Lotus in the Breeze at Crooked Courtyard

10 Sept 2014 | From WuXueyang of China

OFFICIAL POSTCROSSING

"Ripping water shimmering on sunny day,

Misty mountains shrouded the rain; 

Plain or gaily decked out like Xizi;

West Lake is always alluring."

These are the words composed by the famous Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo when he compared the West Lake to Xi Zi, the most beautiful woman in ancient China. West Lake is a freshwater lake in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province in eastern China.

West Lake has influenced poets and painters throughout China's history for its natural beauty and historic relics, and it has also been among the most important sources of inspiration for Chinese garden designers. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2011, described as having "influenced garden design in the rest of China as well as Japan and Korea over the centuries" and reflecting "an idealized fusion between humans and nature".

Source: Wikipedia