As Hangzhou local Zhu Zichang, aged 27, sees it, “The West Lake is the soul of Hangzhou, and the heart of Hangzhou people.” When Zhu was in junior high school, he read books on the shore of the West Lake every morning. Riding a bicycle along lakeshore, catching sight of the water cheered him up. The West Lake was frequently mentioned in Zhu’s writings at school: his grandparents would do morning exercises by the lake; his friends went on spring outings there; his family dined there on weekends. Seeing the pink peach flowers and green willow leaves at the scenic spot “Spring Dawn on Su Causeway,” appreciating the lotus at the “Breeze-ruffled Lotus at Quyuan Garden,” watching the “Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake”… Zhu concluded, “No Hangzhou resident can live without the West Lake.”
Ding Yunchuan sees it through the eyes of a 70-year-old Hangzhou local, “The West Lake is the perfect object of study.” He still remembers, when he was little, his father often talked about the history of the West Lake. He has many books on the West Lake, and a collection of memorabilia. In 2005, as the West Lake Museum collections were being assembled, Ding Yunchuan offered his precious collections, including old photographs, the block-printed edition of “West Lake Couplets” of the Qing Dynasty, and rubbings of inscribed poems for the site “Autumn Moon over the Calm Lake” by Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty.
The interviewed experts all expressed their belief that even after winning the bid for World Heritage status, the cultural connotations invited further and deeper research which would, in their words, “Let more people know the essence of West Lake culture.
The municipal government of Hangzhou also approved of this. “The Map of the West Lake as World Cultural Heritage” features the details of the West Lake Cultural Landscape, its development and history. It also explains the values and some other intangible aspects embodied. Tourists and the locals can pick one up for free along its shores, and in the near future, this will be supplemented by an audio guide in six languages for the convenience of foreign tourists.
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