Bai Causeway at West Lake

Bai Causeway at West Lake

Bai Causeway at West Lake

The Bai Causeway at West Lake in Hangzhou is 1 kilometer long, starting from Broken Bridge in the east, passing through Jade Belt Bridge, and ending at Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake. Spanning the lake, the Bai Causeway divides West Lake into the Outer Lake and the Inner Lake, while also connecting Solitary Hill and North Hill. In the Tang Dynasty, the causeway was originally called White Sand Causeway, and in the Song Dynasty, it was known as Solitary Hill Road. During the Ming Dynasty, peach and willow trees were planted densely along the causeway, creating a splendid landscape, hence it was also called Ten-Jewel Pond. The flat and serene Bai Causeway boasts beautiful scenery, with graceful weeping willows on the inner side and vibrant peach blossoms on the outer side, resembling a colorful silk ribbon when viewed from afar. In spring, with the warm breeze brushing against your face, the scenery is absolutely stunning.

Bai Juyi, a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, often strolled along the Bai Causeway when he served as the prefect of Hangzhou and once wrote the poem “Spring Walk by Qiantang Lake,” which includes the lines: “I love best to walk east of the lake; / O’er white sandbars in willows I stroll.” While governing Hangzhou, Bai Juyi was known for his achievements in water conservancy, building stone culverts, dredging six wells, and expanding West Lake, leaving a legacy of great benefit to the people. Later generations, full of nostalgia for this wise local official, referred to the White Sand Causeway as Bai Causeway. However, the Bai Public Causeway built by Bai Juyi is not the current Bai Causeway, but rather an embankment extending northeast from outside Qiantang Gate, which has long been ruined. Today, only the ruins of the Shengtang Sluice Bridge Pavilion remain.

There are two bridges on the Bai Causeway. The one in the east is Broken Bridge, which is widely known, while the one in the west is Jade Belt Bridge, known to few. In fact, Jade Belt Bridge is an excellent viewing spot on the Bai Causeway. Standing on the bridge, you can see the terrace of Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake up close and the green trees and pavilions of Solitary Hill in the distance. In the Qing Dynasty, Xu Chengzu wrote a poem specifically about Jade Belt Bridge in “Fishing Songs of West Lake”: “Waves and mountains blur in sight; / Jade Belt Bridge blends into the painting bright. / Perhaps in my former life I was a fisherman, / With a rod and oars taking West Lake as my own.” It passes through Jade Belt Bridge and ends at Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake. The Bai Causeway spans the lake, dividing West Lake into the Outer Lake and the Inner Lake, while also connecting Solitary Hill and North Hill. In the Tang Dynasty, the causeway was originally called White Sand Causeway, and in the Song Dynasty, it was known as Solitary Hill Road.

West Lake Subdistrict: Nestled by the picturesque West Lake and the richly beautiful Qiantang River lies a shining pearl—West Lake Subdistrict. Located in the core scenic area of Hangzhou’s West Lake tourism zone, it borders West Lake to the east, the Qiantang River to the south, Zhijiang National Tourist Resort to the west, and the High-Tech Development Zone to the north. The subdistrict covers an area of 48 square kilometers and governs nine administrative villages: Shuangfeng, Longjing, Jiuxi, Fancun, Maojiabu, Manjuelong, Yangmeiling, Wengjia Mountain, and Meijiawu; two shareholding economic cooperatives: Jinsha and Nanshan; and six communities: Jingci, Santai Mountain, Jiuxi, Qixialing, Jinshagang, and Lingyin. Total... More detailed information about West Lake Subdistrict++