Lake Dongting Microsoft Word 文档.doc

Lake DongtingLake Dongting covers an area of 3 900 square kilometers. It is Chinas second largest freshwater lake. Its misty, rolling waters reach so far and wide as to blend into the blue sky. Across the lake to the west of Yueyang is Jun Shan ( Jun Hill ), a picturesque island, originally known as Dongting, which means a cave of celestial beings. Many legends attach themselves to the island and one of the tells of mottled bamboo and the name of the dawn of human civilization, is said to have lived in 2500B.C. died while on a southern inspection tour of Jiuyi Mountain on the southern bank of the lake. His two wives, Princess Jun an Princess Xiang missed the emperor so much that they followed his way thousands of miles down to the lake and stranded on the island though they learned of his death. Then they both clung to some bamboo and wept their hearts out. The biters tears mottled the bamboo and there became “tear-mottled bamboos”. Both died of grief and were buried on the island. As the two princesses were called Jun and Xiang respectively, the former Dongting Hill was specially re-named Jun Hill or Xiang Hill in their memory. The hill has been noted for its variety of bamboo, such as mottled bamboo, fish pole bamboo, square bamboo, solid bamboo, black bamboo and moso bamboo. The grand Drangon Boat Festival, lotus show and other squatic sports are held here annually.Lakeside scenes are very attractive and many rank among the national-level scenic areas. The best-known is Yueyang Tower, both one of national monuments and one among the first group of national 4A-grade scenic spots.Yueyang Tower stands on the west gate of the city named after the tower in Hunan province. The tower faces the Lake Dongting to the west and leads to Wuxia Gorge, one of the Yangtzes Three Gorges, to the north. It is known as one of the “three famous towers of the Yangtze”, the other two being Tengwang Tower in Nanchang and Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan. In addition, it is the only one of the three that keeps the original appearance as it is, and it is indeed an architectural wonder of ancient China.Architecturally, the tower characterized by wood, three stories, four columns, brackets ( or dougong ), and a helmet-shaped roof. It is a 15-meter-high three-storied structure with three eaves, made entirely of wood. The whole building is supposed by 4 gigantic columns of nanmu wood in the center. In addition, 12 corridor pillars hold up the second story and 12 peripheral columns, the first-storied upturned eaves. The towers roof looks like the helmet of an ancient warrior, hence a “helmet roof”. The top eaves are braced by interlocking brackets, and the entire structure is mortised together without the benefit of single nail. The multiple upturned eaves of the three-storied tower, viewed from a distance, present a soaring grace.Yueyang Tower used to be the site of a navy reviewing stand erected for General Lu Su of the State of Wu in 215. A tower was constructed in 716 in the Tang dynasty on the said site. As it was situated on the sunny or southern side of Mount Tianyue, it was named Yueyang Tower ( Tower on the sunny side of the Mount ). Restored in 1045 during the Song dynasty, the tower was, in later years, ruined and rebuilt many times. It was finally rebuilt in 1867.The present tower is flanked by Drunk Three Times Pavilion and Fairy Mume Pavilion. According to legend, the former pavilion was put up in memory of Lv Dongbin, a wandering Tang Taoist priest who was said to get drunk there on three occasions. For the latter pavilion, another legend says that before Yueyang Tower was rebuilt in 1639 during the Ming dynasty, preparation were under way, and a stone slab was unearthed from under the foundation. Imprinted on the slab were sprigs of withered mume blossoms, each bearing 24 calyxes. Believing this to be the work of fairies, the local people erect the pavilion specially to commemorate the discovery.As a matter of fact, Yueyang Tower has historically been a tourist attraction, and since the Tang dynasty gradually become the creative theme an the sightseeing resort for numerous poets, writers, and artists. Of all historical relics preserved in the tower, perhaps the most recommendable piece is the couplet by poet-immortal Li Bai in the Tang dynasty. Hung at the third floor, it reads:“The waters and the skies merge into one color;The wind and the moon sail in boundless space.”Near Yueyang Tower and Lake Dongting stands Remember-Du-Fu ( Huaifu ) Pavilion, which was built in 1962 to commemorate the 1250th birthday of poet-sage Du Fu (712-770 ) in the Tang. Inside the pavilion is erected a stone tablet. Its front side is carved with the portrait of Du Fu and his poem Ascending Yueyang Tower, while its reverse side with his life story.On top of that, the most celebrated essay about the tower was written in 1046 by the Northern Song dynasty writer Fan Zhongyan, entitled Yueyang Tower. Displayed on the second floor of the tower, this 368-character work is carved on the 12 sandalwood panels in the personal handwriting of Qing dynasty calligrapher Zhang Zhao. To provide enjoyment for readers, the oft-quoted part of the essay is specially cited as follows：“Lake Dongting embraces distant mountains and swallows the water of the Yangtze. Its mighty waves keep rolling endlessly. From morning sun