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Mountains, moonlight and magic give the lake a glow
By Nie Xin |
May 25, 2009, Monday
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GOING on to the other five scenes around West Lake, we find different moods, lotuses by the Crooked Courtyard, moonlight on the lake, orioles singing in the willows, the Broken Bridge and mountains hidden in the clouds. Nie Xin continues exploring. As well as the history and folk legends, the Ten Scenes of West Lake also leave a rich heritage of romantic memories.
Let's continue to the other five scenes around West Lake to find different moods, watching lotuses by the Crooked Courtyard, taking a night boat to enjoy moonlight on the lake, listening to the orioles singing in the willows, walking on the Broken Bridge and taking the cableway to the twin peaks of the North and South Mountains hidden in the clouds.
Lotuses in the Breeze at the Crooked Courtyard
曲苑风荷
Viewing lotuses in summer is one of the important things to do in Hangzhou. Lotuses in the Breeze at the Crooked Courtyard was placed on the list of the Ten Scenes of West Lake by Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The Crooked Courtyard was initially built as a winery for the government of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) and is located on today's Lingyin Road, near the Hongchun Bridge, along the side of the lake. More than 100 varieties of lotuses are planted in the lake here, including red lotuses, white lotuses, blue lotuses and Indian lotuses, and they all bloom in summer.
On the lake there are small delicate bridges. Stand on one of these bridges, look into the lake as it mirrors the sky, watch the lotuses, feel the breeze at the Crooked Courtyard - what sublime experiences!
Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake
平湖秋月
Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake is another scene of West Lake, on the west side of the Bai Causeway. This scene didn°??t have a fixed site in the Southern Song Dynasty. A lot of poems at the time and in the following Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties describe people sitting, chatting and drinking tea in the night boats on the lake and enjoying the amazing moonlight. It seemed that any night with moonlight on West Lake could match this scene.
To the west of the scene, the Hu Tian Yi Bi Lou (Green Lake and Sky Building) used to be the private villa of Silas Aaron Hardoon (1851-1931), the legendary rich Jewish businessman of Shanghai. Now it°??s the site of the Xiling Painting and Calligraphy Academy, adding a kind of academic atmosphere to the lake.
Melting Snow at Broken Bridge
新桥残雪
The Broken Bridge is on the east side of the Bai Causeway. It is the most famous of the bridges on West Lake.
It°??s said that the bridge was constructed early in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). The contemporary poet Zhang Hu referred to the Broken Bridge.
Today°??s Broken Bridge was rebuilt in 1921. It°??s a stone bridge 8.8 meters long and 8.6 meters wide, retaining the simple ancient style.
It seldom snows in Hangzhou now and the scene of the lake and the bridge under snow is hard to imagine.
Poet Wang Keyu in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) offered a thoughtful comment on the scenes of West Lake: °?°?West Lake is better in rain than in sun, in moon better than in rain, and even better in snow than in moon °?(tm) how many people can truly enjoy the beauty of nature.°?°?
Orioles Singing in the Willows
柳浪闻莺
Orioles singing in the Willows is a garden that used to belong to emperors and nobles in ancient times. After more than 40 years' development and reconstruction, it has now become a garden for the public. It also regularly stages flower festivals and entertainment.
The garden's delights include the green weeping willows and singing orioles.
Along the 1,000 meters of lake shore and in the paths throughout the park, there are many varieties of willow, including weeping willows, lion willows and drunk willows.
An orioles exhibition house is in the center of the garden and beside it stands a huge birdcage.
On the east of the orioles house stands the Friendship Area where imported Japanese sakura have been planted.
The old ancestral temple has been renovated as a garden house in the Jiangnan (south of the lower reaches of Yangtze River) style. The pavilion, artificial hills, bridge and stream, flowers and grass form a fantastic world in the courtyard.
Twin Peaks Piercing Clouds
双峰插云
The Tianmu Mountain chain meets West Lake to form the famous South Mountain and North Mountain scene. The peak of the South Mountain is 257 meters and the peak of the North Mountain is 314 meters.
In ancient times, both the mountains were settled by monks and they built pagodas there. In cloudy days, the tips of the pagodas could be seen faintly through the clouds.
On those special days they pierced the clouds and formed one of the most the breathtaking scenes of West Lake.
By the Southern Song Dynasty, the scene had already been listed as one of the Ten Scenes of West Lake. Emperor Kangxi named it Twin Peaks Piercing Clouds. The pagodas have vanished many years ago, but the poem "Twin Peaks Piercing Clouds" by the Southern Song poet Wang Wei exists to remind us of the beautiful view.
