West Lake: The Literary Lake

Hangzhou’s West Lake (西湖) has been an inspiration to poets, painters, and novelists for centuries. The pristine 49-square-kilometer UNESCO World Heritage Site is dotted with pagodas, temples, bridges, and islands (both natural and human-made)—and steeped in mythology, legend, and history.

West Lake’s profile first began to rise during the Sui dynasty (581 – 618), when various waterways across China were connected into what became known as the Grand Canal, with Hangzhou and West Lake as its southernmost terminus.

The real golden age of West Lake, however, began during the Southern Song dynasty (1127 – 1279), when Hangzhou, then known as Lin’an, was made the capital by Emperor Gaozong of Song. Emperor Gaozong devoted much of his time to planning the architecture and landscaping of the imperial city. The artistically talented emperor oversaw the construction of some of Hangzhou’s most magnificent palaces, which were said to have had such masterful aesthetics that they came to define Southern Song architecture.

As the capital city, Lin’an attracted talented scholars, writers, and artists, giving rise to many lake-themed shanshui (山水) landscape paintings. Painters and poets strove to capture the beauty of the lake and express the harmonies of humans and nature.

During this period, records began to refer to the Ten Scenes of West Lake (西湖十景). Rather than tourist destinations, these scenes are rooted in a 12th-century aesthetic tradition that inspired some of the best literature and art in Chinese civilization.

The first of the Ten Scenes is “Spring Dawn at Su Causeway (苏堤春晓),” a pedestrian walkway across the lake named after 11th century poet and official Su Shi (苏轼). As governor of Hangzhou, Su ordered West Lake dredged to create the causeway, employing more than 200,000 workers. In so doing, Su set Hangzhou apart from other cities across China and the world for its advanced urbanization—a balanced blend of nature and city life.

Despite the cultural vitality of Lin’an during the Southern Song, the city’s place as a great Chinese capital ended with the arrival of Kublai Khan’s army in 1276. But the dynasty left a legacy of architecture, poetry, and culture that endures to this day. It was this conquered empire that Marco Polo visited. The newly installed Yuan government attributed the fall of the Southern Song to the state of West Lake, which had fallen into disrepair.

It wasn’t until 1503 in the Ming dynasty (1368 – 1644) that an official named Yang Mengying (杨孟瑛) would save the lake. Yang carried out a large-scale dredging and renovation project for West Lake and nearby scenic sites. The famous Su Causeway was strengthened and widened, and adorned with willow and peach trees. Another causeway was built parallel to Su’s, named “Yanggong Causeway” (杨公堤) or “Lord Yang’s Causeway” after Yang Mengying. Today, you can take this 3.4-kilometer trail through the major and minor attractions by the lake.

The Ten Scenes, which had slipped out of historical memory with the fall of the Southern Song, came bubbling back to the surface four centuries later when the Kangxi Emperor of the Qing dynasty (1616 – 1911) took an interest in and rejuvenated the lake with his works of calligraphy, and marked each of the ten scenic spots with inscriptions. His grandson, the Qianlong Emperor, also wrote a poem for each of the ten sites. Visitors today can visit iconic scenes such as the “Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake” (平湖秋月) and the “Glowing Leifeng Pagoda” (雷峰夕照, beneath which the legendary White Snake is said to be trapped).

Now, prosperous and well-maintained once more, West Lake has re-emerged as one of China’s most important cultural and historic centers, and one of its most popular tourist destinations to boot.