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 Place Names and Locations  |
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Chiongshou Chan Temple 崇壽禪寺 [ Chiongshouchansi
] |
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| In the Diamond Hill [Baoshi shan 寶石山].
It was adjacent to Baochu Pagoda (Baochu ta 保俶塔) which was built by
a subject of the Prince of Wuyue to enshrine a monk's mynah. In the
mid-fourteenth century, a noted monk Huiju 慧炬 resided in this temple
to preach Tiantai Buddhism. A story about Huiji is quite interesting.
There was a time when the river tides were threatening to flood in
Hangzhou City. Huiji preached the doctrines and pour pure water in
front of the river. Suddenly, the tides disappeared into peace, so
the whole city was saved. |
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Emerald Peak Pavilion 翠峰閣 [ Cuifengge ] |
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| Located in the Dragon Well area. If climbing
stone stairs southward from the well, people would find themselves
on a path along steep rocks. This rocky area was called Green Spiral
Peak 碧螺峰 (Biluo feng). On the top of the peak, there was built a pavilion
called by Emperor Qianlong the Emerald Peak Pavilion. |
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Dike of Su Shi 蘇堤 [ Suti ] |
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| A dike made of mud dredged from the bottom
of West Lake at the command of Su Shi蘇軾. As a direct line from north
to south side of the lake, the dike can shorten the distance between
the two sides, so can reduce the transportation time. To allow boats
to flow beneath it, the dike also consists of six arc bridges. It
becomes one of the Ten Scene as trees are planted on it to form a
beautiful sight especially in spring when they are blossoming. |
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Dragon Well 龍井 [ Longjing ] |
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| Famous for the spring water. Literary figures
came here with friends, and the experiences excited them to write
poems. Political figures left their traces too. Emperor Qianlong recognized
eight spots as "Eight Scenes in the Dragon Well Area" 龍井八景and
bestowed upon each of them his calligraphy. Some people in the past
believed that in the well lived dragons, because when they prayed
for rain during the draught, crabs, fish, or lizards would appear-they
were thought the illusory variants of dragons. |
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Fenghuang Hill 鳳凰山 |
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| To the southeast of West Lake. It was where
the palace of the Southern Song was located. Although it was once
prosperous, it became less and less so since the late thirteenth century,
because the development of the city was more and more northward, and
the hill was no more included inside the city. |
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Grand Canal 大運河 |
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| The Grand Canal was built to transport
goods and grains mainly from Zhejiang and Jiangsu provinces to Beijing.
Its management is crucial to the dynasties especially from the fourteenth
century on. Hangzhou as a city at its south end is responsible for
collecting the materials and maintaining the good condition of the
part of the Grand Canal in its jurisdiction. The water of West Lake
and Qiantang River was used to control the water level of the Grand
Canal in order to ensure its transportation capacity. |
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Isolated Hill 孤山 [ Gushan ] |
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| In the lake near the north shore with which
it is connected by Bai Dike白堤 (Baiti) and Xiling Bridge 西泠橋 (Xilingqiao).
It is famous for its forest of plum trees, and the story of hermit
Li Bu 林逋 in which plum trees also play a significant role. |
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Jingci Temple 淨慈禪寺 [ Jingcichansi ] |
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| Located at the bottom of the South Hill
南屏山 (Nanpingshan). It was established in 954, but did not gain its
current name until1128 A.D. Its bell contributes its tolling to the
scene of "Evening Tolling at South Hill." Although it is
not clear when the bell was first made, it is sure that it was remade
in a huge size in 1378 so the tolling could reach all over the lake
area. |
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Lingfeng Chan Temple 靈峰禪寺 [ Lingfengchansi
] |
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| In the Fahua Hill 法華山 (Fahuashan) area.
First established in the mid-tenth century. It once possessed tremendous
number of fields and houses, and accommodated several hundreds of
monks at a time. Its surrounding areas were once crowded with lay
people's residents, but in the mid-sixteenth century when Tian Rucheng
visited there, only the temple stood in quite wilderness with few
monks living there. Almost no travelers would go that far to the areas,
and all one could hear at night were weird sounds like cries of ghosts. |
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Lingyin Mountain 靈隱山 [ Lingyinshan ] |
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| Located in the northwest of West Lake.
The name Lingyin 靈隱 with two alternative names Hulin 虎林 and Wulin
武林 once indicated the whole mountainous area northwest to West Lake.
Those mountains compose the west part of the landscape of West Lake,
and are one of the primary religious spaces in West Lake area. |
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Lingyin Temple 靈隱寺 [ Lingyinsi ] |
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| Located in the Lingyin Mountain. The year
of its establishment is not certain: it is either 326 or 328 A.D.
