Ruan Yuan, who had the excavated silt piled into a mound, which was then named "Ruan Gong Dun" (). By then, the modern configuration of West Lake was determined. In 1864, the West Lake Dredging Bureau was founded, and a Qiantang native, Ding Bin, was appointed as director.
Republican era to the end of the 20th century
From the end of the
Qing dynasty
The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...
to the
Republican era, the Shanghai–Hangzhou–Ningbo and the Zhejiang–Jiangxi railways as well as the Hangzhou–Shanghai, Hangzhou–Nanjing, and Hangzhou–Ningbo highways were built. This facilitation of transportation encouraged the development of Hangzhou's tourism industry. Besides traditional pilgrims, more and more travelers came from domestic cities like Shanghai and Nanjing as well as from Europe, the United States and Japan. "The special memorial edition of Hangzhou government 10th anniversary" says, from 1930 to 1936, the recorded tourists to Hangzhou were counted to 32,845.
Hangzhou's tourism resources became more abundant in the Republican era, as scenic spots and cultural relics were steadily added around West Lake. The government converted the imperial garden of the imperial palace remaining from the Qing dynasty into a park, on Solitary Hill. In 1927, the park was renamed "Zhongshan Park" or "Sun Yat-sen Park". On the left side of the park, the Zhejiang Martyrs' Memorial was built, honoring those deceased when the Zhejiang army captured Jinling. In addition, tombs for
Xu Xilin
Xu Xilin (December 17 1873 – July 7 1907), was a Chinese revolutionary born in Dongpu, Shanyin, Shaoxing, Zhejiang during the Qing dynasty.
Xu was sent to Japan in 1903 for study where he joined other Zhejiang students in rescuing Zhan ...
and
Qiu Jin were constructed near Xiling Bridge. In 1917, the Dabei Pavilion in
Lingyin Temple was erected, and the Yue Wang Temple and Yue Fei's tomb were renovated several times. From 1923 to 1931, the Huanglong Dong was built. From 1923 to 1924, the deserted Qian King Temple was renovated and converted to a garden. In 1933, the leaning Baochu Pagoda was revamped.
The construction of parks in Hangzhou started with Lakeside Park in the Republican era. In 1912, the military government of Zhejiang demolished the city walls from Qiantang Gate to Yongjin Gate as well as the fortress of banners, and built Hubing Rd along the lakeside. Hurdles were put up 20 meters from the lake and flowers and trees were planted. The area was called "Lakeside Park", covering around one Chinese mile and was divided into five parks, first to fifth. In the spring of 1930, the city government paved a land of around 21 ''mu'' with mud dredged out of the lake from north of Changsheng Rd to Qiantang Gate, and founded Sixth Park. From 1928 to 1933, Zhejiang's provincial government erected "Chen Yingshi Statue", "North Expedition Martyr Memorial Tower" and "Martyrs of 88 Division in Songhu Campaign Memorial Stela" at the piers of Third Park, Second Park and Fifth Park, respectively.
Due to continuous digging by stealth on its base, Leifeng Pagoda, after lasting nearly a thousand years, collapsed all of a sudden on September 25, 1924. It was shocking news in media.
Lu Xun
Zhou Shuren (25 September 1881 – 19 October 1936), better known by his pen name Lu Xun (or Lu Sun; ; Wade–Giles: Lu Hsün), was a Chinese writer, essayist, poet, and literary critic. He was a leading figure of modern Chinese literature. W ...
purposely wrote "Comment on the Collapse of Leifeng Pagoda" and "Second Comment on the Collapse of Leifeng Pagoda", making a remark on this incident. The fall of Leifeng Pagoda also put an end to one of "Ten Scenes of West Lake", "Leifeng Pagoda in the Sunset" ().
From June 6 to October 20, 1929, the government of Zhejiang hosted the first "West Lake Expo", and total participants numbered over 20 million. The location of West Lake Expo was set at areas around the lakeside, such as Broken Bridge, Solitary Hill, Yue-Wang Temple, and North Hill. The primary purpose of the expo was to promote national products and encourage enterprises. Besides over 1,000 delegate groups from nationwide, involved included delegates from America, Japan, Britain, Indonesia and other countries. It was the largest and longest pageant in Hangzhou during the Republican era.
