One

  "Marco Polo's Travels" says that Hangzhou is the most noble and beautiful city in the world. Outside of Hangzhou, China has many other beauties.

  So Columbus put this travelogue on his own driving platform and set off to the sea. From him, Europe completed its geographical discovery.

  The navigators did not arrive in Hangzhou, but Hangzhou has been vaguely hovering above their mental horizon.

  Why should we trust Marco Polo's words?

  Because he comes from Venice, the most beautiful city in Europeans' eyes, and has enough discerning eye for urban beauty.

  Actually, when Marco Polo came to Hangzhou, the city had already suffered a significant destruction. In the decade before his arrival, Hangzhou, as the capital of Southern Song Dynasty, fell into the hands of the Mongol army. A long-lasting war finally ended, and the indulgence and venting that followed can be imagined. Although there was some recovery in the following decades, it was still incomparable to its heyday as a national capital. Even so, it remained noble and beautiful enough to rank first in the world, making it not hard to imagine what it looked like before being destroyed.

  Two

  The beauty of Hangzhou has been described with too many words by writers throughout the ages. This is a tragedy that all great beauties must face, for people always think that they can be captured in words, and thus they become buried under a heap of vocabulary. But these same words can also describe small beauties, mediocre beauties, ordinary beauties, forced beauties, and exaggerated beauties. The scene is like a world-class singer being surrounded by countless noisy voices.

  For this reason, this article will conduct an experiment, abandoning descriptions and only talking about how Hangzhou's beauty was created and protected.

  Hangzhou was not originally a place with natural beauty like Huangshan, Jiuzhaigou, Changbai Mountain Tianchi or Zhangjiajie. A shallow bay was silted up by the tidal and Yangtze River's mud, and over time it no longer communicated with the outside sea, forming a saltwater lake. In this saltwater lake, aquatic plants will grow more and more, while the water will gradually evaporate and decrease, slowly becoming a swamp and then a saline-alkali land. This is a natural rule that has been repeatedly verified.

  Therefore, Hangzhou was able to become so beautiful later on, completely relying on human creation.

  Firstly, people diverted a freshwater river (Wulin Water) into that salty lake

  The water source makes it gradually become a freshwater lake, which is West Lake. Then, build the sea wall to resist the tide, this is Qiantang.

  In the early seventh century, Emperor Yang of Sui opened the Grand Canal to Hangzhou, making it an important city overnight. As the population grew, the city's water supply had to be taken from the fresh water of West Lake, and in the eighth century, the "Six Wells" connecting West Lake were dug, making Hangzhou more dependent on West Lake.

  In the 820s, the great poet Bai Juyi was appointed as the governor of Hangzhou. However, he didn't come to write poems, but to get things done. The problem he encountered was that there were many farmlands along the West Lake waiting for irrigation from the lake, while a large area of reeds had appeared in the middle of the lake, greatly reducing its water storage capacity. Therefore, he carefully studied the relationship between "storage" and "drainage", first excavating the bottom of the lake to build a dam higher than the original lake surface, greatly increasing the lake's water storage capacity. Then, according to the irrigation needs, he drained the water in a controlled manner. In addition, he also dredged the six wells used by the people.

  Bai Juyi, as seen here, is a complete water conservancy expert and urban construction specialist. At this time, he was already over fifty years old and had long since completed "The Song of Everlasting Sorrow", "The Pipa Xing", "Qin Zhong Yin" and "New Yuefu", undoubtedly becoming one of the few masters in the entire history of Chinese literature. However, he did not show any arrogance in this cultural identity, but instead was busy directing the engineering work on the lake every day.

  The great poet writes poetry with mud and stones here, handing over the brush and ink to the little poets. His own lines of poetry hide in the water grass and stone crevices, covering their mouths and laughing, never making a sound, for fear that the little poets will hear them and abandon their writing.

  Three

  The one who truly regarded Hangzhou as his eternal home and systematically managed the city with a natural sense of ownership was Qian Liu, the king of Wuyue in the 10th century. This is a name that should be remembered, because he is one of the few urban construction masters in Chinese history. The "Liu" character in his name is often mispronounced by many people, which would be unfair to him. Liu has the same pronunciation and meaning as "鎏", a type of high-quality gold, remember that.

