Zhejiang: Poetry and Painting of Zhejiang: A Symphony of History, Landscapes, and Cuisine

Zhejiang, located on the southeastern coast of China, is a land steeped in millennia of civilization. As early as the Hemudu Culture period 7,000 years ago, the dawn of civilization had already begun to shine here. During the Spring and Autumn Period, it was part of the Yue Kingdom, and the story of King Goujian “sleeping on firewood and tasting gall” is still passed down among the people today. The Southern Song Dynasty established its capital in Lin’an (present-day Hangzhou), making Zhejiang the nation’s political, economic, and cultural center and cementing its reputation as the “land of fish and rice and home of silk.”

Zhejiang’s landscapes are picturesque, boasting some of the most stunning scenery in southeastern China. The West Lake’s ten scenes, such as “Spring Dawn on Su Causeway” and “Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon,” appear naturally formed and have attracted countless literati and artists for thousands of years. Qiandao Lake, with its vast blue waves, is dotted with islands like stars in the sky. Mount Putuo, reverberating with the chanting of Buddhist scriptures, is one of China’s four sacred Buddhist mountains. Ancient water towns like Wuzhen and Xitang, with their small bridges, flowing streams, and white-walled, black-tiled houses, exude the charm of Jiangnan. Mount Yandang, known as the “First Mountain in Southeast China,” features towering peaks, while the Qiantang River tidal bore is renowned worldwide for its majestic power.