After the establishment of the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
in 1949, Hangzhou was among the first places opened to tourism. The city government preserved the mountain area around the lake and planted a large number of trees. Meanwhile, West Lake was extensively dredged. Within West Lake scenery zone, a new botanical garden and flower garden was opened. Fish Viewing at the Flower Pond () park, and Orioles Singing in the Willows () park were constructed. Fish Viewing at the Jade Springs and Yongjin Park were rebuilt.
Lingyin Temple,
Jingci Temple
Jingci Temple () is located at the foot of Huiri Peak of Nanping Hill. It is the second prominent Buddhist temple beside West Lake in Hangzhou, China. Together with Lingyin Temple, it is called the jewel of the southern and northern hills. The t ...
, Yue-Wang Temple, Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon (), Lake-heart Pavilion and other spots were renovated. In addition, West Huanhu Rd (Xishan Rd), Longjin Rd and Jiuxi Rd were newly built. In 1959, West Lake of Hangzhou received over 1,400 foreign tourists, over 2,300 tourists from
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
and
Macao
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
and over five million domestic visitors.
During the
Cultural Revolution
The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...
Liutong Temple and another temple were destroyed.
After the Cultural Revolution, the number of tourists to West Lake increased again. In 1978, it received 53,000 tourists from overseas and Hong Kong and Macao combined, in addition to about six million domestic travelers.
In May 1983, the state council named Hangzhou "Famed Historical and Cultural City" and "National Key Scenic Tourism City". In September 1984, the executive office of state council instructed that Hangzhou evolve to the tourism center of Southeast China and a first-class international scenic tourism city. Thereafter Hangzhou government refurbished
Lingyin Temple, Tianzhu Temple,
Jingci Temple
Jingci Temple () is located at the foot of Huiri Peak of Nanping Hill. It is the second prominent Buddhist temple beside West Lake in Hangzhou, China. Together with Lingyin Temple, it is called the jewel of the southern and northern hills. The t ...
, Yue-Wang Temple, Dacheng Hall, stela pavilions of "Ten Scenes" and other relics. Resorts such as Galloping Tiger Spring were expanded. Curved Yard and Lotus Pool in Summer () park was founded. New spot "Exploring Plum Blossoms at Ling Peak" () was opened. Archaizing carnivals were held in Huanglong Dong and Ruangong Dun. There were also night gardens and music night markets for amusement.
In 1949, West Lake silted up, with average depth of merely 0.55 meters and capacity only 4 million cubic meters. Marshy weeds blanketed the lake bed so that large boat could only make their ways through specific channels. In 1950, the government listed West Lake dredging as a national investment project. Hangzhou launched the West Lake Dredging Project in 1951 to excavate the silt thoroughly. By 1954, all the work had been mechanized. The project concluded in 1959. As a result, the achieved average depth was 1.808 meters with nadir of 2.6 meters. The capacity elevated to 10,271,900 cubic meters. The silt was used to fill 18 ponds or lacunae in surrounding areas including Zhaoqing Temple and Qingbo Park. However, because of the erosion and sediment on lake bed afterward, the depth of the water lessened to 1.47 meters. The government thus invested two million yuan in 1976 to dredge the lake again. By 1980, the depth increased to 1.5 meters. Besides dredging work, the city government substantially fortified the lake shore, resulting in a bank of total length of 29,800 meters. That was the largest bank enhancement project in the history of West Lake. Along with the project, more than 10 piers for mooring the boats were renovated or newly built in Lakeside Park, Zhongshan Park, Yue Fei's tomb and both sides of Su Causeway.
The West Lake Diversion Project was inaugurated on 1 February 1985. The project built a pump at Zhakou section of
Qiantang River
The Qiantang River, formerly known as the Hangchow River and alternatively romanised as the Tsientang River, is a river in East China. An important commercial artery, it runs for through Zhejiang, passing through the provincial capital Hangz ...
, and drew 300,000 cubic meters of water daily, equivalent to one thirty-third of total capacity of the lake. As a consequence, the lake's water body transparency was increased by 5 to 7 cm. Other the other hand, The lake-wide sewage interception project was launched in 1978, and was finished in 1981. It was divided into three branches, southern, western and northern, buried sewage tunnels of over 17 kilometers, and was equipped with 10 pumping stations.
