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Ten Scenes of West Lake

The Ten Scenes of West Lake (Chinese: 西湖十景; pinyin: Xīhú Shí Jǐng),[1] also known as Ten Vistas of West Lake,[1] Ten Views of West Lake[2] or Ten Poetically Named Scenic Places of West Lake Landscape,[3] is a collection of ten iconic views around the West Lake in Hangzhou, China.[4] Each of these scenic spots is traditionally named and described with a four-character Chinese phrase.[1] Historically, the selection of the ten vistas evolved over time, eventually being standardised in 1699, when the Kangxi Emperor personally inscribed the names of the vistas, after which local authorities engraved stelae and built pavilions to house each inscribed stone.[1] The poetically named scenic places symbolise the ethos of "harmony of humankind and nature" in traditional Chinese landscape design.[3]

One of ten pavilions sheltering the imperial steles, established in 1699

History

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Early history

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Ten Scenes Around the West Lake by Ye Xiaoyan in the 13th century

Before the concept of "Ten Scenes of West Lake", Song Di, who achieved first place in the imperial examination during 1023–1032, named the Eight Views of Xiaoxiang, using four-character phrases. This earlier work may have inspired the idea of the Ten Scenes of the West Lake.[2]: 153 The earliest known literary reference to the Ten Scenes of West Lake was made by Zhu Mu in his Topographical Guide to Touring Sites of Scenic Beauty.[note 1][1][2]: 154  Zhu wrote,[2]: 154 

People who were fond of things used to name [the scenery] using ten titles: Autumn Moon above the Placid Lake, Spring Dawn at Su Dike, Remnant Snow on Broken Bridge, Sunset on Leifeng Pagoda, Evening Bell from Nanping Hill, Lotus Breeze at Qu Winery, Watching Fish at Flower Cove, Listening to the Orioles by the Willow Ripples, Three Stupas and the Reflecting Moon, and Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds.

As the nomenclature was typical to Chinese painters, Zhai Hao (1765)[note 2] suggests that artistic depictions of the Ten Scenes may have existed before Zhu Mu's mention.[1] In a 1268 map, the names of the Ten Scenes appeared, along with 400 other famous sites.[2]: 160–161  Ye Xiaoyan, a Hangzhou-born painter active in the early 13th century, painted the Ten Scenes Around the West Lake.[note 3][5] As Wu Zimu (1274) wrote,[note 4][2]: 162 

In recent times the ten most spectacular scenes of the four seasons around West Lake and its mountains have been illustrated by painters.

Based on paintings and poems in the age of Zhu Mu, the notion of Ten Scences could have been invented in the 1250s or 1260s.[2]: 154  It was during the time, the dynastic capital of Song moved to Hangzhou, as a result of the Jurchen conquest of northern China.[2]: 155  Despite the fall of the Chinese empire due to threats from alien invaders, local people shifted their interest from the central government and its needs to their own communities which they were proud about, which led to growing interest in the tourism to the West Lake.[2]: 156  By the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), the West Lake had been regarded the best retreat from bureaucratic duties and family pressures. Zhang Dai, a famous essayist during the Ming-Qing transition (1618–1683), wrote ten poems about the Ten Scenes of West Lake, but he did not further mention the scenes, nor detailedly describe the lake.[1]

Qing dynasty

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Ten Scenes from the West Lake, painted by Dong Bangda in 1750

During the Manchu-led Qing dynasty, emperors frequently visited the southern China, showcasing their possession over China, during which the Kangxi emperor highlighted the somewhat-neglected traditional notion of the Ten Scenes of West Lake. In 1699, Kangxi inscribed the Ten Scenes, which were engraved on stone with pavilions sheltering it by the local government. The names of the Ten Scenes was thus standardised.[1] The Qianlong emperor further added his poems to the back of each stone, popularising the notion. Qianlong visited Hangzhou for six times. Each time he visited, he wrote new poems for the Ten Scenes of West Lake. Craftsmen had to smooth out the previous verses to accommodate all the poems on the stele again.[6]

In his version, Kangxi renamed the view at Quyuan from "Breeze of Lotus" to "Breeze-ruffled Lotus" to highlight the lotus. It was widely believed that the emperor mistakenly wrote the name of Quyuan, which originally refers to the former royal brewery (麯院), as the winding courtyard (曲院). The two phrases had the same pronunciation but distinct meanings. As a result, the Qianlong emperor wrote a poem on the back of Kangxi's inscription, claiming that there was no mistake as Kangxi, his grandfather, hoped to abstain from drinking like a saint.[7] Therefore, Quyuan is often translated as the Crooked Courtyard,[8] the Winding Garden,[9] or the Brewing Courtyard.[10]

