The Beautiful West Lake Of Hangzhou

Broken Bridge

Broken Bridge lies at the beginning of Bai Causeway. In ancient times the bridge had gates, which supported eaves on their tops. When it snowed, the snow on the middle section of the bridge accumulated on the eaves. As a result, only both ends of the bridge were piled with snow. Viewed from a distance, the bridge looked as if it were broken. Hence the name Broken Bridge. On the flat ground at the end of the bridge there are imperial stele pavilions. Facing the inner lake, it overlooks Baoshi Hill and Baoshu Tower across the lake. The hill, pagoda, lake, pavilions, bridge, and the peach and willow trees on the lake side constitute a charming and picturesque scenery. The Broken Bridge is the only way to Gushan Hill. Every time when it snows, people flood to the bridge to enjoy the scenery of snow in West Lake. Gushan Hill and West Lake are decked out in pure whiteness, full of charm. So the place is called Melting Snow on the Broken Bridge.

Baochu Pagoda

The name Baochu, translated directly, means "protect Chu", who, legend has it, refers to Qian Chu, the last king of Wuyue. As the story goes, one of King Chu's ministers had the temple constructed for prayers to be said for his safe return from a trip he had taken to Kaifeng, in central China. He had been summoned there by the Emperor and had been gone many days with no news of his return.

It was originally constructed in 963 and stood nine stories tall. Its most recent reconstruction, in 1933, left it slightly shorter, seven stories, and it has most recently had its lantern replaced on its top, though its previous one is on display near the pagoda. It is constructed of brick and stone and contains no internal staircase. The tower lies next to a path that runs the length of West Lake's northern mountain range and is accessible by both dirt paths and cement stairs from nearly every side of the mountain.