Jade Emperor (Yuhuang) Hill stands between the West Lake and Qiantang River with an elevation of 239 meters. In Tang Dynasty, it was called as 'Jade Pillar Hill' and changed to 'Yuewang Hill' in Five Dynasties. The present name was given in Ming Dynasty when a Taoist temple called Lucky Star was built on the hill and a shrine of Jade Emperor put in it. It was known as one of the three Taoist temples at West Lake in the late Qing Dynasty.

Standing on the top of the hill, you can enjoy a very nice view of West Lake and Qiantang River. Climbing up the pavilion, you will see the clouds scurrying past your feet. Hence the name 'Clouds Scurrying over Jade Emperor Hill' came from. 


The top of the hill can be reached by a more-than-4-kilometers long road, or by a 2600-steps footpath. Looking down from the hilltop, you can see the Eight Trigrams Field, which was reportedly a farmland reserved exclusively for Southern-Song emperors. During the spring farming season, the Son of Heaven would arrive and dabble in ploughing and weeding the land to show his solitude for farming. The plot was divided into eight parts in the fashion of the Eight Trigrams, and each part was sown to a different crop. 

The place is one of the 'Ten New Sights of the West Lake'.