The West Lake

West Lake (Chinese: 西湖; pinyin: Xī Hú) is a famous fresh water lake located in central Hangzhou, in Zhejiang province of eastern China. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 93 KB) auteur : joanho There are no usage restrictions for this photo. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 93 KB) auteur : joanho There are no usage restrictions for this photo. ... Pinyin (Simplified Chinese: 汉语拼音; Traditional Chinese: 漢語拼音; Pinyin: HànyÇ” PÄ«nyÄ«n), also known as scheme of the Chinese phonetic alphabet (Simplified Chinese: 汉语拼音方案; Traditional Chinese: 漢語拼音方案; Pinyin: HànyÇ” PÄ«nyÄ«n fāngàn), while pin means spell(ing) and yin means sound(s)), is a system of romanization (phonemic notation... Old houses of Hangzhou in oil painting by Chen Cheng-po. ... Zhejiang (Chinese: 浙江; Hanyu Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Che-chiang; Postal System Pinyin: Chehkiang or Chekiang) is an eastern coastal province of the Peoples Republic of China. ...

The lake is divided by three causeways called su di (苏堤) , bai di (白堤), and yanggong di (杨公堤). This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Hindenburgdamm rail causeway across the Wadden Sea to the island of Sylt in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany In modern usage, a causeway is a road or railway elevated by a bank, usually across a broad body of water or wetland. ...

The name "West Lake" (Xi Hu) is also used by a large number of lakes in China and surrounding countries (with 800 West Lakes in China according to Lonely Planet). However, the lake in Hangzhou is the most famous of these, and the terms "West Lake" and "Xi Hu" generally refers to this lake. Lonely Planet Publications (usually known as Lonely Planet or LP for short), claims to be the largest independently-owned travel guidebook publisher in the world. ...

History

One of the major attractions in West Lake: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon island

In middle of the Tang Dynasty Zhenyuan era (785-804), poet Bai Juyi came to Hangzhou as governor. Already an accomplished poet, his deeds at Hangzhou made him a great governor. He realised that the farmland nearby depended on the water of West Lake, but due to negligence of former governors, the old dyke had collapsed, the water level of West Lake dried out, and the local farmers suffered severe drought. He ordered the construction of a stronger and taller dyke, with a dam to control the flow of water, and thus solved the drought problem. The livelihood of local people of Hangzhou got better over the following years. Now that Bai Juji had more leisure time to enjoy the beauty of West Lake, he visited West Lake almost every day. He ordered the construction of a causeway connecting the Broken Bridge with the Solitary Hill, to facilitate walking on foot, instead of depending on boat. Then he planted peach trees and willows trees along the dyke, making it a beautiful landmark of West Lake. This causeway was later named Bai Di Causeway in Bai Juyi's honour. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 1571 KB) 三潭印月的岛中之岛 Shizhao2005年于杭州 File links The following pages link to this file: West Lake Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 1571 KB) 三潭印月的岛中之岛 Shizhao2005年于杭州 File links The following pages link to this file: West Lake Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. ... For the band, see Tang Dynasty (band). ... Events Widukind and many other Saxons are baptized. ... Events March 25 - The Inscription of Sukabumi from Eastern Java marks the beginning of the Javanese language. ... Poets who wrote or write much of their poetry in the Chinese language. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is Bai. ... A dike (or dyke) is an earthen wall, constructed as a defence or as a boundary. ... A drought or an extreme dry periodic climate is an extended period where water availability falls below the statistical requirements for a region. ... Scrivener Dam, in Canberra, Australia, was engineered to withstand a once-in-5000-years flood event A dam is a barrier across flowing water that obstructs, directs or retards the flow, often creating a reservoir, lake or impoundment. ...

Over two hundred years later, in the beginning of Song Dynasty's Yuanyou era (1086-1094), another great poet, Su Shi (Su Dongpo), came to Hangzhou as governor. By that time, the farmers suffered drought again, due to overgrowth of the weeds at the bottom of the lake clogging the irrigation ducts. He ordered dredging of the lake and piled up all the mud into another causeway, in the style of Bai Causeway, but much wider and nearly three times as long, he also planted willow trees along its banks. This causeway was later named after him as the Su Causeway. There are six bridges along the 2.6 km Su Causeway. "Spring Dawn on the Su Causeway" is one of the attractions at the West Lake. The Song Dynasty (Chinese: ) was a ruling dynasty in China from 960-1279. ... Events Domesday Book is completed in England Emperor Shirakawa of Japan starts his cloistered rule Imam Ali Mosque is rebuilt by the Seljuk Malik Shah I after being destroyed by fire. ... // Events May - El Cid completes his Christian reconquest of Valencia, Spain from the Muslims. ... Su Shi (蘇軾) (1037-1101) was a writer, poet, artist, calligrapher and statesman of the Song Dynasty, one of the major poets of the Song era. ... A log bridge in the French Alps near Vallorcine. ...