  This "golden son" was not originally enshrined in the palace's brocade box. He lived at the bottom of society for a long time, selling private salt, enjoying archery, slightly understanding divination, and serving as a local military officer in the late Tang Dynasty, gradually becoming a separatist force. After the fall of the Tang Dynasty, China entered the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, and Qian Liu established the Wu-Yue Kingdom, one of the "Ten Kingdoms". This was a small country in the southeast, with its northern border at Suzhou, southern border at Fuzhou, and its territory mainly consisting of present-day Zhejiang Province, with Hangzhou as its center.

  Qian Liu began to govern the country from water control. He first used the greatest power to repair the seawall outside Hangzhou. The original stone seawall could no longer withstand the surging tide, so he ordered the creation of long bamboo baskets filled with giant stones, laid horizontally as a dam, and nine layers of giant wood as pillars, driving six layers of wooden stakes, based on this foundation to build "Haishan Dam", which was very effective. In addition, a gate was built at the mouth of the Qiantang River to prevent seawater from flowing backwards. As a result, the greatest ecological threat to Hangzhou was subdued, and people called him the "Dragon King of the Sea".

  The canal was blocked, and then the lake was attacked. He had long discovered that the biggest trouble encountered by West Lake was the obstruction of duckweed and the extension of algae, so he set up a large number of "lake soldiers" in the style of a military commander, also known as "shallow soldiers" and "clearing soldiers". All these names are inseparable from the word "sweep", because their task is to sweep away the duckweed and algae, and at the same time clear the silt. These personnel were all part of the military system, showing that Qian Liu was treating this matter as a major battle, a great battle to defend West Lake.

  Apart from West Lake, most of Taihu Lake on the border of Suzhou also belonged to Wu Yue State at that time. Taihu was vast, so he also dispatched more than 7,000 "Lake Troops" to Taihu. Taihu is still plagued by ecological disasters today, and Qian Liu took strong measures more than a thousand years ago. In addition to Taihu, he also dredged South Lake and Jianhu Lake.

  In short, he got "entangled" with water and became the "archenemy" of seawater, lake water, and river water, only to eventually become their "loved one".

  Controlling the waters was for building a city. Qian Liu made great contributions to the construction of Hangzhou. He built the Child City and Waist Drum City, and carried out overall planning and construction of streets, houses, and canals within the city. He also developed the surrounding mountains, especially the opening of Ci Yun Ridge, which opened up a passage between the Qiantang River and West Lake. In addition, he built towers and temples to promote Buddhism, and put forward beautification requirements for various buildings in the city and by the lake.

  As a politician, Qian Liu was also very concerned about the security of his territory and avoided various political disasters with the aim of "protecting the border and pacifying the people". He had a strong and proud personality, but he did not fight against powerful forces. Instead, he deliberately belittled himself and looked up to others, adhering to the principle of "yielding to the stronger" and making it his last will. By the time of his grandson Qian Chu, the Northern Song Dynasty was already in a dominant position, on the verge of unifying the Central Plains. Qian Chu also agreed to incorporate the Wu-Yue Kingdom into the territory of the Song Dynasty. This strategy not only demonstrated the wisdom of a small country but also preserved the integrity of a large country.

  Moreover, it was also because of this that Hangzhou, which is quiet, rich and beautiful, had the possibility to be chosen as the capital of Southern Song Dynasty, becoming the first-tier city in China at that time.

  Qian Liu's existence has raised some questions about our traditional view of Chinese history. He was not a famous general who resisted enemies, nor a hero of the Chinese people, nor a powerful warlord in times of turmoil or a pillar of society in times of prosperity. He was not a leading figure in literature or a wise philosopher in academia, and therefore it is difficult for him to become a focus of history or a model for future generations. What he cared about was the welfare of the people, the peace of the land, the rise and fall of the tides, and the clarity or murkiness of lake water. For this reason, he even did not hesitate to lower his political reputation and military prestige.

  When Chinese history mainly focused on the glory of the imperial court, he had no status; but when Chinese history finally shifted its focus more to people's livelihood and environment, his image would suddenly stand out. Therefore, I was delighted to hear that Hangzhou City built a temple for him, which is also a repair project for historical conscience.

  Four

  Hangzhou is really lucky, before becoming the capital of Southern Song Dynasty, it also welcomed an important figure, that is Su Dongpo.

