北宋哲宗元祐年間，西湖因長年欠修而失去原有的供水功能，而無法供給市內運河與市民用水。西湖長期滯流而使湖面增生雜草形成「葑田」，沿湖居民則侵占葑田耕作，此現象在蘇軾上任時間無法可管，成為杭州的耕地問題之一。地理交通上，杭州有運河通過又是東南沿海重要通商港口，隨著江南商業貿易的興起，杭州也隨之成為重要據點之一。如此條件下，使得杭州人口快速成長，原有的土地已不敷使用。圍湖占田就是變通的辦法，但卻直接影響到西湖的供水功能，使西湖水利敗壞，連帶牽連錢塘江、杭州市內運河水利。故蘇軾不只針對西湖本身做整治，更把「葑田」合法化收租金，一方面解決杭州耕地不足的問題，一方面解決地方財政短缺問題，是一舉雙得的政策。本文欲用蘇軾修建西湖一事來關心杭州在商業發展起步之時所碰到的人口、土地與地方經濟問題。

The Northern Song Yuanyou years, Xihu(西湖) for many years due to repair lost the original function of the water supply, while unable to supply the city's canals and public water. The Xihu long-term stagnation leaving the lake the hyperplasia weeds form residents occupied “Feng Tian” (葑田), this phenomenon may not be able to pipe the Su Shi took office time, become one of the arable land in Hangzhou Geographic traffic, Hangzhou canal through is important treaty ports along the southeast coast, with the rise of commercial trade in Jiangnan,Hangzhou also will become one of the important stronghold. Under such conditions, Hangzhou rapid population growth, the original land has been inadequate. Way around the lake accounting field is flexible, but a direct impact on water features to Xihu, Xihu conservancy corrupt, and it gets implicated in the Qiantang River(錢塘江), Hangzhou within Canal basin.Therefore, Su Shi not only for the Xihu itself remediation, “Feng Tian” (葑田)more to the legalization of rental income, on the one hand, to solve the problem of shortage of arable land in Hangzhou, on the one hand, to solve the shortage of local financial problem, is to serve both the policy. This article describe Su Shi care regarding the construction of the Xihu in Hangzhou City,the start of the commercial development, population, land and local economic issues encountered.