Slender West Lake

Background

Slender West Lake lies in Hanjiang District, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, northwest of the old city. The lake is about 3.4 kilometres long with a water surface of about 30 hectares, and the scenic area covers more than 120 hectares. The Five-Pavilion Bridge is the lake's landmark; the White Pagoda of Lianxing Temple was modelled on the White Pagoda in Beijing's Beihai Park; the Twenty-Four Bridge, Xiaojinshan, the Fishing Terrace and Xu Garden are spread along the shore. Willows line the long causeways, and the water winds slender and long, sharing a name with Hangzhou's West Lake but looking quite different. The lake developed from the city moat of Tang-dynasty Yangzhou and was formerly called Baozhang Lake, Baoyang River and other names. The name “Slender West Lake” is already recorded in a work compiled by Wu Qi in the late 17th century, and a 1736 poem by the Hangzhou native Wang Hang, “Ode to the Baozhang River”, spread it widely. In the Qianlong era of the Qing dynasty, Yangzhou salt merchants and officials built garden villas along the lake, and the lake was dredged and widened for the Qianlong Emperor's southern tours. It was badly damaged during the Taiping Rebellion and later rebuilt; it was thoroughly dredged again in 1979, listed as a national key scenic area in 1988, and is now a national 5A scenic area.

Local customs

• Take a boat on the lake to see the gardens, bridges and pagodas on both banks
• walk the willow causeways to the Five-Pavilion Bridge, the Fishing Terrace and the White Pagoda, and climb Xiaojinshan for a view over the lake
• sit a while in a lakeside teahouse and try Yangzhou morning tea and Huaiyang flavours.

Travel tips

• Entry to the scenic area requires a ticket
• ticket prices and opening hours follow the official notices. Combining a boat ride with walking works well, so wear comfortable walking shoes
• in summer protect yourself from sun and heat, and after rain the stone paths along the banks are slippery.
• City buses in Yangzhou reach the Slender West Lake scenic area, and buses and taxis also run to and from Yangzhou Station
• routes and schedules follow the official notices. You can visit all year
• spring, with green willows and blossoms, is best, autumn brings clear skies suited to walking and sightseeing, summers are hot, and in winter the water is cold and the wind chilly, so keep warm.