  Su Dongpo served as an official in Hangzhou twice. The first time was when he was over 30 years old and served as the Vice Governor of Hangzhou, and the second time was when he was over 50 years old and served as the Governor of Hangzhou. Like Bai Juyi, when he came to this city, he did not show the appearance of a great poet, but instead became a thorough water conservancy engineer - even more so than Bai Juyi.

  He didn't want to establish a poetry society in Hangzhou, hold writing conferences, build a creative base, or organize literary awards. He didn't even want to write poetry in Hangzhou; occasionally he would scribble something like "Water Light Ripples on a Clear Day", which I think is just an ordinary metaphor and not a successful work. He simply hummed it casually and wouldn't take it seriously. His melancholic eyes captured the severe crisis of West Lake. If we must compare West Lake to the beauty Xi Shi, then this beauty has fallen ill and her days are numbered.

  The poet's duty is to describe the beauty of a woman when she dies, but Su Dongpo wants to save her. Therefore, he would rather not be a poet than not be a real man.

  He found that when he first came to Hangzhou as a judge, West Lake was already blocked by aquatic plants for one-third; and when he came again as the prefectural governor, it was already half-blocked. Judging from the trend, in another twenty years, West Lake would be completely dried up and cease to exist.

  Without West Lake, Hangzhou will cease to exist. This is because if the lake water dries up, the balance of water resources between West Lake and the Grand Canal will be lost, and the salt tide will inevitably flow backwards along the Qiantang River, bringing mud and sand that will block the canal, while the "six wells" that supply the city's water will also become useless. The citizens cannot bear the suffering of salty water and will disperse... Then Hangzhou will become a deserted city.

  Not only will Hangzhou become a deserted city, but the farmland around Hangzhou will also be unable to irrigate, and freshwater aquaculture, brewing, handicrafts and other industries will all disappear. The country's important source of tax revenue will also disappear along with it.

  Facing such a terrible prospect, even the carefree Su Dongpo couldn't be carefree anymore. He petitioned the imperial court, raised funds for the project from all sides, formulated a detailed plan of action, and started large-scale rescue operations. His plan included several aspects:

  Firstly, the places in the lake that have been reclaimed and turned into fields by people are ordered to be abandoned and returned to the lake.

  Secondly, dredge the bottom of West Lake and prohibit aquaculture in the central area to prevent sedimentation.

  Thirdly, a large amount of mud was dug out to build a long dam across the lake, and six stone bridges were built in the middle of the dam to allow water to flow through, which is "Su Causeway".

  Fourthly, build a dam between West Lake and the Grand Canal, so that the tide does not enter the lake.

  Fifthly, recruit a thousand civilian workers to dredge and transport the Grand Canal, ensuring smooth transportation.

  Sixth, replace the bamboo pipes that connect Xihu and "Liujing" with stone troughs to make the water supply system last forever, and build two new wells.

  These things, just doing one of them would have caused a stir, now putting them together and advancing simultaneously has turned the whole city of Hangzhou upside down.

  Everyone in Hangzhou knows that this commander-in-chief is called Su Dongpo, but everyone has forgotten that this Su Dongpo is the same Su Dongpo who amazed the world with his poetry and prose!

  After Su Dongpo, Hangzhou and West Lake were radiant and resplendent, as if waiting to become the capital. As for really becoming the capital, I don't want to say more. There are already many written records, which are nothing but extreme prosperity, extreme richness, extreme luxury, plus extreme elegance. Hangzhou was thus endowed with an extremely elegant charm, and West Lake also became extremely enchanting.

  Although the Song Dynasty was plagued by border troubles, the level of civilization it reached was the highest peak in ancient China. The culture, technology, commerce and people's livelihoods were all breathtaking. All these are densely concentrated in Hangzhou, how can Hangzhou not be magnificent?

  However, this splendor is also easy to mislead people into thinking that all of this was destined to be, and should have been this way from the start. Few people think about how all the splendor relies on a very fragile ecological lifeline, like a lotus stem swaying in the muddy water, supporting the lush lotus leaves and radiant flowers. In order to protect this ecological lifeline that could break at any moment, many people have struggled barefoot in the muddy ponds.

  This scene of struggling in the muddy pond was certainly beyond Marco Polo's imagination.

