Slender West Lake | |
---|---|
瘦西湖 (Chinese) | |
Location | Hanjiang District, Yangzhou, Jiangsu |
Coordinates | 32°24′15″N119°25′15″E / 32.404051°N 119.420786°E |
Type | lake |
Website | ly.shouxihu.net |
Slender West Lake | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Chinese | 瘦西湖 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | Skinny West Lake | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Slender West Lake Scenic Area | |||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 揚州 瘦西湖 風景區 | ||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 扬州 瘦西湖 风景区 | ||||||||
|
Historical names | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paoshan Creek | |||||||||
Chinese | 炮山河 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | Artillery Hill Creek | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Changchun Creek | |||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 長春河 | ||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 长春河 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | Eternal Spring Creek | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Baoyang Creek | |||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 保揚河 | ||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 保扬河 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | Yangzhou-Protecting Creek | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Baozhang Creek | |||||||||
Chinese | 保障河 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | Protecting Creek | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Baozhang Lake | |||||||||
Chinese | 保障湖 | ||||||||
Literal meaning | Protecting Lake | ||||||||
|
Slender West Lake,also known by its Chinese name Shouxihu and by other names,is a scenic lake in Hanjiang District in central Yangzhou,China. The lake developed from the city moats of Tang-era Yangzhou. During the Qing dynasty,its banks were the site of numerous estates for the area's wealthy officials and salt merchants. The lake and some of its attractions have been restored as a national park and AAAAA tourist attraction,requiring a ticket for admission and open only from 7 am to 6 pm. [1]
In medieval and early modern China,the present Slender West Lake was described as a stretch of river variously known as Paoshan,Changchun,Baoyang,or Baozhang Creek. The area was popularly known as the Slender West Lake by the late 17th century,when the name was recorded in the treatise Yángzhōu GǔchuīCíxù( t 《揚州 鼓吹 詞 序》, s 《扬州 鼓吹 词 序》) compiled by Wu Qi ( t 吳 綺 , s 吴 绮 ,WúQǐ;1619–1694). [lower-alpha 1] It was further popularized in the 1736 poem "On Baozhang Creek" (《咏 保障河》,Yǒng Bǎozhàng Hé) written by the Hangzhou native Wang Hang ( 汪 沆 ,Wāng Hàng,1704–1784) during a visit to Yangzhou. [2] Wang had been the student of Li E,who had just completed his own work on the West Lake Records (《西湖 志》,XīhúZhì) detailing the history of the area around Hangzhou's West Lake [3] and Wang's short ode praised the town as similarly prosperous and attractive. [lower-alpha 2]
Slender West Lake is located between Hanjiang and Guangling districts in the center of modern Yangzhou in central Jiangsu in eastern China. Originally part of the moats,canals,and streams around the older locations of Yangzhou,it lies above the northwestern corner of the city's Song,Ming,and Qing fortifications. [4] The lake proper runs from Baozhang Lake at the north to the remains of the Qing moat at the south. The Slender West Lake Scenic Area includes Baozhang Lake and some islands and additional waterways to the west.
The present lake runs for 3.4 km (2.1 mi) and covers about 30 ha (0.12 sq mi). The scenic area around it covers at least 120 ha (0.46 sq mi). [5]
The lake lies on the opposite side of the old city from the course of the Grand Canal to its east. It is nevertheless interconnected with it by streams along its entire length:by Baozhang Lake and the modern extent of the Han or Hangou Canal ( t 邗 溝 , s 邗,Hángōu) on the north;by Cao or Caohe Creek ( 漕 河 ,Cáo Hé) in the middle;and by Yudai Creek ( t 玉 帶 河 , s 玉,Yùdài Hé) or by Erdao Creek ( 二 道 河 ,Èrdào Hé),Lotus Pond Park,and Andun Creek ( 安 墩 河 ,Āndūn Hé) on the south.
Despite Yangzhou's centuries of prosperity as a major hub on the Grand Canal,the area around Slender West Lake was not particularly built up until the Qianlong Era of the Qing,the mid-1700s. The area had been greatly damaged with the rest of city by the Qing conquest and the Yangzhou Massacre in May 1645. [1] Under the Qing,however,the great wealth of the area's canal officials and salt merchants was used to construct lavish private residences and gardens [6] along with nationally renowned restaurants and teahouses [7] and decoration intended to welcome Qing emperors and officials,particularly the Qianlong Emperor. The lake was dredged and enlarged to handle the imperial entourage,particularly during his second visit in 1757. [8] Several major landmarks self-consciously emulate features of other locations. [9] The area was heavily damaged during the Taiping Rebellion in the 1850s and 1860s,but was a particular focus of rebuilding afterwards.
