He Yifeng

In this part of China, the southern tip of the Yangtze River Delta, June is known as the month of lotus. These summer days celebrate lotus. The water species presents fragrant blossom and elegant stance. Its colors and postures change with the light from dawn to evening. Local residents have been in love with lotus on the West Lake since very ancient times. Liu Yong, a poet of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), rhapsodized about lotuses that extended for five kilometers on the West Lake 1,000 years ago. His timeless poetic description made the West Lake famous throughout the country. Since then, lotus has blossomed in Chinese poetry. Lotus is one of the everlasting charms of the West Lake of Hangzhou.

From early summer to fading autumn, the West Lake allows itself to be totally obsessed with lotus. From the moments the buds poke timidly out of the water, to the moments when lotus is all the sound and fury in the lake, to the moments lotus begins to wither and vanish, everyone around the lake falls under the spell of lotus and feels the irresistible touches lotus has upon them. Lotus in and out of blossom reminds visitors of timeless visual and poetic masterpieces created over the past millennium about the pure species. Moments before sunrises and at dusk paint breathtaking pictures of lotus. For many people, lotus blossoms bring back the past and look into the future and integrate time and space in ones memory.

In autumn, when large leaves begin to disappear, the seedpods and naked shafts represent another breathtaking aspect of lotus aesthetics. The image portrays passage from prime, solitude, and quietude. A poet famously observes that withered lotus leaves are left there so that the sound of raindrops can be heard. No other flowers in Chinese poetry enjoy such a status after their blossoms are gone.

Great poets in Chinese history wrote chapters about lotus and its blossoms. Their sojourns in Hangzhou and their visits to the West Lake in the lotus season are important part of Chinese literary anecdotes. The stories about their romance with lotus add defining touches to the beauty of the West Lake. □