  Five

  There was ecology before culture, and this truth has been eloquently demonstrated in Hangzhou. To what extent? Even the greatest poets who came here lost their heart to write poetry, but immediately became ecological rescuers.

  Hangzhou also has a dense culture, but I've found that as soon as any culture arrives in Hangzhou, it immediately becomes a scenic and ecological existence. Not to mention how Lingyin Temple, Liuhe Pagoda, Ge Hill, and Solitary Hill transform profound Buddhism and Taoism into beautiful landscapes, what I like even more is that even some folk stories are laid out by Hangzhou as moving scenery.

  The most astonishing one is the White Lady in "Legend of the White Snake". Hangzhou uses a pool of clear and bright lake water, a broken bridge that is suitable for rain or snow, and a Leifeng Pagoda that has collapsed and been rebuilt to serve her.

  She doesn't contain too much of the "culture" that we usually talk about. She isn't even human, yet she's willing to genuinely be a person. She is a demon and an immortal, so nothing is difficult for her. But when she just wants to be a person, an ordinary person, then it becomes difficult.

  This story itself is a kind of challenge to Chinese history. Chinese history has always been "two many, one few": the first is the many demons, as well as the similar magic, ghosts, treachery and rebellion; the second is the many immortals, as well as the similar gods, saints, loyalty and virtues. These two groups seem to have a clear boundary but can be transformed at any time. The few are humans, who are different from both demons and immortals. Therefore, Bai Niangniang must stand on the edge of human and non-human to solemnly tell people: what is human? This concept in folklore stories is shocking and thrilling.

  Hangzhou seems to have known the greatness of this folk tale from the very beginning, and is willing to create a huge real-life stage for it. This real-life stage will never be dismantled, reminding people year after year why human life is so worth nostalgia. Compared with this real-life stage, other cultural relics in Hangzhou seem less important.

  Like the story of "The Legend of the White Snake", the essence of Hangzhou is to pursue human beauty. The foundation of human beauty is ecological beauty, especially natural ecological beauty.

  In Hangzhou, without the beauty of natural ecology, no culture can be formed.

  This is quite different from what we normally know about Chinese history and culture.

  Six

  One of my greatest pleasures in Hangzhou is to find a drizzly evening, preferably in late spring, and take a solitary walk along the Su Causeway. There are no inscriptions, couplets, or plaques on the causeway, just the natural scenery unfolding before one's eyes, unspoiled by human words or cultural pretensions. This was Su Dongpo's intention when he built this long causeway, to give people a chance to escape the distractions of the world and walk in reverence of nature. I think the people of Hangzhou have understood his intent and left the Su Causeway untouched.

  In comparison, many places in China nowadays have gone a bit overboard. They are always searching for reasons to look down on other places in ancient cultural heritage, and if there was a scholar or poet who left behind a few sentences, they would loudly build houses and carve stones. If an author emerged, they would simply use their hometown's landscape as illustrations for their works. Everyone has completely forgotten that whether it is a scholar, poet, or author, as cultural figures, they are also just sons of their hometown. In the face of natural ecology, they are humble and insignificant just like all their fellow villagers.

  In recent years, the builders of Hangzhou have adhered to the city's tradition, without seeking distant ancient reasons or mentioning empty cultural slogans. They have instead focused on dredging the West Lake water source, repeatedly excavating and clearing silt, and expanding the lake's area back to its original scale as seen by Marco Polo. After renovating the Yanggong Dike, they beautified the new West Lake and developed a large Xixi Wetland, showcasing the people of Hangzhou's infatuation with ecological environments. The standard for this city is not about grandiose talk, but rather about being suitable for human habitation.

  With this, Hangzhou presents a humanistic declaration that spans thousands of years. This declaration was once dominated by Qian Liu, drafted by Bai Juyi and Su Dongpo, polished by Madame White, and continued to be written by today's builders.

  The content of the declaration is complex and simple at the same time: about nature, about ecology, about beauty, about human relationships.

  I have only one small suggestion for Hangzhou now: find a suitable corner, build a statue of Marco Polo. On the side of the statue, set up a stele and engrave the sentences he reported to the world about Hangzhou in Chinese, Italian and English. And be sure to indicate the year.

  Because of these sentences, they quietly propelled those distant fleets, and thus propelled the world.