3．杭州最美西子湖

3．杭州最美西子湖

人們一提到杭州，立刻就會聯(lián)想到西湖，自古至今，中國文人留下了無數(shù)贊美西湖的詩句。

杭州西湖位于浙江省杭州市，是中國36處西湖中最著名的一處。湖面上有白、蘇二堤，湖中有孤山、瀛洲、湖心亭、阮公墩四島。因為其位于錢塘，所以稱之為錢塘湖，另外，還有武林水、西子湖等美稱。

據(jù)中國著名的地理學家竺可楨推算，西湖的形成大約在12000年前。在遠古時代，西湖只是一個小小的海灣，叫做“武林灣”?！拔淞譃场币詵|是一片面對長江口的淺海灘，與東海相連，后來，由于泥沙的堆積，沙嘴延伸，阻塞了武林灣的灣口，形成了一個“濱海瀉湖”，隨著淡水的不斷注入，最終形成了一個淡水湖。

西湖形成以后，西湖以東成為一片沼澤鹽灘，原始居民開始在這一帶活動，并且創(chuàng)造了燦爛輝煌的新石器文化，稱作“良渚文化”。

西湖形成以后，便逐漸成為附近居民的淡水供應地。到了隋唐時期，城市繁榮以后，人口開始增多，人們的居住地開始向西湖以東的區(qū)域移動，這樣居民區(qū)就漸漸遠離了西湖，淡水供應成為人們生活的一大問題。于是在唐代修筑了相國井、金牛井、西井、方井、白龜井、小方井6個井來解決這一問題。杭州城也逐漸由南向北擴展，于是形成了今天市區(qū)的格局。

隨著城市的日益繁榮，人們對淡水的需求越來越大，六井卻因為西湖的淤積而減少了水量。著名的詩人白居易主政杭州期間，采取了一系列措施來解決這些問題。為了增加蓄水量，使管道輸水暢通，他在錢塘門外修筑了一條湖堤，比原來的湖岸增高了一些，從而提高了西湖的水位，從此西湖從一個天然湖泊變成了一個人工湖泊。原來因為西湖淤積而干枯的六井也重歸充沛，為居民的生活和城市的發(fā)展創(chuàng)造了條件。人們?yōu)榱思o念白居易，便把這座湖堤稱作“白堤”。

隨著城市的發(fā)展，西湖逐漸成為杭州不可分割的一部分。927年，錢鏐開始整治西湖，同時他還重視西湖風景區(qū)的修整與布置。由于當時佛教盛行，今天的西湖附近有大量的佛教藝術遺產(chǎn)，大多是越國時代留下來的，如昭慶寺、慈安寺等，同時又修建了四座寶塔：雷峰塔、六和塔、白塔和保俶塔。四座塔都有精湛的建筑技巧和藝術風格，其中的雷峰塔還和中國民間的神話傳說--《白蛇傳》有密切關系。在傳說中，善良美麗的白蛇就是被無情的法海囚禁到這座塔里的?？上?，年久失修的雷峰塔已經(jīng)于1924年倒塌?，F(xiàn)在的雷峰塔在遺址之上重建，保留了舊塔的樓閣式結構，完全采用了南宋初年重修時的風格、設計和大小建造。塔的外觀是一座八面、五層樓閣式塔。全塔上、下、內、外裝飾富麗典雅，陳設精美獨到，功能完善齊備，以其嶄新的風貌和豐厚的內涵在西湖名勝古跡中大放異彩。如果登上雷峰新塔，西湖山水美景和杭州城市繁華便盡收眼底。

北宋年間，蘇軾來到杭州任知州，這時的西湖已經(jīng)湮廢了大半。面對這樣嚴重的局面，蘇軾立即制定出全面整治西湖和杭州水利的方案，對西湖進行了一次大規(guī)模的疏浚。他拆除了湖中圈圍的田地，挖深了湖底，又把挖出來的泥在湖中修筑了一條溝通南北的長堤，堤上修建了六座石橋以流通湖水。而且堤上還種植了芙蓉、楊柳黃蓉各種花草。后來人們就把這條長堤稱之為蘇堤，西湖也漸漸從一個水庫變成了風景區(qū)，從外國來的使節(jié)、商人、僧侶和旅游者，也都到西湖游覽和進香。漸漸地，西湖就出現(xiàn)了游客如云、歌舞遍地的局面。南宋時，沿湖興建了大量的亭臺、樓閣、寺廟，增添了許多金碧輝煌的人工雕琢，到這時為止，西湖風景區(qū)基本完成。這種布局一直延續(xù)到今天，成為西湖風景區(qū)的特色。

