Beishan Street, a historical and cultural block within the West Lake Scenic Area, stretches 2,600 meters and is aptly nicknamed a ‘museum without walls.’ It begins at Baoshu Road in the east and extends to Shuguang Road in the west, with the West Lake to its south and Baoshi Mountain, Geling Mountain, and Qixia Ridge to its north. The street is also connected to the lakeside area in the urban district. Every aspect of Beishan Street, from its plants to its buildings, from its bricks to its tiles, radiates a rich cultural heritage.
Walking west along Beishan Street from the Broken Bridge, where the legendary lovers Xu Xian and Bai Niangzi once met, one can’t help but encounter history and cultural relics at every turn. In the 1930s, this very location was the site of the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway Bureau. The railway line, which spans 946 kilometers, commenced construction in 1899 and was fully operational by September 1937, just as the Anti-Japanese War was intensifying. According to historical accounts, within the four months following the full operation of the Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway until the fall of Hangzhou, it transported over 3.2 million soldiers and 28,000 warhorses, as well as millions of refugees who retreated to safer areas via the railway. The Zhejiang-Jiangxi Railway played a pivotal role in the Anti-Japanese War.
Historically, the region surrounding Beishan has been a hub for literati and scholars of high culture. It boasts an abundance of temples, ancestral halls, and tombs, each with its own collection of legendary tales that continue to captivate the imagination.There are still many cultural relics and historic sites. There are already seven announced cultural relic protection units, including the national key cultural relic protection unit Yue Fei’s Tomb (Temple), the landmark building of Hangzhou, Baoshu Pagoda, the stone Buddha statues in Dashifo Courtyard, and the industrial exhibition hall of the first West Lake Expo. There are also a large group of modern Chinese and Western-style buildings such as Qiushui Villa, Guyun Thatched Cottage, Jianpao Villa, Baoqing Villa, Jingyi Villa, Suilu and Agate Temple. The opening hours are all year round and open all day.
