Lying west of the Kunming Lake, the West Bank was built to imitate the Su Bank in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, and visitors strolling along the bank often feel as though they are beside the West Lake in Southern China. The bank has been created to adorn the lake it surrounds, making it even more lovely and enchanting. Its most distinctive features are its six bridges, which, ranging from north to south, are: Jiehu Bridge (Lake-Bound Bridge), Binfeng Bridge, Jade-Belt Bridge, Jing Bridge (Mirror Bridge), Lian Bridge (White-Silk Bridge) and Liu Bridge (Willow Bridge). Its picturesque setting, at once tranquil and elegant, made it a popular retreat for such historical figures as Emperor Qianlong (1711-1799) and Empress Dowager Cixi .

As the entry point to Kunming Lake, Jiehu Bridge forms the boundary between the Front and Back Lakes. It is a cross-shaped stone bridge with three arches. With its square kiosk, Binfeng Bridge has been built in the style of bridges in the countries of Southern China. Jade-Belt Bridge, the most renowned and beautiful of the bridges, is made of white and black marble. Its fluid contour lines are woven graciously together, hence its name - seen from afar, it resembles a jade belt. Its high arches enabled the Emperor Qianlong to pass under it in a dragon boat. Jing Bridge (Mirror Bridge) gets its name from the artistic vision of poet Li Bai (701-762) - 'two clear rivers like mirrors, two crossing bridges like double rainbows'. Lian Bridge takes its name from the line "limpid and serene, the river seems to be white silk" and the Willow Bridge from the line "beneath the sunshine, willow's feather flying beside the bridge".