Friends World Program of Long Island University

Hangzhou City

West Lake

Many Chinese, when mentioning Hangzhou, are fond of quoting the popular proverb, "Above there is paradise; below there are Suzhou and Hangzhou." It contrast to the artificial garden landscapes of Suzhou, Hangzhou is praised for its natural landscape-its "mountains and water." West Lake is most evocative of this proverbial "paradise on earth" in Hangzhou. Named for its location just west of the former city wall, West Lake is the symbol of Hangzhou. Embraced by verdant hills on three sides, the lake shores are frocked with lotus flowers in the summer and shaded by weeping willows in the springtime. Once a small bay on the banks of the Qiantang River delta, silting eventually separated it from the sea and formed a shallow inland freshwater lake. According to legend, it was formed when celestial deities fighting over a dazzling pearl that had been created by a dragon and a phoenix in the Milky Way fell to earth and became the lake.

Click to enlarge image
Looking South over West Lake from Baoshi Mountain


During the Northern Song in the year 1020 the lake was declared an aquatic sanctuary by imperial command and fishing its waters was prohibited, for here devout Buddhists would generate merit by releasing living creatures, especially fish and turtles, into the lake. Indeed, the place has long been an important center for Buddhism in China. During the Wuyue Kingdom, in the 10th ct., there were three-hundred odd Buddhist establishments in the Hangzhou area, with over two-hundred of these surrounding the perimeter of West Lake. This number continued to grow over the next several centuries. Historical records indicate that by the end of the Northern Song, there were no fewer than 658 monasteries and temples in Hangzhou. By the Southern Song, Hangzhou became the center of political power in China and the residence of emperors, whose palaces were located just east of Phoenix Mountain, southeast of West Lake and close to the banks of the Qiantang River. Even after the imperial capital moved to Beijing, West Lake continued to be a place of respite for emperors, especially during the Qing dynasty, when the Kangxi emperor, and later his grandson Qianlong, resided here during their inspection tours of the administrative region south of the Yangzi River. This tradition of China's powerful elite resting here has continued even into the modern history of the People's Republic of China, with the likes of Chairman Mao Zedong finding solace on these waters a reputed forty-two times during his political career.

Numerous literary figures have eulogized West Lake for its inspiring and picturesque scenery over the centuries. Notable among these illustrious literati are the Tang poet and statesman, Bo Juyi (772-846), and the Northern Song calligrapher, poet, and painter, Su Shi (1036-1101). In fact Xi Zi, another name for West Lake, is taken from a poem by Su Shi that compares the lake to this courtesan from the Yue kingdom who lived during the Warring States period and is considered to be the most exquisite of the Four Famous Beauties of ancient China.

Both Bo Juyi and Su Shi were statesmen of some repute, or rather it was expected that politicians during these periods also be well versed in the scholarly arts, especially calligraphy and poetry. Bo Juyi (also pronounced Bai Juyi) served as the local prefect of Hangzhou from 822-825, during which time he ordered the reconstruction and expansion of a dike connecting the largest island in the lake to its northern bank. This served to control the flow of water and facilitate the irrigation of nearby farmland. Su Shi (who also went by the assumed name Su Dongpo, meaning "East Slope") served as a public official twice in Hangzhou, first as the assistant magistrate from 1071-1074 and again as the prefect of the capital and military governor of the province from 1089-1091. At this time, West Lake had again become overgrown with weeds, which clogged its irrigation ducts and caused the lake waters to overflow during heavy rains and to go dry during times of drought. Su Shi, like his predecessor more than two and a half centuries before, thus launched a project to dredge the lake, a massive effort allegedly involving 100,000 workers. Funds were raised for the project by selling monk ordination certificates, a precedent that later proved to be a point of controversy among those who criticized the close relationship between gentry and monks that developed during this period. The silt dredged from the lake was used to construct another, but much wider and longer, land bridge for the convenience of local residents, connecting the northern and southern banks on the western side of the lake.

Su Shi also ordered the construction of three stone pagodas in the center of the lake to mark protected areas for aquaculture, planted to avoid future clogging of the lake. These pagodas, which were rebuilt during the Ming dynasty in 1621, still stand as if floating on the lake waters. The moon reflected through the hollows of these pagodas has been memorialized in poetry for centuries and is one of the famous literary prospects on the lake. As of July 30, 2004, their image became the verso of the new Chinese one unit banknote.

Since at least the 13th ct., a tradition developed for poets and emperors alike to extol in verse the beautiful scenery of the lake according to different prospects, seasons and weather conditions. Literary convention has named these the "Ten Views of West Lake," and each evokes the imagery of a particular place at a certain time, such as the "Autumn Moon over the Placid Lake," "Lingering Snow at Broken Bridge" and "Orioles Singing in the Willows." More recently, another new set of top-ten views were added to the modern literary tourist's itinerary, such as "Inquiring about Tea at Dragon Well," "Clouds Scurrying over Jade Emperor Hill," and "Sweet Osmanthus Rain at Manjuelong Village." The beauty of West Lake has also inspired several renowned operas and plays in centuries past, most of which are romantic tragedies set among the lake environs. These include the Legend of White Snake, and the Butterfly Lovers, which was later adapted into a popular violin concerto.

West Lake continues to serve as a symbol of romance today, although in a new guise. When Mark Salzman's 1987 autobiographic tale, Iron and Silk, the story of a young American man studying martial arts in Changsha, was adapted into a film by the same title in 1991, Hollywood turned the story into a romance and changed its setting to the picturesque surroundings of Hangzhou. Most recently the lake was also the backdrop to the Chinese romantic comedy, West Lake Moment, released in March, 2005. With such literary and romantic associations it is no wonder city officials today promote Hangzhou as China's "City of Love." Every year since 2002, on the auspicious date of October 18, a mass wedding for one-hundred couples from around China takes place here. The ceremony is preceded by a motorcade trip around West Lake and is presided over by the Mayor of Hangzhou.

West Lake, with its historic monasteries and pagodas tucked away among the surrounding foothills, remains a popular domestic and international tourist destination, appealing for its present natural beauty and romantic literary past. The Bo and Su scenic causeways, named after their celebrated builders, still span the lake and are now planted with trees, ornamental shrubs and flowers. Several manicured parks landscape the lakeshores, offering ideal views of the lake's four islets. Planted with a variety of flowering trees and shrubs that bloom in different seasons, these parks seem to be festooned with flowers year-round, including ornamental peach, cherry and plum trees, acacia, magnolia, camellia, fragrant gardenia, wintersweet, and sweet-scented osmanthus, the city flower of Hangzhou since 1984.

Last updated on Jul 03, 2006

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