Published : 25/04/2026
Huizhou was one of Su Dongpo's spiritual refuges during his years in exile. It was here that he wrote his famous line, "Only this West Lake rivals Hangzhou", and even planned to settle there for the rest of his life.
Just a short journey from Hong Kong, Huizhou is about an hour from West Kowloon Station by high-speed rail. A weekend here offers the pleasure of peeling lychees while reflecting on the thousand-year bond between Su Dongpo and the city.
Hejiang Tower
To trace Su Dongpo's footsteps in Huizhou, the most suitable starting point is "Hejiang Tower". Back then, Su Dongpo was exiled to Huizhou on charges of "slandering the former court", and the first place he stayed was Hejiang Tower.
Hejiang Tower is not only one of the six famous towers in Guangdong (on a par with Guangzhou's Zhenhai Tower and Zhaoqing's Yuejiang Tower, among others), but it was also the imperial court's window of power in Huizhou at the time.
It was situated within the Huanghua Guesthouse of the Sansi Xingya (administrative office of three provincial departments) and was dedicated to receiving high-ranking officials sent by the court to inspect the region.
As Su Dongpo arrived as a convict, he was not qualified to stay at Hejiang Tower. It was only because the prefect of Huizhou at the time, Zhan Fan, held him in high regard that an exception was made to arrange his stay.
However, this act was soon discovered by his political enemies in the court, and Su Dongpo, after staying for only 16 days, moved to Jiayou Temple in the desolate outskirts. He later returned to live at Hejiang Tower for one year.
During his stay at Hejiang Tower, Su Dongpo wrote the well-known Living at Hejiang Tower. Its famous line, "How fine the lush air over the sea, as the red tower rises where the two rivers meet," brought lasting fame to the site and inspired later scholars and poets to visit and write in tribute to him.
The original tower where Su once lived has long since vanished. But in 2006, a new Hejiang Tower was built on the east bank opposite the old site. Although it stands in a slightly different location, visitors can still look out over the dramatic meeting point of the two rivers and imagine the view that once inspired Su Dongpo.
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Huizhou West Lake
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Originally called Feng Lake, Huizhou West Lake acquired its present name after Su Dongpo famously wrote, "Only this West Lake rivals Hangzhou".
Though it covers just about 3 square kilometres, around half the size of Hangzhou's West Lake, Su's admiration gave it an enduring place in China's cultural imagination.
Exiled to Huizhou with little official authority, Su still cared deeply about local people. Moved by the sight of residents crossing the river by boat and braving a fragile bamboo bridge in the rainy season, he donated a golden rhino belt granted by the emperor to support the building of a causeway and stone bridges across West Lake. The improved crossing eased daily travel, and the grateful locals named it Su Causeway.
If Su Causeway speaks of Su Dongpo's devotion to the people, then Solitary Hill reflects his emotional depth and quiet grace. When he was banished south, only Wang Chaoyun stayed with him through hardship, but she died soon after arriving in Huizhou.
Her tomb and the Liuru Pavilion at the foot of Solitary Hill became a lasting tribute to this beloved companion, made all the more poignant by a famous couplet written by Su himself.
On the hill, the Su Dongpo Museum showcases works he wrote during his time in Huizhou, revealing how the beauty and flavours of Lingnan helped him emerge from the loneliness of exile with new-found peace.
For a night visit to West Lake, head to Sizhou Pagoda to admire the moonlit view immortalised in Su's verse and savour the lake's quiet poetry.
Su Dongpo's Former Residence at Baihe Peak
Finally, make your way up Baihe Peak to visit the Su Dongpo Memorial Temple, the site of his last home in Huizhou.
It is the only verified site in China where Su is known to have bought land and built a home for himself. By then in his sixties and resigned to never returning north, he had grown deeply attached to Huizhou’s landscape and local way of life and hoped to spend the rest of his days here.
Within the temple grounds are several places named by Su himself, including Deyoulin Hall, Siwuxie Studio and Dongpo Well, which he dug in person.
It was also here, at his new home on Baihe Peak, that he wrote in Written at Will: "Tell them the old man sleeps well in spring; the monk strikes the fifth-watch bell ever so lightly," a line that captures the ease and contentment he found in Huizhou.
To the west stands a large memorial museum devoted to Su Dongpo. More than a simple account of his life, it highlights his contributions to local life in Huizhou, his ties to the city’s food culture, and the everyday details of the home he built here, offering a vivid portrait of his most down-to-earth years.
Yet he lived in this new home for only a little over two months before being exiled again, this time to faraway Danzhou in Hainan.
Though his residence on Baihe Peak has been destroyed and rebuilt more than once over the centuries, the spirit of the place endures: Baihe Peak is still revered because it was once Su Dongpo’s home.
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