西湖有90多處各具特色的公園、風景點，如三秋桂子、六橋煙柳、九里云松、十里荷花，更有著名的“西湖十景”，西湖十景形成于南宋時期，基本圍繞西湖分布，這“十景”是：蘇堤春曉、曲苑風荷、平湖秋月、斷橋殘雪、柳浪聞鶯、花港觀魚、雷峰夕照、雙峰插云、南屏晚鐘、三潭印月。

蘇堤春曉　橫臥在西湖之上的蘇堤，是為了紀念蘇軾而命名。南起南屏山，北到棲霞嶺，全長近3000米。蘇堤上共有六座拱橋，自南向北依次是映波、鎖瀾、望山、壓堤、東浦和跨虹，在這六座橋上可以欣賞不同的景致，往往會讓游人流連忘返。

曲院風荷　“曲院”原來是西湖岸邊的釀酒作坊，而恰巧近岸的湖面上種了大量的荷花。夏天的時候，荷花的香氣與釀酒作坊的酒香混在一起，令人沉醉。曲院風荷最引人注目的是夏日賞荷。公園分布著紅蓮、白蓮、重臺蓮等上百個品種的荷花，顏色鮮艷的荷花與荷葉交相輝映，令人賞心悅目。

平湖秋月　在白堤西端臨湖筑有御書樓，樓前平臺伸入湖中，三面臨水，臺與湖面相平，是賞月觀景的勝地。在皓月當空的秋夜，湖面在月光的照耀下如一面鏡子，清輝撒在湖面上，十分美麗，讓人有如在畫中的感覺。

斷橋殘雪　斷橋是西湖眾多橋梁中最出名的橋。杭州在南方，因此大雪天非常少見，所以一有大雪出現(xiàn)，西湖就會呈現(xiàn)出別樣的景色。橋東面有景碑亭，康熙親自為其題寫“云水光中”。亭子青瓦朱欄，飛檐翹角，與斷橋共同構成一幅美麗的古典畫圖。

柳浪聞鶯　位于西湖東南岸，這里原來是南宋御花園“聚景園”。沿湖種有很多的楊柳，每到春天的時候，柳絲就會隨風搖曳，就像碧浪翻空，而且，在柳蔭深處，還會時而傳來清脆的鶯啼聲，十分動人。

花港觀魚　該景位于蘇堤南段以西，在西里湖與小南湖之間的一塊半島上。相傳南宋時，內侍官允升曾在離這里不遠的花家山下營建了私家花園，在花園里把水引入池中，并喂養(yǎng)五色魚以供觀賞，后來這里漸漸成為人們經(jīng)常來游玩的地方，當時稱為“盧園”，后來又因為臨近花家山而稱為“花港”。

雷峰夕照　雷峰塔是西湖眾多古塔中最為風光的一座，可惜在70多年前已經(jīng)倒掉了。雷峰新塔建在吳越雷峰塔的原址上，選擇了南宋塔重建時的外觀。妙音臺、夕照亭、親緣閣與雷峰新塔同在游賞區(qū)，相得益彰。妙音臺是聆聽凈慈寺大梵鐘聲的最佳場所；夕照亭是康熙當年題額的御書亭和御碑亭所在的地方；親緣閣，位于新塔的東北角，是游人休息、品茶的好地方。

雙峰插云　北高峰海拔314米，山腳下坐落著靈隱寺，從寺西側上山需要攀登數(shù)千級的石磴，沿途道路曲折彎轉，但山上的景色和潺潺流過的小溪卻能帶來無限的樂趣。南高峰在西湖西側，高257米，登上山頂向東俯瞰，西湖全景盡收眼底，讓人仿佛置身于圖畫之中。

南屏晚鐘　南屏山坐落在西湖南岸，山體綿延長達千米。山上怪石聳秀，綠樹成林。在西湖一帶的山嶺是由石灰?guī)r構成的，山上有很多孔穴。而西湖附近又有眾多寺廟，所以每當佛寺敲響晚鐘時，鐘聲震蕩，傳到山上，遇到巖石、洞穴等，加速了聲波的振動，形成共振，于是，回音迭起。南屏晚鐘的名字由此而來。

三潭映月　小瀛洲，是西湖中最大的一個島嶼，小瀛洲湖中有湖，島中有島，島間橋欄相接。湖面上有三座石塔，塔高約2米，每個塔內有五個圓孔，有月亮的晚上把燈放在圓孔中，燈光與水中的月影交相輝映，美麗無比。

3. West Lake

Hangzhou always comes together with West Lake, the beauty of which is unveiled in numerous poems and prose written by poets and writers, both in the past and at present.