In 1984, five organizations including Hangzhou Daily newspaper sponsored voting for the "New Ten Scenes in West Lake". The elected new scenes are Cloud-Sustained Path in a Bamboo Grove (), Misty Trees by Nine Streams (), Dreams at Galloping Tiger Spring (), Yellow Dragon Cave Dressed in Green (), Sweet Osmanthus Rain at Manjuelong Village (), Clouds Scurrying over Jade Emperor Hill (), Inquiring about Tea at Dragon Well (), Precious Stone Hill Floating in Rosy Clouds (), Heavenly Wind over Wushan Hill (), and Ruan's Mound Encircled by Greenness (). While embracing both exquisite natural beauty and abundant cultural deposits, West Lake of Hangzhou was among the first "National Key Scenic Tourist Resorts" in 1982, and elected one of "Ten Chinese Scenic Sites" in 1985.
After 71 years, the West Lake Expo was launched in Xi Hu in 2000. The new exhibition was held from October 20 to November 10, attracting 1,400,000 tourists domestic and overseas. The tourism industry brought in 1.12 billion RMB. The Expo greatly enhanced the reputation of West Lake domestically and internationally. Thereafter the West Lake Expo was made a conventional annual celebration.
Images of the West Lake have appeared various times on Chinese currency. The picture of "Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon" was printed on the backs of both the foreign exchange certificate one yuan bill issued by the government in 1979 and the fifth version of RMB one yuan bill issued in 2004.
Literary works
Over the centuries, the beauty and culture of West Lake has attracted numerous literati, who left behind works of literature and poetry to describe the lake. For example, ''Dream in West Lake'' and ''The Enchiridion of Lake and Mountain'' recorded a lot about West Lake and ancient Hangzhou historic anecdotes. Poets such as
Bai Juyi
Bai Juyi (also Bo Juyi or Po Chü-i; ; 772–846), courtesy name Letian (樂天), was a renowned Chinese poet and Tang dynasty government official. Many of his poems concern his career or observations made about everyday life, including as g ...
,
Su Shi,
Xu Zhimo and
Hu Shih
Hu Shih (; 17 December 1891 – 24 February 1962), also known as Hu Suh in early references, was a Chinese diplomat, essayist, literary scholar, philosopher, and politician. Hu is widely recognized today as a key contributor to Chinese libera ...
also wrote countless poems about West Lake. The Chinese legend ''
Legend of the White Snake
The Legend of the White Snake is a Chinese legend. It has since been presented in a number of major Chinese operas, films, and television series.
The earliest attempt to fictionalize the story in printed form appears to be ''The White Maiden L ...
'' is also set in West Lake in Hangzhou and has been adapted into films and television series over the years.
West Lake Southern Side Renovation Project
Entering the 21st century, West Lake witnessed several environmental renovation projects. First of them was "West Lake Southern Side Renovation Project". From February to October 2002, Hangzhou government incorporated four large parks on the southern side of the lake, and these four parks have been free to public 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On October 25, 2002, on the old site of the Leifeng Pagoda which collapsed 78 years ago, a new pagoda with height of 71.7 meters was erected.
Geography
About the formation of West Lake, there are few records in ancient documents. The "West Lake Sight-Seeing Record" () says, "West Lake is surrounded by mountains on three sides. Streams wander down the hills into the pond. There're hundreds of springs underneath. Accumulated water forms the lake." () Modern scholars studied topography, geology, sediment and hydrodynamics, and generally held that West Lake was a lagoon formed gradually from a gulf. In 1920, scientist
Zhu Kezhen
Coching Chu (; March 7, 1890 – February 7, 1974) was a Chinese geologist and meteorologist.
Born in Shangyu, Zhejiang, Chu went to United States for his college education in 1910. He graduated from the College of Agriculture, University of ...
published "The Cause of Formation of West Lake in Hangzhou" () after examining the topography around the lake. He claimed, "West Lake originally was a little bay on left side of Qiantang River. Later the earth in the river sedimented and slowly corked the mouth of the bay, hence a lagoon formed." Zhu postulated, based on the calculation of the rate of sedimentation, that West Lake was formed about 12,000 years ago, when the lake would have been significantly larger than now; and, that the lake's water area had gradually shrunk, due to its being filled by sediments carried down from the creeks in the hills which surround it on three sides. West Lake would no longer exist today without all the dredging work done in the historical period. In 1924, geologist Zhang Hongzhao () published "One Explanation of the Formation of West Lake". While supporting Zhu's arguments, he supplemented that the formation of West Lake started with tidal force building the lake bank. Later, the alterations of the beach helped to maintain the water level. These were two prerequisites to the formation of the lake.
