West Lake is a glittering pearl of Hangzhou.
Since ancient times, many scholars have visited it and left a legacy of unforgettable poetry works. Among them, poets Bai Juyi and Su Dongpo were most closely associated with West Lake. Bai was Hangzhou's prefectural governor for three years. Soon after assuming office, he visited the peasants to study the advantages and disadvantages of having dams. He then repaired a dam and built a stone sluice gate to store the water from the lake.