Folk Tales of the West Lake

By Olympia Press

Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang Province, about 200 kilometers south of Shanghai. It was sacked by Kublai Khan at the end of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and was visited by Marco Polo in the late 13th century, when he called it ”... the finest and most splendid city in the world.” One side of the city is a freshwater lake, the other is a huge river flowing toward the ocean. These are some of the tales from that magic region.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Olympia Press
• Release date: Feb 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781608723256

Book preview

Table of Contents

Folk Tales of the West Lake

THE DAZZLING PEARL

IN SEARCH OF THE SUN

THE STONE INCENSE BURNER

THE APRICOT MAIDEN

THE PEAK THAT FLEW HERE

THE MONKEY-CALLING CAVE

THE ANCESTOR OF TEA

THE MOONLIGHT-OVER-CASSIA PEAK

THE MOTHER OF SILK

THE BLACKSMITH WHO INVENTED SCISSORS

THE BAI CAUSEWAY

THE TIGER RUN SPRING

THE PARASOL

THE BATTLE WITH STEAMED BUNS

THE CASE OF THE FOLDING FANS

---

Folk Tales of the West Lake

Anonymous

This page copyright © 2007 Silk Pagoda.

PREFACE

"In Heaven, there is paradise,

On Earth, there is Suzhou and Hangzhou!'

If you love poetry, these words would evoke memories of orioles singing in the willow trees along the shore of West Lake in Hangzhou, or the splattering of summer rain on lotus leaves in an ancient garden pond in Suzhou. Better still, you may recall the chanting of a poem by an old monk in the bamboo grove near the sixteen-hundred-year-old Lingyin Temple where he had recited his morning incantations of the Diamond Sutra. This bamboo grove is so full of moisture that if you wait you could see the young bamboo sprout out of a ground richly clad in mulch. It gives you an eerie feeling of seeing, in your dream, a white eel poking its head out of a swamp. These words would also flash in your mind, a vision of blue and purple mountains in the distance, constantly assuming new forms because of an ever-changing haze. You may be reminded, too, of the faint smell of jasmine blossoms gently flowing in the warm June air, a sensual fragrance, a whiff of heaven. What's more, this divine fragrance could almost make you taste again the huge honey-juice peaches you ate at the Dragon Well Village long ago.

If you do not read Chinese poetry but would like to know something about the feelings and sensitivities of Chinese poets and painters, the best thing is to read some legendary stories about Suzhou and Hangzhou. These two cities are landmarks of Chinese art and literature, and anthologies of legendary stones. Of the two cities, I prefer Hangzhou because there is more to see and hear. Destroyed and rebuilt many times, Hangzhou is more than two thousand years old, but it is still a city with a personality of its own. I had a feeling that its folk tales make this so. These legendary tales have the power to make us languorous and wistful, and their timeless-ness reveals to us the ephemeral nature of life. They can also make us grin like children discovering a secret for the first time.

Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang Province, about 200 kilometers south of Shanghai. It was sacked by Kublai Khan at the end of the Song Dynasty (960-1279) and was visited by Marco Polo in the late 13th century, when he called it ... the finest and most splendid city in the world. One side of the city is a freshwater lake, the other is a huge river flowing toward the ocean. The city is rich in all kinds of goods. Marco Polo recorded that the daily consumption of chili peppers in Hangzhou was forty-three cartloads, each one consisting of 225 lbs. Today the city is more prosperous than at any time before in Chinese history.

All around West Lake are stately palaces and mansions of fine workmanship. You can feast your eyes on Hangzhou's temples, palaces, mansions and gardens with their towering trees reaching down to the water line while taking a boat ride. At present, there is more restoration going on in Hangzhou than a few years ago. For example, while I was sailing along West Lake last summer I saw the winter study of Emperor Qian Long of the Qing Dynasty being painted.

As for the people of Hangzhou, Marco Polo observed that they were men of peace and had a strong distaste for strife or disagreement. They pursued their trades and professions with diligence and honesty, and cared for each other so devotedly that the whole city seemed to be one big family. They were no less kind to foreigners who came to Hangzhou for trade or for pleasure. I find his observation as true now as it was six hundred years ago.

This book is not a story-by-story translation of The Folk Tales of West Lake published by the Zhejiang People's Publishing House in 1978 but an adaptation of selected stories.

Wang Hui-Ming

Montague, Massachusetts

August, 1980

THE DAZZLING PEARL

A long time ago a dragon, white as snow and known as Jade Dragon, lived in a cave on the east bank of the Milky Way called the Celestial River. In the forest on the opposite side of the river lived Golden Phoenix.

Every morning they greeted each other before going their separate ways. One flew in the sky while the other swam in the Celestial River. They met unexpectedly on a fairy island one day and there Golden Phoenix found a shining pebble.

Look, how beautiful this pebble is, she said to Jade Dragon.

Let's carve it into a pearl, Jade Dragon said.

Jade Dragon then used his claw and Golden Phoenix her beak to grind the pebble. She flew to the magic mountains to gather dewdrops and he