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West Lake - Bai Causeway

Bai Juyi, Mayor of Hangzhou

The Bai Causeway of the West Lake was built before the Tang Dynasty, with a total length of about 1 kilometer, from "Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake" in the west to "Melting Snow at Broken Bridge" in the east.

The Bai Causeway 白堤 of the West Lake was built before the Tang Dynasty, with a total length of about 1 kilometer, from “Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake 平湖秋月” in the west to “Melting Snow at Broken Bridge 断桥残雪” in the east. The Bai Causeway and the Gushan Hill 孤山 not far to the west divide the surface of the lake into two parts. The Open Water on the South Side is what is usually called West Lake, and the northside Beili Lake 北里湖, with a small area, has a lush lotus pond which often attracts passers-by in summer and autumn. There is also a Cruise Ship Pier on both sides of the Bai Causeway, where many tourists choose to take a boat tour of West Lake.

In Tang Dynasty, the Bai Causeway was called the White Sand Causeway, because the ground was covered with white sand. The great poet Bai Juyi of the Tang dynasty, during his career as mayor in Hangzhou, once ordered the construction of a Bai Gong Causeway in the city, but it no longer exists. In order to commemorate his achievements, the people of Hangzhou renamed the White Sand Causeway “Bai Causeway” and the name is still in use today.

From Bai Juyi’s Poem A Spring Journey to Qiantang Lake 钱塘湖春行, we can tell the time when White Sand Causeway was built, and how Beautiful The Scenery of Bai Causeway was at that time.

On Qiantang Lake in Spring | 钱塘湖春行
Bai Juyi | 白居易

West of Jia Pavilion and north of Lonely Hill
孤山寺北贾亭西
Water brims level with the bank and clouds hang low
水面初平云脚低
Disputing for sunny trees, early orioles trill
几处早莺争暖树
Pecking vernal mud in, young swallows come and go
谁家新燕啄春泥
A riot of blooms begins to dazzle the eye
乱花渐欲迷人眼
Amid short grass the horse hoofs can barely be seen
浅草才能没马蹄
I love best the east of the lake under the sky
最爱湖东行不足
The bank paved with white sand is shaded by willows green
绿杨阴里白沙堤