Hydrological characteristics
The outline of the lake body of the West Lake is almost oval, the bottom of the lake is relatively flat. The catchment area of the west lake is 21.22 square kilometers, with annual runoff of 14 million cubic meters and storage of nearly 14 million cubic meters. The west lake draws water from the Qiantang River, about 120 million cubic meters per year. The natural surface water sources of the lake are Jinsha stream(金沙涧), long hong stream(龙泓涧), Qishan stream (huiyin stream)(赤山涧(慧因涧)) and changqiao stream(长桥溪).
The storage capacity is about 14.294 million cubic meters. The average depth of the lake is 2.27 meters, with the deepest being about 5 meters and the shallowest being less than 1 meter. The average annual precipitation on the lake is 5.629 million cubic meters. The scour coefficient of the water system is 1.49. When the gate of the reservoir is closed in a dry season, the flow rate is equal to 0. Even in the flood period, the general flow rate is only below 0.05 m/s.
The water level of the lake is maintained at the yellow sea level of 7.15 meters, ±0.05 meters. The highest water level of 7.70 meters and the lowest water level of 6.92 meters, with a difference of 50 centimeters.
Ecology
Flora
Around the west lake, there are 184 families 739 genera 1369 species of seed plants, including 28 species of gymnosperms in 19 genera and 7 families, 1273 species of angiosperms in 675 genera and 150 families, 68 species of ferns in 45 genera and 27 families. Currently, there are 21 species of rare plants are listed in the first-grade state protection, including Zhejiang nan, wild soybean and short spike bamboo, and 63 species are listed the second-grade state protection.
Peach Blossom: On the lake banks and Su and Bai Causeways a large number of willows and peach trees are planted. It is said one willow is accompanied by one peach tree. Other horticultural plants include magnolia, cherry,
Confederate rose
''Hibiscus mutabilis'', also known as the Confederate rose, Dixie rosemallow, cotton rose or cotton rosemallow, is a plant long cultivated for its showy flowers. Originally native to southern China and Taiwan, it is now found on all continents e ...
, etc. The blooming season of peach tree in Hangzhou usually ranges from end of February to middle of April.
Lotus: Some sites in Hangzhou were named after lotus, such as lotus pond () and lotus lane (). There is traditional food called "lotus cake". The fossil of lotus seeds was unearthed at
Kuahuqiao
The Kuahuqiao site () is an early Neolithic site of Kuahuqiao culture (跨湖桥文化 Kuahuqiao Wenhua) near Xianghu village, Xiaoshan District, in suburban Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. It was first discovered in the early 1970s during the construc ...
site in Xiaoshan, which indicates at least before the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...
there was cultivated lotus. Yang Wanli of the
Song dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
wrote poem, "Lotus leaves grow to the sky with endless green, lotus blossoms bathed in the sunlight appear especially red. (), which brought high reputation to the lotus in West Lake. Nowadays, there are 14 lotus cultivation areas in the lake, totally 130 Chinese acres. Most are in "North Inside Lake" and "Yue Lake". According to statistics, West Lake lotus starts to bloom in early June, and reaches peak blossom time in late June. It can last till late August or early September.
''Osmanthus'': As the city flower,
osmanthus
''Osmanthus'' ''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607 is a genus of about 30 species of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae. Most of the species are native to eastern Asia (China, Japan, Korea, Indochina, the Himalayas, etc.),and was ...
is one of representative plants of Hangzhou. Poet
Bai Juyi
Bai Juyi (also Bo Juyi or Po Chü-i; ; 772–846), courtesy name Letian (樂天), was a renowned Chinese poet and Tang dynasty government official. Many of his poems concern his career or observations made about everyday life, including as g ...
wrote "search osmanthus around the temple on hill in the middle of Autumn", indicating osmanthus had been cultivated as early as in the Tang dynasty. ''Osmanthus'' trees have been massively planted in parks around the lake, and the best-known locations to appreciate are "Sweet Osmanthus Rain at Manjuelong Village", one of "New Ten Scenes of West Lake", and
Hangzhou Botanical Garden
Hangzhou Botanical Garden () is a large public botanical garden located in Hangzhou City, Zhejiang Province, People's Republic of China.
Introduction
The garden was founded in 1956. It is located in Taoyuanling, Xihu District, Hangzhou. It has a ...