The lake was thoroughly dredged in 1979,allowing boats to again reach the Daming Temple [5] in time for a long-planned bit of cultural diplomacy whereby the Tōshōdai-ji in Nara,Japan,allowed its 8th century sculpture of the monk and missionary Jianzhen to be temporarily exhibited at his original temple in mainland China. The lake was designated a national park in 1988. [5]
A long bank planted with weeping willows follows the lake. At its midpoint stands a square terrace with pavilions at each of the corners and one in the center. Around the lake is a park in which are found several attractions:Xu Garden,the White Dagoba of Lianxing Temple,copied from the similar tower in Beijing's Beihai Park;Five-Pavilion Bridge;Small Gold Mountain (Xiao Jinshan);and the Fishing Platform (Diaoyu Tai),a favorite retreat of the Qianlong Emperor. The emperor was so gratified by his luck in fishing at this spot that he ordered additional stipends for the town. As it turns out,his success had been augmented by local swimmers who lurked in the lake busily attaching fish to his hook. The present Bridge of 24s (Ershisi Qiao or Niansi Qiao) is not located in its original place and probably derives from confusion with the 24 bridges recorded in Yangzhou under the Tang,the confusion arising from the general lack of distinction between singular and plural forms in Chinese. [10]
Wang Hang's poem remains a point of pride for the city and the area remains a major tourist attraction. However,Zhu Ziqing found the comparison with Hangzhou ill taken;by comparison,he found the slenderness of the lake offputting despite enjoying Yangzhou's many canals. [11] [12]
The Grand Canal is the longest canal or artificial river in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its main artery, known to the Chinese as the Jing–Hang or Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal, is reckoned to extend for 1,776 km (1,104 mi) and is divided into 6 main sections. The Jiangnan Canal runs from the Qiantang River at Hangzhou to the Yangtze River at Zhenjiang; the Inner Canal from the Yangtze at Yangzhou to the Huai River at Huai'an, which for centuries was also its junction with the former course of the Yellow River; the Middle Canal from Huai'an to the Nansi Lakes; the Lu Canal from the lakes past Jining and the present course of the Yellow River to the Wei River at Linqing; the Southern Canal from Linqing to the Hai River at Tianjin; and the Northern Canal from Tianjin to Tongzhou on the outskirts of Beijing. As such, it passes through the provinces and municipalities of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, Hebei, Tianjin, and Beijing. In 2014, the Chinese government and UNESCO recognized the Eastern Zhejiang Canal from Hangzhou to Ningbo along the former Tongji and Yongji Canals as official components of the Grand Canal.
The Summer Palace is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces in Beijing. It was an imperial garden in the Qing dynasty. Inside includes Longevity Hill Kunming Lake and Seventeen Hole Bridge. It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometres (1.1 sq mi), three-quarters of which is water.
West Lake is a freshwater lake in Hangzhou, China. It is divided into five sections by three causeways. There are numerous temples, pagodas, gardens, and natural/artificial islands within the lake. Gushan (孤山) is the largest natural island and three artificial islands: Xiaoyingzhou (小瀛洲), Huixin Pavilion (湖心亭), and Ruan Gongdun (阮公墩) stand at the middle of the lake. Leifeng Pagoda (雷峰塔) and Baochu Pagoda (保俶塔) are separated by the lake. Mirroring each other, the basic pattern of "one mountain, two towers, three islands, three banks, and five lakes" is formed.
Yangzhou, postal romanization Yangchow, is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, East China. Sitting on the north bank of the Yangtze, it borders the provincial capital Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across the river to the south. Its population was 4,559,797 at the 2020 census and its urban area is home to 2,635,435 inhabitants, including three urban districts, currently in the agglomeration.
Jiangnan is a geographic area in China referring to lands immediately to the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, including the southern part of its delta. The region encompasses the city of Shanghai, the southern part of Jiangsu Province, the southeastern part of Anhui Province, the northern part of Jiangxi Province and the northern part of Zhejiang Province. The most important cities in the area include Anqing, Changzhou, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Ningbo, Shaoxing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Wenzhou, Yangzhou and Zhenjiang.