Ten Major Attractions

View of the West Lake from a row boat

The Ten major attractions of West Lake, each marked by a stela with the name written in the calligraphy of the Emperor Qianlong Emperor, are: Image File history File links Thewestlake. ... Image File history File links Thewestlake. ... The Qianlong Emperor (born Hongli, September 25, 1711 – February 7, 1799) was the fifth emperor of the Manchu Qing Dynasty, and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China. ...

• Spring Dawn on the Su Causeway (苏堤春晓)
• Listining Orioles Singing in the Willows (柳浪闻莺)
• View Fish in the Flower Harbour (花港观鱼)
• Lotus in the Breeze at the Winding Courtyard (曲苑风荷)
• Evening Bells at the Nanping Mountain (南屏晚钟)
• Autumn Moon over a Calm Lake (平湖秋月)
• Evening Sunshine over Leifeng Pagoda (雷峰夕照)
• Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (三潭印月)
• Melting Snow on Broken Bridge (断桥残雪)
• Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds (双峰插云) - The "Jungfrau of West Lake"

Species Nelumbo lutea (American Lotus) Nelumbo nucifera (Sacred Lotus) Nelumbo is a genus of water flowers commonly known as lotus (Hindi: कमल) and the only genus in the family Nelumbonaceae. ... A pagoda at Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia A pagoda is the general term in the English language for a tiered tower with multiple eaves common in China, Japan, Korea, and other parts of Asia. ... The Jungfrau (German: virgin) is the highest peak of a mountain massif of the same name, located in the Bernese Oberland region of the Swiss Alps, overlooking Grindelwald. ...

Other Attractions

Yue Fei Memorial Hall

Other attractions include: Yue Fei Memorial Hall File links The following pages link to this file: West Lake Yue Fei Categories: GFDL images ... Yue Fei Memorial Hall File links The following pages link to this file: West Lake Yue Fei Categories: GFDL images ...

• Yue-Wang Miao, the tomb and memorial hall to Yue Fei.
• Lingyin Si, a Buddhist monastory and surrounding hills and gardens.
• Longjing tea farms, an rea renowned for the quality of its tea leaves.
• Galloping Tiger Spring, a spring famous for its water.
• Tomb of Su Xiao Xiao, a famous courtesan.
• Tomb of Wu Song, famous for slaying a tiger; destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, and rebuilt in 2004

Statue of Yue Fei, from the Yue Fei Mausoleum in Hangzhou. ... Lingyin Si (Chinese: 靈隐寺; Pinyin: Língyǐnsì), commonly translated as Temple of the Souls Retreat is one of the largest and wealthiest Buddhist temples in China. ... Longjing is a famous variety of green tea from Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China where it is produced mostly by hand and has been renowned for its high quality. ... Su Xiaxiao in a detail from a Ming porcelain dish, ca 1630 Su Xiaoxiao (蘇小小), also known as Su Xiaojun and sometimes by the appellation Little Su, was a famous courtesan and poet from Qiantang city (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China) in the South Qi Dynasty (479-502). ... Wu Song (武松) was a hero in the Water Margin, one of the four most famous classical works of Chinese literature. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

West Lake in Culture

Classical Chinese buildings inside the West Lake

The West Lake is said to be the incarnation of Xi Shi, one of the Four Beauties of ancient China. Hence, since ancient times, the West Lake was associated with a large number of romatic poets, profound philosophers, national heros and heroins. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 330 KB) Description: China Hangzhou Westlake, buildings File links The following pages link to this file: West Lake Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 330 KB) Description: China Hangzhou Westlake, buildings File links The following pages link to this file: West Lake Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. ... Xi Shi (西施, Pinyin: Xī Shī, c. ... The Four Beauties (Chinese: 四大美人; pinyin: ) are four ancient Chinese women, renowned for their beauty. ...