. ''Osmanthus'' can be divided into four major species, Thunbergii group (), Latifolius Group (), Aurantiacus Group () and Fragrans Division (). Among them, the Thunbergii and Latifolius are the best. Every year around mid-autumn, the sweet-scented osmanthus blossoming is a highlight of tourism in Hangzhou. In addition to its elegant looks, osmanthus is also edible. Thunbergii and Latifolius boast intensive sweet scent, and are natural ingredients for seasoning. Pickled osmanthus blossoms mixed with white sugar became a traditional food of Hangzhou, "Sweet Osmanthus" (). West Lake ''Osmanthus'' blooming period commences from early September, lasting till early November.
Plum blossom: Lin Bu (), a famous recluse in the Song dynasty, lived on Solitary Hill. His poem ''Little Plum Blossom of Hill Garden'' () became the best known poem praising the flower and enriched the cultural contributions of the plum blossoms of West Lake. The opening line of the poem says, "When everything has faded they alone shine forth, encroaching on the charms of smaller gardens" (). Ling Peak, Solitary Hill and West Creek have long been the three finest spots of plum blossom cherishing in Hangzhou. The flowering season is typically around the
Spring Festival, from late January to middle February.
Tulip: The "Prince Bay Park" () of Hangzhou imported almost all species of tulips from Netherlands in 1992, and held annual tulips exhibition ever since. It has become a new scenic spot on the lake bank. The normal tulips blossom season spans from middle of March to end of April.
Fauna
Mallards,
halcyons and
koi carp
or more specifically , are colored varieties of the Amur carp (''Cyprinus rubrofuscus'') that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens.
Koi is an informal name for the colored variants of ''C. rubrofuscus'' kept ...
are among the most frequently spotted animals in the lake. Squirrels loiter among the trees on the bank.
Influences
West Lake is said to be the incarnation of
Xi Shi
Xi Shi (Hsi Shih; , ) was, according to legends, one of the renowned Four Beauties of ancient China. She was said to have lived during the end of the Spring and Autumn period in Zhuji, the capital of the ancient State of Yue.
In traditional st ...
, one of the
Four Beauties of ancient China. Since ancient times, West Lake was associated with a large number of romantic poets, profound philosophers, national heroes and heroines. West Lake was also the retreat for many Chinese writers of the past. The Northern Song Dynasty poet
Lin Bu
Lin Bu (; 967–1028) was a Chinese poet during the Northern Song dynasty. His courtesy name was Junfu (君復). One of the most famous verse masters of his time, Lin lived as a recluse by the West Lake in Hangzhou for much of his later life. Hi ...
, shunning the life of being an official, lived in seclusion by West Lake for twenty years, and dedicated himself to the cultivation of peach and plum blossoms. The great
Ming dynasty
The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...
essayist
Zhang Dai, wrote a number of essays about West Lake in ''Reminiscence and Dream of Tao'an'' (), and a whole book: ''Search for West Lake in Dreams'' (). West Lake has had a profound impact on Far Eastern landscape designs,
[ and its features have often been imitated by other palaces and gardens, such as ]Kunming Lake
Kunming Lake (Chinese: , p ''Kūnmíng Hú'') is the central lake on the grounds of the Summer Palace in Beijing, China. Together with the Longevity Hill, Kunming Lake forms the key landscape features of the Summer Palace gardens.
Wit ...
at the Summer Palace in Beijing
}
Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...
, the central ponds of the Kyu Shiba Rikyu Garden and Koishikawa Kōrakuen Garden in Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...
, Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
, among others.
Due to its prominent historical and cultural status, West Lake was selected as a National Key Scenic Resort in 1982, one of Ten Scenic Resorts in 1985 and a national 5A tourist resort in 2006.
Along with its cultural importance, West Lake historically was also of value for local commercial fishermen. According to statistics from 1977, the lake had an annual fish yield of 1300 kg/hectare, quite a bit more than for some larger lakes (that is, East Lake of Wuhan had a yield of only 450 kg/ha).
Attractions
Other attractions include:
* Yue Fei Temple, the tomb and memorial hall to Yue Fei.
* Lingyin Temple, a Buddhist monastery and surrounding hills.
* Long Jing tea farms (), an area renowned for the quality of Tea.
* Jingci Temple
Jingci Temple () is located at the foot of Huiri Peak of Nanping Hill. It is the second prominent Buddhist temple beside West Lake in Hangzhou, China. Together with Lingyin Temple, it is called the jewel of the southern and northern hills. The t ...
