Water shapes the memory of Huizhou West Lake. Across the surface of Pinghu, the Jiuqu Bridge stretches 250 meters, forcing walkers to slow their pace through nine deliberate turns. Originally laid as a straight wooden path in 1957, the crossing evolved through decades of use, transforming into a zig-zag wooden structure, then concrete, and finally the solid granite path standing today. Artisans applied pink-and-blue manual color paintings to the deep red pillars of the twin four-corner pavilions at the bridge's center. Dark grey glazed tiles cap the roof, sheltering visitors from the subtropical sun. Between 1988 and 2011, this exact spot echoed with the shouts of rowers, serving as the starting line for the annual Dragon Boat Races. You can almost hear the wooden oars slicing through the water, leaving temporary scars on the lake's surface.

A short walk away, on the eastern bank of Fenghu, the atmosphere shifts from communal energy to quiet remembrance. Here, the scent of summer lychees drifts through the Lipu Fengqing area, surrounding the Zhongyuan Pavilion. Erected in 1937, the hexagonal structure features a pearl-shaped roof finial and green glass tiles. Its grey-white balustrades bear carved fretwork patterns, smoothed by the hands of countless visitors. The pavilion mourns General Deng Zhongyuan, a Republic of China army leader assassinated in 1922 at the age of 37. His sudden death sent shockwaves through the nation, prompting locals to fund this memorial and the nearby Ji Deng Villa.

These two structures anchor the lake's sprawling geography. The 3.2-meter-wide granite deck of the Jiuqu Bridge guides footsteps over the water, meanwhile, the Zhongyuan Pavilion waits in the shade of ancient trees, holding the grief of a fractured era. Together, they map the human experience of the city—the collective adrenaline of a river race and the silent, enduring weight of historical loss.