The Hermit’s Hangzhou

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Though not as famous as Bai Juyi，Lin Bu made his mark on the ancient literary scene with his love of West Lake.A poet of the Northern Song Dynasty，Lin Bu retired to Hangzhou to become a hermit.His poem”West Lake”states:“The water in the spring is clearer than a monk’s eyes；and the color of the mountains are as green as the head of the Buddha.”Lin，unlike many poets of his day，eschewed the mundane，earthly aesthetics of poetry.Never marrying，it was said that the cranes of the rivers were his children and the plum blossoms of the land his wife.So popular were his observations that West Lake was known as“Hermit Lake”in the Ming Dynasty.

Su Shi and the Song

During the Song Dynasty，West Lake truly emerged as the subject of pure beauty.Su Shi，one of the most influential poets of the age，was a government official in Hangzhou.One of his most popular poems posits a renowned Chinese metaphor.Su wrote:“If you wish to compare the lake in the West to the Lady of the West，lightly powdered or thickly smeared，the fancy is just as apt.”Xizi referred to Xishi（See Page 11），who ranked first among the renowned Four Beauties of Ancient China，and，like her，he believed West Lake looked beautiful regardless of season，giving the lake yet another nickname，”Xizi Lake”.

Lin Sheng after the Fall

The story of poetry in Hangzhou wasn’t all flowers，cranes，and changing seasons.

There were dark days as well.After the downfall of the Northern Song，the Jin armycaptured many members of the imperial family.In 1127，the Jin Dynasty withdrew its troops from Kaifeng（capital of the Northern Song）and enthroned a puppet emperor，but popular resentment meant that the emperor would soon yield the throne to Zhao Gou，thefirst emperor of the Southern Song Dynasty.Continuous attacks from the Jin army meant that the newly installed regime had to flee to Lin’an（currently Hangzhou）and officially establish it as the capital of the Southern Song（see page 30）.While this is considereda golden age of Hangzhou history，the war，destruction，and relocation of the capital werelargely regarded as a tragedy.Poet Lin Sheng wrote a famous work criticizing thosewho forgot the brutalities of history for the indulgences of Hangzhou’s beauty:“Peaksrise beyond peaks，and towers on towers.The songs and dances on West Lake proceed into the night.The warm breeze makes everyone drunk，so they think of Hangzhou as the old capital Bianzhou.”The poem evokes emotions regarding Hangzhou’s tormented history；the haven of Hangzhou came at a cost.

Poetry Built on General Yue and Faithful Yu

Yuan Mei，a poet of the Qing Dynasty，focused his pen on historic figures.In hiswork”Paying Homage to Yue Fei’s Temple”，he wrote:“It is because the two officials Yue Fei and Yu Qian are buried here that people began to value West Lake.”Yue Fei，a general who lived in the Southern Song Dynasty，fought a harsh campaign against the invading Jurchens in an effort to retake northern China，which was occupied by the Jin Dynasty in 1126.Yue，nearing victory，was framed by corrupt officials and recalled by the emperor，imprisoned and executed on false charges（see page 44）.Yu Qian had a very similar fate as Yue，though in the Ming Dynasty.Born in Hangzhou，Yu became an official.

In 1449，the Mongols captured the Emperor Yingzong of the Ming Dynasty and attacked the Ming capital of Beijing.Yu led the military to protect the capital and won.But when the Emperor Yingzong returned after he was released by the Mongols，Yu was falsely accused of treason and executed.Both men are reminders that the inspiration of West Lake came from great leaders as well as its natural beauty.