Huizhou Su Causeway

In the winter of 1095, the exiled poet Su Shi watched the people of Huizhou wade through the freezing mud of West Lake. Flimsy wooden bridges routinely collapsed into the water, claiming lives. To sever this cycle of drowning, Su Shi surrendered his most prized possession: a rhinoceros-horn belt gifted by the emperor. He wrote to his brother for gold, and together with Monk Xigu of the Qichan Temple, they drove earth and stone into the lakebed.

They forged a 300-meter path dividing Ping Lake and Feng Lake. Today, you walk the exact trajectory of their labor from Pinghu Gate to the foot of Lion Hill. The causeway breathes through its ancient banyan trees. Their thick, beard-like aerial roots plunge from dense canopies to brush the water's surface, casting deep shadows over the stone masonry. In spring, palace pink and crimson peach blossoms drift across the lake, catching in the sweeping branches of weeping willows.

Centuries of hands have reshaped this thoroughfare. Qing Dynasty prefect Wu Qian stood here under the moonlight, naming the view 'Enjoying the Moon at Su Causeway.' In 1983, stonemasons carved the current Xixin Bridge from solid granite, shaping its arc and six distinct archways to let sightseeing boats glide underneath.

The causeway remains a living artery. At dawn, elderly women gather tender willow buds to brew herbal tea. By dusk, the setting sun bakes the granite warm. As night falls, light projections scatter Su Shi’s poetry across the paving stones. You can trace the illuminated characters with your footsteps, reading the words of a man who transformed his own exile into a permanent sanctuary for others.