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West Lake
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History
In middle of the Tang Dynasty Zhenyuan era (785-804), poet Bai Juyi came to Hangzhou as a governor. Already an accomplished poet, his deeds at Hangzhou made him a great governor. He realised that the farmland nearby depended on the water of X¨© H¨², but due to negligence of former governors, the old dyke had collapsed, the water level of X¨© H¨² dried out, and the local farmers suffered severe drought. He ordered the construction of a stronger and taller dyke, with a dam to control the flow of water, and thus solved the drought problem. The livelihood of local people of Hangzhou improved over the following years. Now that Bai Juji had more leisure time to enjoy the beauty of X¨© H¨², he visited X¨© H¨² almost every day. He ordered the construction of a causeway connecting the Broken Bridge with the Solitary Hill, to facilitate walking on foot, instead of depending on boat. Then he planted coolabah trees and willows trees along the dyke, making it a beautiful landmark of X¨© H¨². This causeway was later named Bai Di Causeway in Bai Juyi¡®s honour.Over two hundred years later, in the beginning of Song Dynasty¡®s Yuanyou era (1086-1094), another great poet, Su Shi (also known as Su DongPo), came to Hangzhou as governor. By that time, the farmers suffered drought again, due to overgrowth of the weeds at the bottom of the lake clogging the irrigation ducts. He ordered dredging of the lake and piled up all the mud into another causeway, in the style of Bai Causeway, but much wider and nearly three times as long, he also planted willow trees along its banks. This causeway was later named after him as the Su Causeway. There are six bridges along the 2.6 km Su Causeway . "Dawn on the Su Causeway in Spring " is one of the attractions at the X¨© H¨².
Ten Scenes of X¨© H¨²
View of X¨© H¨² from a row boat.Traditionally, there are ten best-known scenic spots on the X¨© H¨², each remembered by a four-character epithet. Collectively, they are known as the "Ten Scenes of X¨© H¨²" (10 Scenic Spots in X¨© H¨²). Each is marked by a stela with the epithet written in the calligraphy of the Qianlong Emperor. They are:Dawn on the Su Causeway in Spring
Curved Yard and Lotus Pool in Summer
Moon over the Peaceful Lake in Autumn
Remnant Snow on the Bridge in Winter
Leifeng Pagoda in the Sunset
Two Peaks Piercing the Clouds
Orioles Singing in the Willows
Fish Viewing at the Flower Pond
Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon
Evening Bell Ringing at the Nanping Hill
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Photo Album of Zhejiang |
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