More buildings were kept being added to this area in the course of
more than one thousand years. During the Cultural Revolution, it was
fortunately protected at the command of Zhou Enlai, so precious relics
were well preserved. |
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Lingzhi Temple 靈芝寺 [ Lingzhisi ] |
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| Outside the Yongjin Gate. The location
was once a menagerie of the Wuyue Prince. Because of a special fungus,
regarded as an auspicious omen, growing in the menagerie, the menagerie
was contributed to build a temple thus named Lingzhi (meaning auspicious
fungus) in 976 A.D. Later on, the temple was once changed into a shrine
for the Wuyue Prince. |
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Liuhe Pagoda 六和塔 [ Liuheta ] |
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| On the north side of the Qiantang River
錢塘江 (Qiantangjiang). It was built in 970 in the belief that it could
reduce the threats of Qiantang tidal bore with its supernatural power.
It has been rebuilt several times over the past thousand years after
being ruined by fire or war each time. Last time of restoration was
in 1899. Its structure consists of outer walls, winding corridors,
inner walls, and small compartments in which Buddha statues are placed.
Counted by the eaves, it looks a thirteen-story pagoda, but its main
body is in fact seven-story. On the inner side of the inner walls,
there are various niches preserving seventy-four twelfth-century figures'
calligraphies of Buddhist sutras. |
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Qiantang Gate 錢塘門 [ Qiantangmen ] |
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| When the city walls still existed, it was
located near the northwest corner of Hangzhou City. First established
in 1158. |
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Shrine of Dragon Deity 龍王祠 [ Longwangci ] |
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| Located between the Dragon Well and Emerald
Peak Pavilion. Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty conferred a plaque
to the shrine in 1148. Later the Dragon Deity was granted an honorary
title by Emperor Ningzong of the Song Dynasty. Besides the shrine,
Su Shi's calligraphy was once inscribed on a plaque of a pavilion
called Power of Virtue 德威 (dewei). When Zhai Hao visited there in
the eighteenth century, only a small shrine was extant. |
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six wells 六井 |
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| First established between 766 and 779 at
the command of Li Mi in the hope of providing water to the residents.
The water was channeled from West Lake through underground pipes.
Their names are as follow: Xiangguo 相國 (meaning: prime minister),
Xi 西 (west), Fang 方 (square), Xiaofang 小方 (small square), Baigui 白龜
(White Turtle), and Jinniu 金牛 (Golden Ox). |
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Temple in the Center of the Lake 湖心寺 [ Huxinsi
] |
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| On an isle near the South Hill南屏山 (Nanpingshan).
It was built around 947 A.D. One of the Ten Scenes, Three Ponds Reflecting
the Moon, is nearby. |
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West Brook 西溪 |
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| It generally refers to an area around today's
Liuxia Town 留下鎮 (Liuxizhen) and Gudang Town 古蕩鎮 (Gudangzhen). Emperor
Gaozong of the Southern Song once considered to take this as the base
of the capital, but later decided on Fenghuang Hill. When he made
the decision, he expressed his will to preserve the natural beauty
of the West Brook area, and said "Let's leave it as it is!"
And this is the original meaning of the name of Liuxia Town. It was
once one of the three sites for plum trees appreciation, but now has
become an industrial and residential area without any trace of its
past reputation. |
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Wu Hill 吳山 [ Wushan ] |
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| In broad sense, the hill is a name for
a series of hills along the south side of and in the south part of
the city. In stricter sense, it indicates the hill where the old Temple
of City God was located. |
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Yongjin Gate 湧金門 [ Yongjinmen ] |
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| One of the west gates of Hangzhou City.
First established in the Northern Song dynasty (961-1126). Its name
was changed as Fengyu豐豫 (meaning: prosperity) 1158 after the Southern
Song dynasty had taken Hangzhou as its capital. The old name is restored
in the late fourteenth century. |
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Jade Spring Pond 玉泉池 [ Yuquanchi ] |
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| Located inside the Clear Ripples Temple
清漣寺 (Qingliansi) in the Immortal Female Hill 仙姑山 (Xiangushan) area.
The pond was not deep, but the number of five-colored fish could be
several hundreds in the eighteenth century. The water was also used
for irrigation, when it ran out of this mountain area. |
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Xiling Bridge 西泠橋 [ Xilingqiao ] |
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| Located at the west end of the Isolated
Hill 孤山 (Gushan). The date of its establishment is not certain, but
no later than the late thirteenth century. |
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Zhaoqing Temple 昭慶寺 [ Zhaoqingsi ] |
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| Outside the Qiantang Gate. The year of
its establishment is uncertain: either in 936 or 967 A.D. It experienced
various times of rebuilding, because it has been ruined by fire or
war again and again over the past thousand years. In terms of Buddhism,
its significance lies in the fact that it is a base of Vinaya School律宗. |
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