In China, there are 36 west lakes. But the West Lake in Hangzhou, with Su Di and Bai Di crossing over the lake as if two ribbons are flying and four small islands-Gushan (which literally means a lonely hill), Yingzhou (a legendary fairyland), Huxinting (which literally means a pavilion in the center of a lake) and Ruangongdun-dotted in the center, is the most beautiful one. The lake is also known as Wulin Water, Xizi Lake and Qiantang Lake.

According to Zhu Kezhen, a prestigious Chinese geographer in modern China, the current West Lake first took shape around 12, 000 years ago. In the distant past, the lake was no more than a tiny bay facing to its east a patch of shallow beach at the mouth of the Yangtze River. As time went by, mud and sand piled up and finally blocked the mouth of the tiny bay which was called Wulin Bay, thus forming a lagoon. Then as fresh water kept flowing into the lake, a fresh water lake was formed finally.

After West Lake took shape, the land to the east of the lake gradually turned into a patch of marshland where some primitive people lived and created a splendid Neolithic civilization known as "Liangzhu Culture".

West Lake became a source of fresh water for people living nearby. In the Sui and Tang dynasties, as inhabitants grew day by day, people gradually moved away from the lake for a larger area to live in. Since the source of water was not guaranteed in the new living area, six wells were dug. It was during this period that the layout of today's Hangzhou took its preliminary shape.

The expansion of the city created a growing demand on the supply of fresh water, but the water provided by the six wells was declining due to more and more silt in West Lake. So the famous ancient Chinese poet Bai Juyi, who was the governor of Hangzhou then, ordered to build a causeway stronger and taller than the original to elevate the water level of the lake. This turned the natural lake into an artificial one. After the project, the nearly dried-up wells were filled with fresh water again, which brought much benefit to people's livelihood and accelerated the city's development. Thus the causeway was named Bai Di in honor of Bai Juyi.

West Lake gradually became an indispensable part of Hangzhou city. Due to the wide spread of Buddhism, several Buddhist temples and pagodas were built around the lake. Among those which still stand today are Zhaoqing Temple, Ci'en Temple, Leifeng Pagoda, Liuhe Pagoda, White Pagoda and Baochu Pagoda, each of an exquisite artistic style. Leifeng Pagoda always remind people of a touching love story. Long long ago, a white snake was saved by a man when a woodman was about to capture it. In order to repay the favor, the snake turned into a beautiful lady and married the man who saved her life. But the marriage was deemed as immoral, and the legend ends with the beautiful and kindhearted snake-turned lady enjailed under Leifeng Pagoda by a monk named Fahai. Unfortunately, lack of repair for decades finally reduced the pagoda to the ground in 1924. Reconstructed according to the style and the size of the one in Southern Song, the current pagoda is an octagonal five-storied one with elegant decorations and exquisite displays. Standing in the new pagoda, one can have a bird's eye view of the beautiful West Lake and the thriving scenes of Hangzhou city.

In the Northern Song dynasty, when Su Shi (a famous statesman and ci wrtier in ancient China) came to Hangzhou to serve as the governor, West Lake had silted up by half. He immediately worked out a plan to dredge the lake. He ordered to remove the farming land enclosed in the lake and to build a north-to-south causeway with the mud dug up from the lake. Then six stone bridges were built on the causeway so that water could flow freely. Different kinds of flowers and trees were grown along the causeway. West Lake was more a resort than a reservoir. Foreign envoys, merchants, monks and other visitors came to West Lake, appreciating the picturesque scenery and worshipping the Buddha. In Southern Song, a great many pavilions, terraces, towers and temples were built along the bank of the lake, adding some artificial charm to the lake. Up until then, the construction of the West Lake scenic area was finished and the layout has remained to day. Later, people named the causeway Su Di in memory of Su Shi.

Along the bank of the lake, there are more than ninety parks and scenic spots. Among them the most famous are the "Ten Scenes of West Lake" which took shape in the Southern Song dynasty. They are "Dawn on Su Di in Spring", "Curved Yard and Lotus Pool in Summer", "Moonlight over West Lake in Autumn", "Lingering Snow on the Broken Bridge in Winter", "Orioles Singing in the Willows", "Fish Viewing at the Flower Pond", "Leifeng Pagoda in the Sunset", "Two Peaks Piercing the Clouds", "Evening Bell Ringing at the Nanping Hill", and "Three Pools Mirroring the Moon".