On the east side of the North Mountain, there is a cable car and it only takes visitors six or seven minutes to reach the peak.
Let's continue to the other five scenes around West Lake to find different moods, watching lotuses by the Crooked Courtyard, taking a night boat to enjoy moonlight on the lake, listening to the orioles singing in the willows, walking on the Broken Bridge and taking the cableway to the twin peaks of the North and South Mountains hidden in the clouds.
Lotuses in the Breeze at the Crooked Courtyard
曲苑风荷
Viewing lotuses in summer is one of the important things to do in Hangzhou. Lotuses in the Breeze at the Crooked Courtyard was placed on the list of the Ten Scenes of West Lake by Emperor Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).
The Crooked Courtyard was initially built as a winery for the government of the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279) and is located on today's Lingyin Road, near the Hongchun Bridge, along the side of the lake. More than 100 varieties of lotuses are planted in the lake here, including red lotuses, white lotuses, blue lotuses and Indian lotuses, and they all bloom in summer.
On the lake there are small delicate bridges. Stand on one of these bridges, look into the lake as it mirrors the sky, watch the lotuses, feel the breeze at the Crooked Courtyard - what sublime experiences!
Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake
平湖秋月
Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake is another scene of West Lake, on the west side of the Bai Causeway. This scene didn°??t have a fixed site in the Southern Song Dynasty. A lot of poems at the time and in the following Yuan (1271-1368) and Ming (1368-1644) dynasties describe people sitting, chatting and drinking tea in the night boats on the lake and enjoying the amazing moonlight. It seemed that any night with moonlight on West Lake could match this scene.
To the west of the scene, the Hu Tian Yi Bi Lou (Green Lake and Sky Building) used to be the private villa of Silas Aaron Hardoon (1851-1931), the legendary rich Jewish businessman of Shanghai. Now it°??s the site of the Xiling Painting and Calligraphy Academy, adding a kind of academic atmosphere to the lake.
Melting Snow at Broken Bridge
新桥残雪
The Broken Bridge is on the east side of the Bai Causeway. It is the most famous of the bridges on West Lake.
It°??s said that the bridge was constructed early in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). The contemporary poet Zhang Hu referred to the Broken Bridge.
Today°??s Broken Bridge was rebuilt in 1921. It°??s a stone bridge 8.8 meters long and 8.6 meters wide, retaining the simple ancient style.
It seldom snows in Hangzhou now and the scene of the lake and the bridge under snow is hard to imagine.
Poet Wang Keyu in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) offered a thoughtful comment on the scenes of West Lake: °?°?West Lake is better in rain than in sun, in moon better than in rain, and even better in snow than in moon °?(tm) how many people can truly enjoy the beauty of nature.°?°?
Orioles Singing in the Willows
柳浪闻莺
Orioles singing in the Willows is a garden that used to belong to emperors and nobles in ancient times. After more than 40 years' development and reconstruction, it has now become a garden for the public. It also regularly stages flower festivals and entertainment.
The garden's delights include the green weeping willows and singing orioles.
Along the 1,000 meters of lake shore and in the paths throughout the park, there are many varieties of willow, including weeping willows, lion willows and drunk willows.
An orioles exhibition house is in the center of the garden and beside it stands a huge birdcage.
On the east of the orioles house stands the Friendship Area where imported Japanese sakura have been planted.
The old ancestral temple has been renovated as a garden house in the Jiangnan (south of the lower reaches of Yangtze River) style. The pavilion, artificial hills, bridge and stream, flowers and grass form a fantastic world in the courtyard.
Twin Peaks Piercing Clouds
双峰插云
The Tianmu Mountain chain meets West Lake to form the famous South Mountain and North Mountain scene. The peak of the South Mountain is 257 meters and the peak of the North Mountain is 314 meters.
In ancient times, both the mountains were settled by monks and they built pagodas there. In cloudy days, the tips of the pagodas could be seen faintly through the clouds.
On those special days they pierced the clouds and formed one of the most the breathtaking scenes of West Lake.
By the Southern Song Dynasty, the scene had already been listed as one of the Ten Scenes of West Lake. Emperor Kangxi named it Twin Peaks Piercing Clouds. The pagodas have vanished many years ago, but the poem "Twin Peaks Piercing Clouds" by the Southern Song poet Wang Wei exists to remind us of the beautiful view.
On the east side of the North Mountain, there is a cable car and it only takes visitors six or seven minutes to reach the peak.
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