Menu:
West Lake China
West Lake formerly dubbed as the "Upper Lake" in the ancient times, implied that the West Lake was a lake located in heaven. Since it was situated in the west of Hangzhou afterwards people named it "West Lake". As Hangzhou City was under the control of Qiantang County, consequently West Lake is also referred to as Qiantang Lake.
More than three-quarters of the lake are bordered by hills, followed by Hangzhou City. This natural exquisite landscape spreads over a total area of 5.6 square kilometers, with a boundary that stretches to 15 kilometers. Su Causeway and Bai Causeway separated the lake into five water bodies identified respectively as Inner Lake, Outer Lake, Yue Lake, West Back Lake, and North Back Lake.
Ten scenic spots
- West Lake acquired an enduring appeal for centuries.
- Even Bai Juyi, the famous poet of Tang Dynasty, who stayed in Hangzhou for a short time, pined for West Lake from time to time after he had shifted from the city.
- The distinguished scholars in the ancient times effectively classified and portrayed the diverse scenes in West Lake, among which the most well-known to the world are the "Ten Scenic Sights".
- Those names started off from the names specified by a painter in Southern Song during the period 1127~1279A.D, on his paintings portraying the lake.
- They are: "The Su Causeway in the Spring", "Orioles Singing in the Willow", "Lingering Snows on the Broken Bridge", "Moon reflects in the Ponds", "Autumn Moon on Calm Lake Pavilion", "Lotus in the Wind of Crooking Yard", "Watching Fish at Flower Harbor", "Bell at Nanping Dusk", "Peaks in the Cloud", and "Sunset on Mt. Thunder".
The names of these ten picturesque sites in Chinese could be set in to ten words, one word for every picturesque spot, which is extremely fascinating. These words subsequently can be merged as: "Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter, Flower, Night, Cloud, Sunset, Moon, and Willow".
It signifies the West Lake landscape is forever glorious and stunning all through the year. The ten picturesque sites not only fill West Lake with an excellent subject of poetry or painting, but also charms the visitors to such an extent that they are transported to a different world altogether.
The stunning West Lake inexorably has numerous poignant legends. It is thought that long time back, Jade Dragon and Golden Phoenix in the heaven discovered a slice of superior quality white jade on a fairyland next to the Silver River. After continual endeavor for several years, they transformed it into a bright jade ball.
Anywhere the jade ball gleamed, there would be green trees and budding flowers. When this news reached the empress's ear, she ordered the sentinel to remove the jade ball. When Jade Dragon and Golden Phoenix appeared to demand the jade ball back, a violent fight ensued. Golden Phoenix gained the jade ball eventually.
Afterwards, the jade ball was released on the earth carelessly, and it turned out to be the transparent clean West Lake and Phoenix Mountain. Subsequently, Phoenix Mountain protected the West Lake next to her eternally.