* Galloping Tiger Spring (), a spring famous for its mineral water
* Tomb of Su Xiao Xiao
Su Xiaoxiao () (c.479 – c.501), sometimes by the appellation "Little Su", was a famous Chinese courtesan and poet from Qiantang City (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province) in the Southern Qi Dynasty. She had a sister named Su Pannu.
Life and care ...
()
* The West Lake Museum
The West Lake Museum () is a museum in Hangzhou, China concerning aspects of the West Lake
West Lake (; ) is a freshwater lake in Hangzhou, China. It is divided into five sections by three causeways. There are numerous temples, pagodas, g ...
(located on the lake shore) is dedicated to the cultural heritage of the West Lake.
* Former Residence of Chiang Ching-kuo
Ten Scenes of West Lake
Traditionally, there are ten best-known scenic spots on the West Lake, each remembered by a four-character epithet
An epithet (, ), also byname, is a descriptive term (word or phrase) known for accompanying or occurring in place of a name and having entered common usage. It has various shades of meaning when applied to seemingly real or fictitious people, di ...
. Collectively, they are known as the "Ten Scenes of West Lake" (10 Scenic Spots in West Lake ). Each is marked by a stele
A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ''stelæ''), whe ...
with an epithet written in the calligraphy of the Qianlong Emperor
The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...
. They are:
* Dawn on the Su Causeway
A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet Tra ...
in Spring ()
* Curved Yard and Lotus Pool in Summer ()
* Moon over the Peaceful Lake in Autumn ()
* Remnant Snow on the Bridge in Winter ()
* Leifeng Pagoda
Leifeng Pagoda is a five story tall tower with eight sides, located on Sunset Hill south of the West Lake in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. Originally constructed in the year AD 975, it collapsed in 1924 but was rebuilt in 2002. Since then, it ha ...
in the Sunset ()
* Two Peaks Piercing the Clouds ()
* Orioles Singing in the Willows ()
* Fish Viewing at the Flower Pond ()
* Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon ()
* Evening Bell Ringing at the Nanping Hill ()
* Spring Dawn at Su Causeway (苏堤春晓)
Gallery
Image:HuPaoQuan.JPG, Galloping Tiger Spring
Image:China Hangzhou Westlake-3.jpg, A traditional Xī Hú entrance
File:Fenyang Villa 08 2014-11.JPG, The Guozhuang Garden, one of many historic gardens in the West Lake
Image:Lotus in the Breeze at the Winding Courtyard.JPG, Lotus in the Breeze at the Winding Courtyard
File:Su Causeway 1 (2548).jpg, View of the Su Causeway
File:Statue of Qian Liu in Hangzhou.jpg, Statue of Qian Liu, the founder and first king of the Kingdom of Wuyue
Wuyue (; ), 907–978, was an independent coastal kingdom founded during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (907–960) of Chinese history. It was ruled by the Haiyan Qian clan (海盐钱氏), whose family name remains widespread in t ...
, near the West Lake
File:YF statue.jpg, Statue of Yue Fei
Yue Fei ( zh, t=岳飛; March 24, 1103 – January 28, 1142), courtesy name Pengju (), was a Chinese military general who lived during the Song dynasty, Southern Song dynasty and a national hero of China, known for leading Southern Song force ...
, a patriotic military general from the Southern Song dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
, near the West Lake
File:Lotus at West Lake 2.jpg, Lotus at the West Lake during summer
Notes and references
See also
* Slender West Lake
Slender West Lake () is a scenic lake and AAAAA Tourist Attraction and national park in Yangzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China. Specifically, it is located in Hanjiang District of Yangzhou, just northwest of the city's historic center.
The l ...
* West Lake (Huizhou)
West Lake () is a man-made recreational lake in Huicheng District of Huizhou, Guangdong, China. West Lake has a combined area of , of which is covered by water. It has been designated as a National AAAAA-level Scenic Spot.
History
During the Ea ...
External links
Hangzhou Government website
TRAVELZHEJIANG
Official Travel Guide of West Lake
– Hangzhou Tourism Commission
Hangzhou West Lake: Too many places, too little time
{{Authority control
Geography of Hangzhou
Lakes of China
Lakes of Zhejiang
Parks in Zhejiang
World Heritage Sites in China
Tourist attractions in Hangzhou
AAAAA-rated tourist attractions