Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Bai Di and Gu Shan
Bai Di
is the shorter and more popular of the two causeways, about 1500m in
length. Starting in the northwest of the lake near the
Shangri-La Hotel
, it runs
along the outer edge of Gu Shan before crossing back to the northeastern shore,
enclosing a small strip known as Beili Hu (North Inner Lake). The little island
of
Gu Shan
in the middle of the causeway is one of Hangzhou's highlights, a
great place to relax under a shady tree. Dotted with pavilions and pagodas, this
tiny area was originally landscaped under the Tang, but the present style dates
from the Qing, when Emperor Qianlong built himself a palace here. Part of the
palace itself, facing south to the centre of the lake, is now the
Zhejiang
Provincial Museum
(Mon noon-4pm, Tues-Sun 9am-4pm; free), a huge
place with English captions throughout. The main building in front of the
entrance houses historical relics, including some superb bronzes from the
eleventh to the eighth century BC. Another hall centres on coin collections and
has specimens of the world's first banknotes, dating to the Northern Song;
you'll get an appreciation of the deep conservatism of Chinese society from its
coinage, which remained fundamentally unchanged for two thousand years
from the Han to the Qing dynasties. New galleries outside hold displays of
painting and Tibetan Buddha statues.
The curious
Xiling Seal Engravers' Society
(daily 9am-5pm; ¥5), founded
in 1904, occupies the western side of the hill, next to the
Louwailou Restaurant
.
Its tiny park encloses a pavilion with a pleasant blend of steps, carved stone
tablets, shrubbery, and nearby a small early Buddhist stupa. On the southeastern
side of the hill by the water is another of Qianlong's buildings, the
Autumn
Moon on a Calm Lake Pavilion
, which is the perfect place to watch the full
moon. It's a teahouse now, very popular after sunset and full of honeymooners.
The low stone
Duan Qiao
(Broken Bridge), at the far eastern end of the
causeway, gets its name because winter snow melts first on the hump of the
bridge, creating the illusion of a gap.
Su Di and Santanyinyue Island
The longer causeway,
Su Di
, named after the Song-dynasty poet-official Su
Dong Po, who was governor of Hangzhou, starts from the southwest corner
of the lake and runs its full length to the northern shore close to Yuefei Mu.
Consisting of embankments planted with banana trees, weeping willows and
plum trees, linked by six stone arch bridges, the causeway encloses a narrow
stretch of water,
Xili Hu
(West Inner Lake). East of the causeway and in the
southern part of the lake is the largest of the islands here,
Xiaoying
, built
up in 1607. It's better known as
Santanyinyue
(Three Flags Reflecting the
Moon) after the three “flags” in the water - actually stone pagodas, said to
control the evil spirits lurking in the deepest spots of the lake. Bridges link
across from north to south and east to west so that the whole thing seems
like a wheel with four spokes, plus a central hub just large enough for a
pavilion, which doubles as a shop and a restaurant. The ¥20 admission fee to
get onto the island is usually included if you take one of the tourist boat
rides here.
The lake shore and Huanglong Dong Park
Starting from the northeast of the lake on Beishan Lu and heading anticlock-
wise, the seven-storey
Baoshu Ta
on Baoshi Shan is the first sight you'll
encounter. Looming up on the hillside to your right, the pagoda is a 1933
reconstruction of a Song dynasty tower, and a nice place to walk to along
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