2016年7月30日星期六

Suzhou-Tiger Hill

  Among the various places of historical interest in Suzhou Tiger Hill is the most famous .It is also a tourist site of great natural beauty. For more than 2000 years the hill has been regarded as the landmark of the city .Because it is closely related to the origin of the city.
  In the Spring and Autumn Period this area was ruled by the king of the state of WU. As the state grew in power, it moved its capital to the present site of Suzhou in560 BC known as the city of Wu. When prince HeLu succeeded to the thorn and became king of Wu, he ordered his Prime Minister WuZiXu to build an influential city for him to serve as his capital.
Then a large city was constructed which embraced the original old town in the middle of it .The fortified city had 16 gates 8water gates and 8 land gates with a double moat linked with the canals inside the city the streets were laid in parallel lines.
  This huge project was completed about 516 BC and was then called the Great City of HeLu.
  Although the city has gone through tremendous changes since then its boundaries have always remained the same and the remnants of the city walls now stand practically on the same foundations as built 2500 years ago . Because of this monumental work the king was remembered as the undisputed founder of Suzhou.After the death of king HeLu, his son king FuCai buried him on the hill which was previously his pleasant resort. A legend says that three days after the burial of king hello a fierce white tiger appeared crouching on the hill supposedly to guard the king’s final resting place.
Of course even in those days people didn’t quite believe a tiger hanging around. But anyway that is how the hill was first given the name of tiger hill.
In the late dynasties when more buildings were added to the hill and especially when the hill became the site of a monastery with a pagoda on the top of the hill, people began to compare the shape of the hill to that of a tiger.
  They said that the first entrance building of the temple facing the canal looked like the head of a tiger with the two wells in front of it resembling the eyes, and the gentle slop of the hill was the back of the crouching animal and the pagoda on the hilltop the tiger `s tail sticking straight up.
  Nowadays some people say the second temple entrance looks more like tiger’s head, the door is the mouth and the two circular windows are the eyes and the curve eaves are just like the ears.
  As the burial place of the King of Wu tiger hill is associated with many stories and legends about the king. And with the elapse of time more stories grew up in the hill. There has been a lot of mention of the hill in the works of writer’s poets and celebrities of different times .The glories of its ancient history have made the hill an absolute must for all visitors to Suzhou
  The great song dynasty poet SuDongPu once remarked to visitor Suzhou without seeing tiger hill would be a thing for regret.
  In the opinion of many people to miss tiger hill is just as bad as missing Suzhou itself.
As the burial place of the King of Wu tiger hill is associated with many stories and legends about the king. And with the elapse of time more stories grew up in the hill. There has been a lot of mention of the hill in the works of writer’s poets and celebrities of different times .The glories of its ancient history have made the hill an absolute must for all visitors to Suzhou.




















2016年7月17日星期日

Travel-West Lake-Hangzhou

West Lake is a famous fresh water lake located in central Hangzhou, in Zhejiang province of eastern China.

The lake is divided by three causeways called su di, bai di, and yanggong di.
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.

History
One of the major attractions in West Lake: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon islandIn 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 improved 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.

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.

Ten Scenes of West Lake
View of the West Lake from a row boatThe Ten Scenes of West Lake (西湖十景), each marked by a stela with the name written in the calligraphy of the Emperor Qianlong Emperor, are:

Spring Dawn on the Su Causeway
Orioles Singing in the Willows
Viewing Fish at Flower Pond
Winery Yard and Lotus Pool
Evening Bell Ringing at the Nanping Hill
Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake
Leifeng Pagoda in Evening Glow
Three Pools Mirroring the Moon
Lingering Snow on Broken Bridge
Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds - The "Jungfrau of West Lake"