Modern era

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Leifeng Pagoda in 1910

In 1924, the collapse of Leifeng Pagoda drew significant attention across China, with growing appeal for rebuilding the tower, so as to restore the Ten Scenes of West Lake. Lu Xun, one of the most influential Chinese writers, wrote sarcastically,[2]: 151 

Many of us in China … have a sort of “ten views syndrome” or at least an “eight views syndrome,” which reached epidemic proportions in the Qing dynasty, I should say. Look through any county annals, and you will find the district has ten sights, if not eight, such as “Moonlight on a Distant Village,” “Quiet Monastery and Clear Bell,” “Ancient Pool and Crystal Water.”

During the Cultural Revolution (1966–1976), nine of the ten imperial inscriptions of the Ten Scenes were smashed by Red Guards. Only the inscriptions for "Spring Dawn at Su Causeway" and "Breeze-ruffled Lotus at Quyuan Garden" were preserved. The former was smashed into three pieces by the Red Guards and sunk into the lake, while the latter was completely submerged by officials in charge. After the Cultural Revolution, these inscriptions were recovered. The other eight were restored based on stone rubbing of the original inscriptions.[6]

in 1984–85, a new set of Ten Scenes was selected, as sponsored by Hangzhou Daily, the West Lake Parks and Gardens Bureau, and a number of local companies, which was announced in 1986. After popular nomination and expert consultation since 2002, a new list of Ten Scenes were announced in 2007. These two versions, however, were not as popular as the traditional version.[11]

Traditional version

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Names Meaning Image
苏堤春晓

Spring Dawn at Su Causeway[12]

Views of the lake from the centre of the Su Causeway[9]  
曲院風荷

Breeze-ruffled Lotus at Quyuan Garden[12]

Views of gardens with lotus at north end of the Su Causeway during the summer[9]  
平湖秋月

Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake[13][12]

Views from the northeast of the main lake toward the three islands, with hills to the west, south, and east sides of West Lake[9]  
斷橋殘雪

Lingering Snow on Broken Bridge[14][12]

View toward the Broken Bridge at the eastern end of Bai Causeway, extending westward beyond.[9]  
雷峰夕照

Leifeng Pagoda in Evening Glow[12]

Leifeng Pagoda, or the Leifeng Hill where the pagoda stands,[15] in the sunset  
三潭印月

Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon[12]

Three stone pagodas near the artificial island of Little Yingzhou, with lanterns that reflect on the lake's surface alongside the moonlight  
柳浪聞鶯

Listening to Orioles at Willow Waves[16]

Originally a royal garden of the Song dynasty, a park filled with willows swaying in the wind and bird songs  
雙峰插雲

Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds[17][12]

On rainy or misty days, parts of the South and North Peaks seem to emerge and disappear within the clouds, with their tops still visible above the mist  
花港觀魚

Viewing Fish at Flower Pond[18]

Views of ponds with goldfish in a floral garden between the Small South Lake and Inner West Lake in the west.[9]  
南屏晚鐘

Evening Bell Ringing at the Nanping Hill[12]

The sound of bells at the Jingci Temple at the Nanping Hill.  

Other versions

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1986 version

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Chinese Name[19] English translation Image
云栖竹径 Bamboo-Lined Path at Yunqi  
满陇桂雨 Sweet Osmanthus Rain at Manjuelong Village
虎跑梦泉 Dreaming of Tiger Spring at Hupao Valley  
龙井问茶 Inquiring about Tea at Dragon Well  
九溪烟树 Nine Creeks Meandering Through a Misty Forest  
吴山天风 Heavenly Wind over Wu Hill  
阮墩环碧 Ruan Gong Islet Submerged in Greenery
黄龙吐翠 Yellow Dragon Cave Dressed in Green  
玉皇飞云 Clouds Scurrying over Jade Emperor Hill  
宝石流霞 Precious Stone Hill Floating in Rosy Clouds  

2007 version

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Chinese Name English translation[20] Image
灵隐禅踪 Zen Retreat at Lingyin Temple  
六和听涛 Listening to the Tidal Roar at Six Harmonies  
岳墓栖霞 General Yue’s Tomb at Cloud-Lingering Hill  
湖滨晴雨 Sunny and Rainy Views from the Lakeside  
钱祠表忠 King Qians’ Temple of Loyalty  
万松书缘 A Love Legend at Wansong Academy  
杨堤景行 Historical Reflections on Governor Yang Causeway  
三台云水 Crisscross Lakes against Cloudy Santai Hill
梅坞春早 Early Spring at Meijiawu Tea Village  
北街梦寻 Seeking the Dreams at Historic Beishan Street  
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Japanese calligraphy of the Ten Scenes of West Lake in 1720

