西湖 (Xīhú): West Lake (Hangzhou, Zhejiang)

A UNESCO World Heritage Site in Hangzhou, West Lake is divided by two famous causeways: 苏堤 (Su Causeway, built by Song poet 苏东坡 when he was Hangzhou's governor) and 白堤 (Bai Causeway, linked in lore to Tang poet 白居易). The 断桥 (Broken Bridge) is the setting for the legend of 白蛇传 (Lady White Snake).

history

Song-era poet Su Dongpo famously compared the lake to the legendary beauty Xi Shi: 欲把西湖比西子，淡妆浓抹总相宜 ('if West Lake were Xi Shi, plain or made up, she would always be beautiful').

In Pop Culture

白蛇传 Bái shé Zhuàn

Legend of the White Snake

Classic Chinese folk tale in which the snake-spirit Bai Suzhen falls in love with a mortal at West Lake's Broken Bridge - retold endlessly in opera, film, and TV.