Getting off at Hangzhou Station, I went to West Lake - a place recognized by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage in 2011. This place is famous for its landscape like a watercolor painting, with four brilliant seasons: spring peach blossoms, summer weeping willows, autumn yellow leaves, winter fog.
At the Hangzhou High Speed Rail Station after leaving Shanghai, I took a deep breath and felt the cool air of the platform. It wasn’t raining. The first destination in Hangzhou was West Lake, a place that has been considered a jewel that has captivated the souls of poets and artists for thousands of years.
Beauty is always present
Just a short distance west from the center of Hangzhou, West Lake appeared before my eyes. Walking slowly along the lake, I understood why this place is an endless source of inspiration for Chinese art.
Since the Tang and Song dynasties, poets such as Bai Juyi and Su Dongpo were so enamored with the place that they wrote immortal poems praising its beauty. Even the most exquisite ink paintings often take the West Lake landscape as their subject, with its mountains, water, and graceful weeping willows, according to Kefen Wang, in "Chinese Dance and Chinese Ballet History," published by China Art Press in 2002.
Endless source of inspiration for Chinese art
Today, that beauty is still vividly present in cinema, music and photography - mainly Chinese.
A thousand years of history seem to be visible around the lake. I visited the Yue Fei Temple - a memorial to the Chinese hero. It is also the place where the man who is said to have harmed Yue Fei was cast in a statue kneeling before what is believed to be Yue Fei's grave, a place that has been reviled for three centuries.
Linh An Pagoda is majestic with its unique Buddhist architecture. Then Doan Kieu Bridge - the place associated with the tragic love legend "Bach Xa Truyen" (The White Snake Story) between the White Snake who cultivated to become a human and the young man Hua Tien, makes this place even more mysterious.
Su Di, a dike built during the Song Dynasty, is a great scenic spot.
It has long been said that Hangzhou people consider West Lake as a part of their flesh and blood. In the early morning, they practice Tai Chi under the trees and walk along the lake. In the afternoon, small teahouses are crowded with people enjoying tea and admiring the scenery.
Live without haste
With my wife, I also tried going on a cruise, quietly drifting on the calm water, feeling the peace in the heart of this bustling city, completely different from the usual fast pace of life in Ho Chi Minh City.
Covering an area of about 6.5 square kilometers, the clear lake reflects the blue sky and is surrounded by lush green hills. The lake is divided into five parts: Outer Lake, Li Lake, Yue Lake, West Li Lake and Little South Lake. Each area has its own beauty but all are strangely harmonious, according to the Hangzhou government website.
According to the website of the Chinese Ministry of Tourism, West Lake is beautiful in four different seasons: spring with brilliant peach blossoms, summer with lush green weeping willows, autumn with golden parasol leaves and winter with a quiet mist. Each season attracts millions of tourists, contributing a large part to the local tourism economy .
But popularity also brings challenges. I noticed signs of pollution and pressure from the crowds. Hangzhou authorities have been making efforts to preserve the area: restricting motor vehicles, increasing sanitation and rationalizing planning, according to a Xinhua report. This could be a lesson in balancing tourism development and environmental protection that Ho Chi Minh City, with its many scenic spots and canals, could learn from.
Leaving West Lake when the orange-yellow light covered the water surface in some places, I felt nostalgic. This trip was not just a normal journey, but also an exploration of natural beauty - partly culture - that has stood the test of time, worthy of being a heritage for all mankind, not just China.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/lang-ngam-vien-ngoc-hang-chau-196250617093616817.htm
Comment (0)