Hangzhou

West Lake

Six Harmonies Pagoda / Maojiabu Village

Fei Lai Fei Lai Peak / Ling Yin Temple

Running Tiger Spring / Red Carp Pond

Yunqi Bamboo Path

Jing Ci Temple / Mausoleum of General Yue Fei / Emperor Qian Monastery

Huqingyutang Traditional Chinese Medicine Shop / Hefang Old Street

Xi Ling Seal Society Site

Modern Side of Hangzhou

Night on West Lake

Silk Museum

Wuzhen Town

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Date of Production: 2009-09-28

Playing Time: 01:06:19

Catalogue Number: 2.110553

UPC: 0747313555352

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The Places

Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province, held a position of importance from the time of the Sui dynasty (581-617 CE), and is sited at the end of the Grand Canal, which linked waterways that provided communication between the provinces of China. It was the capital of the Southern Song dynasty (1127-1276) and was visited by Marco Polo in the following Mongol Yuan dynasty. He compared Hangzhou to Venice, praised its traditional arts and crafts, and commented on its great importance in the spice trade and on the beauty of the West Lake with its bordering pavilions and temples. Historical monuments abound, with temples, pagodas, and buildings that recall ancient China.

The Music

The music chosen for this tour of Hangzhou is played on traditional Chinese instruments. Unusually there is a Bach minuet, transcribed for the Chinese dulcimer, the yangqin, used to accompany a visit to a silk museum. Other instruments heard include the dizi, the Chinese bamboo transverse flute, and ensembles of wind and strings known as "silk and bamboo" from their silk strings and bamboo pipes. Traditional Chinese music, like Chinese painting, is generally associated with a scene or poem, as revealed in its evocative titles.