Beihai Park is a public park and former imperial garden immediately northwest of the Forbidden City in Beijing, China.
Zhang Dai (1597–1684) was a Chinese essayist and historian. He was a gentleman essayist who was a biographer of his own privileged aristocratic family, a historian of the Ming Dynasty, and a biographer of notable virtuous figures. He wrote his own obituary which included the lines : He loved pretty maidservants, he loved handsome serving boys. .. he loved perfect food. .. he loved paintings of flowers and birds.
Kunming Lake is the central lake on the grounds of the Summer Palace in Haidian District, Beijing, China. Together with the Longevity Hill, Kunming Lake forms the key landscape features of the Summer Palace gardens.
Hongze Lake, previously known as Lake Hungtze or Hung-tse, is the fifth-largest freshwater lake in China. Although it is known to have existed from antiquity, it drastically increased in size during the Qing when the Yellow River—then still flowing south of Shandong—merged with the Huai. The increased sediment and flow combined to greatly expand the lake, swallowing the previous regional center of Sizhou and the Ming Zuling tombs. During the imperial and republican periods, the lake formed part of the border between Jiangsu and Anhui provinces but since 1955 the previous borders have been shifted to place it entirely under Jiangsu's administration. It is now encompassed by the counties of Sihong and Siyang in Suqian Prefecture and Xuyi and Hongze in Huai'an Prefecture. Since the establishment of the People's Republic of China, the lake has generally decreased in size as more of its inflow has been diverted for irrigation.
The Si River is a river in Shandong Province, China. It also ran through the area of modern Jiangsu Province until floods in 1194.
Hanjiang District is one of the three districts of Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, in eastern China. It is one of the two districts that divide the prefecture's urbanized core. It includes roughly the western half of Yangzhou's central city and adjacent suburbs. The Yangtze River and the Grand Canal of China serve as the district's principal southern and eastern borders.
Hehuachi Park is a small park in Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, China. The park's centerpiece is the Hehuachi, or Lotus Pond.
The Eastern Zhejiang or Zhedong Canal, also known as the Hangzhou–Ningbo or Hangyong Canal, is a major canal connecting Hangzhou, Shaoxing, and Ningbo in northern Zhejiang, China. It runs 239 kilometres (149 mi), connecting the Qiantang, Cao'e, and Yong watersheds with Hangzhou's terminus for the Grand Canal and Ningbo's ports on the East China Sea. Since 2013, it has been officially considered the southernmost section of the Grand Canal itself.
Qingjiangpu District is one of four urban districts in the prefecture-level city of Huai'an in China's Jiangsu Province. It was established on 8 June 2016. The district has an area of 420 km2 (160 sq mi) with a population of 735,900 (2016). Qingjiangpu includes 12 subdistricts and 7 towns or townships under its jurisdiction. Its seat is in Chengnan Subdistrict (城南街道).
Chahe Subdistrict is a subdistrict in Hanjiang District, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China. The subdistrict spans an area of 21.4 square kilometres (8.3 sq mi).
Gongdao is a town in Hanjiang District, Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China. As of 2020, it administers three residential neighborhoods, Huayuan (花园), Kuixing (魁星), and Chi'an (赤岸), as well as the following 11 villages:
Crane Mosque, also known by its Chinese name as the Xianhe Mosque and by other names, is a mosque located in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China.
Xu Garden, also known by its Chinese name as Xuyuan, Xu Yuan, or Xuyuan Garden, is a Chinese garden in Slender West Lake National Park in Hanjiang District, Yangzhou, China. It is particularly noted for its views and for the woodwork inside its pavilions.
The Five-Pavilion Bridge, also known as the Lotus Bridge and by other names, is a covered stone arch footbridge in the Slender West Lake National Park in Hanjiang District, Yangzhou, in Jiangsu, China. It is one of the Four Bridges in Misty Rain, one of the 24 Views of Yangzhou under the Qing, and has become a landmark of the city.
The Lianxing Temple, also known as the Fahai Temple and by other names, is a Buddhist temple in Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China. It is located on a small island south of the central stretch of the Slender West Lake Scenic Area near the Five-Pavilion Bridge and is primarily known for its Tibetan-style dagoba.
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link).