlike; sometimes the sounds of people or barking dogs evoke a feeling of being in a world apart. Without the moon, you can watch fireflies in the fields. These aren’t the occasional sparks you see in the city—they come by the thousands. They burst forth in swarms, like golden nets or strings of flickering flames.

Yupu Lake is located in the regions of today’s Yiqiao, Wenyan, Puyan, and Changhe (now part of Binjiang District). According to the “Zhejiang Historical and Contemporary Geographic Names Dictionary”: “Yupu Lake: roughly situated to the west of today’s Xiaoshan City, west of Meinvshan (Beautiful Woman Mountain), Dongshantou (East Hill Head), and Huzhao Shan (Tiger Claw Mountain), east of Banpanshan (Half Plate Mountain), Huilongshan (Returning Dragon Mountain), and Guanshan (Crown Mountain), and north of Chengshan (City Mountain), bordering the Qiantang River to the west. It was first mentioned in records from the Jin Dynasty. Volume 26 of the ‘Wenxuan Annotations’ cites the Jin Dynasty’s Gu Yi’s ‘Wu Commandery Records’: ‘Thirty li east of Fuchun is Yupu,’ referring to this very place. It receives water from Linpu Lake upstream and flows into the Qiantang River downstream. Yupu Lake has a long history. However, after recorded history began, it gradually shrank. By the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, remnants included Donghu (East Lake), Baima (White Horse), Jinglin (Pure Forest), Huilong’an (Huilong Nunnery), and Zhanjia Lakes. To this day, Donghu and Baima Lakes still remain.” During the Tang and Song dynasties, the main course of the Qiantang River lay to the west of its present location, with Dingshan north of the river still situated in the middle of the waterway.

There used to be an ancient town called Yupu, located at the confluence of the Fuchun River and Puyang River as they flow into the Qiantang River—a vital transportation hub in ancient times. Volume 5 of the “Yuanyou Jiuyu Zhi” states: “Xiexing and Yupu are two towns in Xiaoshan County.” Volume 294 of the “Qing Yitongzhi” says: “Located thirty li southwest of Xiaoshan County on the Yupu River. Established as the Yupu Stockade in the Song Dynasty, in the third year of the Hongwu era of the Ming Dynasty, a tax bureau was set up, and in the eleventh year of the Hongzhi era, a patrol office was installed. The bureau was later abolished. In our dynasty, the Yupu Post was established but was soon discontinued as well.”

Ancient Zhejiang had two great scenic wonders: “Watch the tidal bore at Xiling, and view the sunset at Yupu.” Hence the saying, “The rivers and mountains of Yupu are rare under heaven.” The scenery at Yupu Lake is delightful, and “Yupu Misty Light” was one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Xiaoshan during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Since the Six Dynasties period, poetry and paintings praising Yupu have been continuous throughout the ages. The Song Dynasty’s “Xuanhe Huapu” contains numerous paintings depicting Yupu’s landscapes.

Address: Baima Lake, Yiting Town, Shangyu City

Transportation: Direct bus from Shangyu East Bus Station

Contact number: 0575-82139516