• Eastern Jin Dynasty philosopher Ge Hong practiced Taoism in the Ge Mountain, and wrote his great philosophical work: Bao Pu Zhi (抱朴子).
• Tang Dynasty poet Luo Binwang reclused in Lingyin Temple
• Tang Dynasty poet-governor Bai Juyi built the first causeway, which the Bai Causeway.
• Song Dynasty poet-governor Su Dongpo, dredged the lake and built up the Su Causeway, made it into another beautiful landmark of West Lake. He also invented a special recipe for preparing pork: the Dongpo Pork. Dongpo Pork is on the menu of every restaurant in Hangzhou
• Song Dynasty national hero Yue Fei was buried near the West Lake

Lotus in the Breeze at the Winding Courtyard

• The great Ming Dynasty essayist Zhang Dai, wrote a number great essays about the West Lake in Reminiscence and Dream of Tao'an (陶庵梦忆), and a whole book: Search for West Lake in Dreams (西湖梦寻).

The West Lake has been famous for its exquisite beauty for more than one thousand years. Hangzhou will be the site for the 2006 World Leisure Expo. The Jin Dynasty (晉 pinyin: jìn, 265-420), one of the Six Dynasties, followed the Three Kingdoms and preceded the Southern and Northern Dynasties in China. ... Ge Hong(葛洪) (284-364, also known as Zhichuan) was a minor southern official during the Jin dynasty (263-420), best known for his interest in Daoism, alchemy, and techniques of longevity. ... Taoism (sometimes written as Daoism) is the English name for: (a) a philosophical school based on the texts the Dao De Jing (ascribed to Laozi) and the Zhuangzi. ... Luo Binwang (骆宾王) (around 640 - 684) of the Tang Dynasty, was a Chinese poet born at Yiwu, Wuzhou, Zhejiang, but raised in Shandong. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is Bai. ... Su Shi (蘇軾) (1037-1101) was a writer, poet, artist, calligrapher and statesman of the Song Dynasty. ... Statue of Yue Fei, from the Yue Fei Mausoleum in Hangzhou. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 1713 KB) 曲苑风荷 Shizhao2005年于杭州 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): West Lake Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 1713 KB) 曲苑风荷 Shizhao2005年于杭州 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): West Lake Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used... The Míng Dynasty (Chinese: 明朝; Pinyin: Míng Cháo) was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644. ... Zhang Dai 张岱 Zhang Dai,张岱 courtesy name 宗子 Zhongzhi, pseudonym 陶庵, Taoan Ming Dynasty writer, born in Ming dynasty Wan Li 25th year (1597 AD) in Shanying county of Zhejiang, China. ...

Other lakes

• Kunming Lake, the central lake on the grounds of the Summer Palace in Beijing, was created by extending an existing water body to imitate the West Lake in Hangzhou.

Kunming Lake (Chinese: 昆明湖; pinyin: ) is the central lake on the grounds of the Summer Palace in Beijing, China. ... The Summer Palace in Beijing. ... Beijing (Chinese: 北京; Pinyin: BÄ›ijÄ«ng; ; IPA: ), a city in northern China (formerly spelled in English as Peking or Peiking), is the capital of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC). ...

Gallery

Qin King Temple, the front entrance into one of the major attractions of the West Lake: Listining Orioles Singing in the Willows. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2816x2112, 1494 KB) 位于西湖柳浪闻莺处的钱王祠正门。 Shizhao2005年拍摄。 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): West Lake Qian Liu Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or...	Sculptures inside the West Lake Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 272 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): West Lake Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to...
Evening Sunshine over Leifeng Pagoda Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 1786 KB) 虎泡泉碑文 Shizhao2005年于杭州 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): West Lake Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 1671 KB) 曲院风荷，西湖十景之一，这张照片为玉带晴虹处。 Shizhao2005年于杭州 File links The following pages link to this file: West Lake Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 1180 KB) 远眺雷峰塔 Shizhao2005年于杭州 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): West Lake Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used...	A traditional West Lake entrance Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 284 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): West Lake Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to...

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2592x1944, 1797 KB) 三潭印月中的亭亭亭 Shizhao2005年于杭州 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): West Lake Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1024x768, 260 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): West Lake Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to...

External link

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West Lake

• Dreams at the West Lake, by Yu Qiuyu