Dawn on Su Di in Spring

Su Di stretches from the Nanping Hill to the Qixia Hill and is nearly 3,000 meters long. Six bridges dot along the causeway: Yingbo Bridge, Suolan Bridge, Wangshan Bridge, Yadi Bridge, Dongpu Bridge and Kuahong Bridge. Each gives people a different yet impressive view.

Curved Yard and Lotus Pool in Summer

Curved yard used to be a wine-making workshop near which there grew many lotuses, floating on the lake. Every summer, the fragrant smell of the lotuses mixed with the aroma of the wine, offering people a feast of smell. Today, more than a hundred kinds of lotuses blossom in summer, offering people a feast for eyes.

Moonlight over West Lake in Autumn

To the west end of Bai Di, there is a royal study. A terrace connected to the study projects over the lake, making the terrace an ideal place for appreciating the bright moon. At night, the moon sheds its light over the tranquil lake, constituting a picturesque scene.

Lingering Snow on the Broken Bridge in Winter

The Broken Bridge is perhaps the most famed among all the bridges in this area. Snow is quite rare in Hangzhou since it is in the south. Thus every time the snowflakes fall down, West Lake viewed from the Broken Bridge will take on a different scene. To the east of the bridge there stands a kiosk which holds a stele inscribed with "Duan Qiao Can Xue" (which means Lingering Snow on the Broken Bridge in Winter) by Emperor Qianlong and a pavilion with a tablet inscribed with "Yun Shui Guang Zhong" (which means standing by the river and under the light) by Emperor Kangxi. The grey-brick pavilion topped with a roof with up-pointing corners, together with the Broken Bridge, is very much like a picture with a strong classical taste.

Orioles Singing in the Willows

Area around the southeast bank of West Lake used to be the royal garden of the Southern Song court. There grow many willows. When spring comes, the soft branches of the willows will dance as the wind blows as if waves are moving back and forth in the air. From the dancing willows comes the singing of orioles from time to time, melodious enough to attract any visitor to stop their steps to listen.

Fish Viewing at the Flower Pond

This scene is located on the south part of Su Di. According to a legend, an official of the Southern Song court built a private garden at the foot of the Huajia Hill ("Hua" in Chinese means flower and "jia" means family). Then he channeled water into a pond in his private garden and raised five-color fish in the pond. Later, the private garden was open to visitors and the garden got its new name "Lu Garden". Since it is at the foot of the Huajia Hill, it is now known as "flower pond'.

Leifeng Pagoda in the Sunset

In this scene, visitors will see not only the new Leifeng Pagoda but also Miaoyin Terrace, Xizhao Pavilion and Qinyuan Pavillion. Miaoyin Terrace ("Miaoyin" in Chinese means melodious music) is the best place for listening to the ringing of the bell in Jingci Temple. Xizhao Pavillion is where Emperor Kangxi wrote for the tablet of the pavilion. Located to the northeast of Leifeng Pagoda, Qinyuan Pavilion is a place for rest and tea.

Two Peaks Piercing the Clouds

Two peaks in this scene are two hills: the North High Hill which is 314 meters above the sea level and the South High Hill which is 257 meters high. Standing behind Lingyin Temple, the North High Hill is a natural screen of the temple. You need to climb hundreds of stone steps along the twisted road before you finally reach the top. However, the beautiful scenes and the merrily flowing streams are sure to delight your eyes and your mind. The South High Hill sits to the west of West Lake. Standing on the top of the hill and looking to the east, a visitor will see all the charming scenes of West Lake.

Evening Bell Ringing at the Nanping Hill

The tree-covered Nanping Hill stretched more than a thousand meters along the south bank of West Lake,. The hill is formed by lime-rock and has numerous holes in its body. Every night, when the bells in the nearby temples begin to ring, the ringing will travel far until it reaches the hill where it will be echoed back and forth by the holes in the hill, as if a piece of music is composed and played.

Three Pools Mirroring the Moon

Yingzhou is the biggest island in West Lake. Inside the island, there are small lakes and small islands connected by bridges. Near Yingzhou, there are three two-meter high stone towers, each with five small round holes. On a moon-lit night, the light from the lamp held in the holes and the shadow of the moon add radiance to each other, creating an extraordinary scene.