Straight Jiandao Lane

In Hangzhou, there's a road named "Straight Jiandao Lane" due to the construction of the seawall by King Qian Liu, hence its name. Straight Jiandao Lane is located in Shangcheng District of Hangzhou, stretching from Liubuqiao Straight Street in the south to Shangcangqiao Road in the north.

In ancient times, the people of Hangzhou suffered from the annual inundation of the Qiantang River tides. Despite King Qian Liu's efforts to organize the people each year to reinforce the seawall, the tides were relentless, often destroying what had just been repaired.

One day, King Qian Liu disguised himself in a commoner's attire and went to the marketplace. He saw an old farmer unloading saplings from his cart to sell by the roadside. Suddenly, one sapling slipped from the farmer's hands and fell to the ground. To everyone's surprise, the sapling didn't topple over but remained upright, with its soil intact. King Qian Liu approached and examined it closely. He discovered that the roots of the sapling were secured in a basket woven from bamboo strips. Impressed, he exclaimed, "This basket is well-made! Without it, the soil would scatter, and the sapling wouldn't survive." The farmer proudly replied, "Indeed, this basket, even if placed in a stream, would hold the soil firm against the water's flow." This revelation struck King Qian Liu, and he exclaimed, "What a great idea! Buy all these saplings for me; I want to ponder over this further!"

Back at the palace, King Qian Liu examined each sapling carefully, pondering and sketching his ideas. A meticulous plan was forming in his mind.

Subsequently, King Qian Liu personally went to the banks of the Qiantang River to assess the situation. He observed that the tides of the Qiantang River often oscillated between the north and south, sometimes surging with huge waves and sometimes calmly flowing towards Xiaoshan. King Qian Liu realized that there was a rhythmic pattern to the tides, and he felt that the time was ripe for building the seawall.

On the 18th day of the eighth month, King Qian Liu led ten thousand selected archers to the riverside, waiting for the opportune moment. As the tide approached, he stepped forward, drew his bowstring, and exclaimed, "Release the arrows!" Instantly, ten thousand arrows were unleashed, striking the forefront of the tide. After a deluge of arrows, the tide indeed receded, obediently flowing southwards... The people rejoiced, believing that King Qian Liu had subdued the Tide God. They hailed him as the "Sea Dragon King". Seizing the moment, King Qian Liu declared, "Now that the Tide God has retreated, tomorrow we shall mobilize two hundred thousand laborers to build the seawall!"

This time, according to King Qian Liu's design, soldiers found the sturdiest trees and bamboo, cutting them down one by one to make wooden stakes, or "Huang Zhu". The old farmer from the market was summoned, and he taught everyone how to split bamboo and weave countless baskets. These baskets were filled with soil and stones and densely packed between each wooden stake along the seawall...

Thus, a sturdy seawall was erected, staunchly repelling the fierce tides. Additionally, the stone embankment served as a reservoir, facilitating irrigation for the farmlands along the Qiantang River. Under King Qian Liu's leadership, this ancient seawall, stretching over 150 kilometers from Liuhe Pagoda to Genshan Gate, was finally completed after more than two months of labor. King Qian Liu looked at the magnificent seawall with satisfaction, announcing that the people could reclaim land near the seawall for cultivation. The people were overjoyed upon hearing this news, and their enthusiasm for reclaiming land was fully unleashed.

This pleased King Qian Liu greatly. He also placed three (some say one) iron stakes on the seawall. These were arrow-shaped, straight iron pillars, partly inserted into the seawall and partly above ground, used to measure water levels. To facilitate observation and recording of water level changes, King Qian Liu ordered the construction of pavilions, surrounding the iron stakes.

From then on, the sturdy seawall blocked the surging tides, safeguarding the property and lives of the people of Wuyue. Furthermore, the seawall laid the foundation for Hangzhou's urban layout. In subsequent dynasties, the seawall underwent various repairs of different scales, and even during Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, parts of the seawall still stood on the bank.

Over the long years, the seawall was covered by sediment, forming new land, where generations of people worked and lived. Subsequently, a street emerged around one of the iron stakes, as people commemorated Qian Liu's achievements, naming the place where the arrow-shaped iron stake stood "Straight Jiandao (Arrow Path) Lane."