West Lake, located at the foot of the Crouching Dragon Mountain in the northwestern suburbs of Fuzhou City, has been a scenic spot since the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It is also called the "Small West Lake" for people compared it with the West Lake in Hangzhou.
The construction originally was used for the irrigation. In the Five Dynasties (907-960), King Ming Wang shengzhi’s second son had a royal park built there and declared it “The Crystal Palace”. The small park consisted of some pavilions and halls. After the Song Dynasty, the lake experienced several silt-ups. But the dredging and restoration of it eventually shaped it into an entertainingplace for celebrities and officials. In the late Tang Dynasty, it was changed into a tourist area, thus the scenic spot of West Lake came into being and has remained a park ever since. Xin Qiji (1140-1207), a noted poet of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) described it as a beautiful girl. Three small islands in the middle of the lake (Kaihua, Xieping, and Yaojiao) the Lotus Pavilion (Heting) and Great Dream Hill (Damengshan) by the side of the lake are connected by a causeway lined with willow trees and three bridges known as Jade Belt (Yudai), Flying Rainbow (Feihong), and Walking in Clouds (Buyun). Surrounded by verdant trees and fragrant flowers are Leisure Hall (Wanzaitang) and Laurel Chamber (Guizhai).