Bridges That Add to Scenic Charm

Bridges are indispensable boosters of the scenic charm of Hangzhou-witness the six bridges on the Su Causeway, the Broken Bridge and the Brocade Girdle Bridge on the Bai Causeway and the Xiling Bridge located at where in olden times a ferry-point stood. All of the above are arched bridges of stone of a most beautiful design. Other kinds of beautiful bridges exist too, such as the plank bridge at the scenic sight known as Enjoying the Sight of Fish at Play at Flower Harbor （Hua Gang Guan Yu）and the zigzag bridge at the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon with its many Z-turns and with the pavilions built on the bridge. There is also the flagstone bridge near the pavilion named Touching a Chord in My Heart （Wo Xin Xiang Ying Ting）whose purpose is solely to add some decoration to the West Lake and does indeed enhance its charm.

Su Causeway

The special aesthetic appeal of the zigzag bridge at the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon consists in its level, near-to-the-water-surface and unadorned look where one is so near to the lake surface and often also to the reflection of the moon in it. The many Z-turns lend a special flavor to the layout of the place and somehow extend the length of one's walk when one enjoys the view while moving along during what is known as in-motion viewing. After setting foot on land at the Lesser Fairyland from one's boat, a visitor first tours the Memorial Hall of Early Sages before reaching the zigzag bridge. In the lake opposite the bridge is standing a huge, tall piece of rock pitted in a way that lends its shape a special charm and is named the Nine Lion Rock（Jiu Shi Shi） . Here the zigzag bridge has a very interesting role to play, for one's walk on it leads one past many delightful sights such as rocks and rockeries, pavilions, white-washed walls on the central isle of the ring-shaped Lesser Fairyland, etc. It is the zigzag bridge that so to say strings up these sights. And because of its nearness to the surface of the lake, one can readily enjoy the reflected images in the water, including that of oneself, the sight of darting fish and the mild fragrance of lotus flowers.

Owing to restricted space, in some of the gardens in Hangzhou there are sometimes tiny bridges that one can cross at just a single step. These tiny bridges are necessary both as junctions and sometimes as partitions of water bodies that may lend a special appeal to the water scenes in a garden. Take for instance the little water pond near the top of Solitary Hill on the grounds of the Seal Engraver's Society. The small flagstone bridge there is most ingeniously designed, a testimony to the aesthetic rule that guides garden design, that is,“Narrow a space and there is a stream; extend it and a pond appears”. It is also true that the bridges as semi-decorative garden structures in Hangzhou are often made more famous as scenic sights by their associations with well-known people or events in history. For instance, Xiling Bridge that has appeared several times in this book reminds one of the life story of a well-known 6th century woman named Su Xiao Xiao, a famed courtesan who had many contemporary celebrities among her friends. And the name Broken Bridge, which was taken from a line of a poem by the poet Zhang Hu of the Tang Dynasty, always evokes sad memories when one recalls the romantic folk story of the White Snake Lady and her lover Xu Xian.