Paintings

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Calligraphy

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Poems and music

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  • Zhang, Dai. "The Ten Scenes of West Lake". Translated by Duncan Campbell.
  • Autumn Moon Over the Calm Lake, Chinese folk song composed by Cantonese musician Lü Wencheng in the 1930s

See also

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References

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Notes

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  1. ^ simplified Chinese: 祝穆《方舆胜览》; traditional Chinese: 祝穆《方輿勝覽》
  2. ^ Chinese: 翟灝《湖山便览》
  3. ^ simplified Chinese: 叶肖岩《西湖十景图》; traditional Chinese: 葉肖巖《西湖十景圖》
  4. ^ simplified Chinese: 吴自牧《梦粱录》; traditional Chinese: 吳自牧《夢粱錄》

Citations

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Campbell, Duncan (2011). "The Ten Scenes of West Lake". China Heritage Quarterly (28). ISSN 1833-8461. Archived from the original on 2024-04-25. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Duan, Xiaolin (2017-07-20). "The Ten Views of West Lake". In Ebrey, Patricia Buckley; Huang, Susan Shih-shan (eds.). Visual and Material Cultures in Middle Period China. BRILL. doi:10.1163/9789004349377_006. ISBN 978-90-04-34898-1. Archived from the original on 2023-07-05. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  3. ^ a b State Administration of Cultural Heritage of People's Republic of China (2011). West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou (PDF) (Report). Paris, France: UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2024-06-19. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  4. ^ "Ten Scenes of West Lake". China Daily. 2009-08-07.
  5. ^ a b "Silent Poetry: Delicate Painting from the Southern Song Dynasty". National Palace Museum. 2021-12-31. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  6. ^ a b c 春游科普：西湖十景御碑的故事 [About spring outing: the story of imperial steles of the Ten Scenes of West Lake]. Zhejiang Provincial Museum. 2018-05-11.
  7. ^ Cao, Xianzhuo. "皇帝寫別字和宰相讀別字" (PDF). Learning and Teaching Resources of Chinese Language Education Key Learning Area. Hong Kong: Education Bureau.
  8. ^ ""Lotus in the breeze at crooked courtyard" inkstick, Qing dynasty, Qianlong reign (1736-1795)". The National Palace Museum Open Data Platform. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  9. ^ a b c d e f International Council on Monuments and Sites (2011). Advisory Body Evaluation (Report). Paris, France: UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  10. ^ Barmé, Geremie R.; Conner, Lois (2011). "West Lake at the Garden of Perfect Brightness". China Heritage Quarterly (28). ISSN 1833-8461.
  11. ^ "Introducing Ten New Scenes of West Lake". China Heritage Quarterly (28). 2011. ISSN 1833-8461. Archived from the original on 2024-04-25. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g h "West Lake Scenic Area". Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, TV and Tourism. Archived from the original on 2022-06-05. Retrieved 2024-11-03.
  13. ^ ""Autumn moon over calm lake" inkstick, Qing dynasty, Qianlong reign (1736-1795)". The National Palace Museum Open Data Platform. Taipei, Taiwan. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  14. ^ "Lingering Snow on Broken Bridge". The National Palace Museum Open Data Platform. Taipei, Taiwan. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  15. ^ "Sunset Glow at Lei-feng Hill". The National Palace Museum Open Data Platform. Taipei, Taiwan. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  16. ^ "Listening to Orioles at Willow Waves". The National Palace Museum Open Data Platform. Taipei, Taiwan. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  17. ^ ""Twin peaks piercing the clouds" inkstick, Qing dynasty, Qianlong reign (1736-1795)". The National Palace Museum Open Data Platform. Taipei, Taiwan. Retrieved 2024-11-02.
  18. ^ "Viewing Fish at Flower Pond". Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio,TV and Tourism.
  19. ^ "New Ten Scenes of West Lake". Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, TV and Tourism.
  20. ^ "Ten Scenes of West Lake · 2007". Hangzhou Municipal Bureau of Culture, Radio, TV and Tourism. Archived from the original on 2024-11-10. Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  21. ^ "王原祁：西湖十景图的误区". 美术报. 2017-08-15.
  22. ^ "Ten Scenes from the West Lake". The National Palace Museum Open Data Platform. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
  23. ^ "Ten Views of West Lake". Tokyo National Museum. Retrieved 2024-11-04.
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