Slender West Lake
| Slender West Lake | |
|---|---|
| 瘦西湖 (Chinese) | |
 The Bridge of Twenty-Fours (二十四桥) at Slender West Lake (2017) | |
  Slender West Lake | |
| Location | Hanjiang District, Yangzhou, Jiangsu |
| Coordinates | 32°24′36″N 119°25′03″E / 32.41000°N 119.41750°E |
| Type | Lake |
| Website | ly.shouxihu.net |
| Slender West Lake | ||
|---|---|---|
Hanyu Pinyin Yángzhōu Shòuxīhú Fēngjǐngqū | | |
| Wade–Giles | Yang-chou Shou-hsi-hu Feng-ching-ch'ü | |
| Historical names | |
|---|---|
| Paoshan Creek | |
Hanyu Pinyin | Bǎozhàng Hú |
| Wade–Giles | Pao-chang Hu |
Slender West Lake, also known by its
national park and AAAAA tourist attraction, requiring a ticket for admission and open only from 7 am to 6 pm.[1]
Names
In
history of the area around Hangzhou's West Lake[3] and Wang's short ode praised the town as similarly prosperous and attractive.[b]
Geography
Slender West Lake is located between
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
, Āndūn Hé) on the south.History
Despite Yangzhou's centuries of prosperity as a major hub on the
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
national park in 1988.[5]
A long bank planted with
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]
Legacy
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]
See also
- List of Chinese gardens
- Geyuan, a nearby traditional estate
Notes
References
Citations
- ^ a b Fodor's (2015), p. 284.
- ^ Lu (1981), p. 34.
- ^ Du (1943), p. 454.
- ^ Olivová (2009), p. 6–7.
- ^ a b c Danielson, Eric N. (26 January 2012), "Yangzhou Historic Sites Index", The Long River, archived from the original on 2 February 2024, retrieved 19 March 2024.
- ^ Hollister (1996), p. 886.
- ^ Olivová (2015), p. 108.
- ^ Finnane (2004), p. 194.
- ^ Chen (1962).
- ^ Kafalas (2015), pp. 61–62.
- ^ Finnane (2015), p. 398.
- ^ Zhu Ziqing, 《扬州的夏日》 [Yángzhōu de Xiàrì, Summer Days in Yangzhou] (in Chinese).
Bibliography
- Fodor's China, El Segundo: Fodor's Travel, 2015.
- Chen Congzhou (14 June 1962), "Slender West Lake, Yangzhou", Wenhui Daily, Shanghai, ISBN 978-7-5213-0449-7).
{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link - Du Lianzhe (1943), "Washington: United States Government Printing Office, pp. 454–455.
- ISBN 978-0674013926.
- ISBN 978-0-8248-5446-1.
- Hollister, Pam (1996), "Yangzhou", International Dictionary of Historic Places, vol. 5: Asia and Oceania, Abingdon: Routledge, pp. 884–887, ISBN 978-1-136-63979-1.
- Kafalas, Philip A. (2015), "Society and Performances in Late-Ming Yangzhou: Four Essays from Zhang Dai's Dream Reminiscences of Tao'an (Tao'an Mengyi, 1670s)", Yangzhou, a Place in Literature: The Local in Chinese Cultural History, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, pp. 51–63, ISBN 978-0-8248-5446-1.
- Lu Zhensheng (September 1981), "Yangzhou—Ancient City Rich in Art", China Reconstructs, vol. XXX, pp. 34–39.
- Olivová, Lucie B. (2009), "Building History and the Preservation of Yangzhou", Lifestyle and Entertainment in Yangzhou, NIAS Studies in Asian Topics, No. 44, Copenhagen: Nordic Institute of Asian Studies, pp. 3–36, ISBN 978-87-7694-035-5.
- Olivová, Lucie B. (2015), "The Golden Age: Depictions of Life in Yangzhou in Li Dou's The Pleasure Boats of Yangzhou (Yangzhou Huafang Lu, 1795)", Yangzhou, a Place in Literature: The Local in Chinese Cultural History, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, pp. 101–151, archived from the original on 2024-03-19, retrieved 2024-03-19.
- Qian Gongyu (1994), 〈二十四桥≠“廿四桥”〉 ["24 Bridge(s)≠'24 Bridge(s)'"], 《社会科学战线》 [Shèhuì Kēxué Zhànxiàn, Social Science Front] (in Chinese), Changchun: Jilin Academy of Social Sciences.