In this district there are a number of little lakes and merry rivulets, which have poetic names. A part of the shore of Si-Hou is called the Quay of Master Sou, because Sou-Toung-Po had nenuphars and other flowers planted there. Many poets have written about this lake. The most celebrated is the following, which was written by Sou-Toung-Po:
“Compare the lake to Si-Si. It is more simple and prettier, because it is less made up.”
“The traveller finds himself in the middle of a picture, and can easily believe that all these picturesque constructions are made of embroidery, so I am no longer surprised that the Choung dynasty Preferred this lake to the half of their empire.”
The following is still more enthusiastic:
“Ten leagues of lotuses and an autumn rich in koue flowers Attract the sovereign to them. The new melody, entitled, ‘Song of the Willows,’ Is sung by every mouth. This is what has changed the capital of the empire, And has caused Pien-Theou to be deserted for Hang-Tcheou.”
“The perfumed zephyr embalms the light of the moon, Athwart the twelve stories of the mountain; The Court ascends in the night to the Pavilion of Leisure, Enjoying the panorama from above, Which offers a charming view at the moment when all the houses are lighting up.”
This will suffice to give an idea of these landscapes, the most beautiful in China. The views are of infinite variety, and each point has some natural charm, or has attaching to it some memorable event, historical or legendary. So it is very difficult to represent all there is to be described here, even with the paint-brush. Man is unable to portray all the beauties which Nature, the real artist, so prodigiously displays.
There was a tropical heat that day, not a breath of wind stirring, and not a shady corner to be found anywhere. It was one of those stifling and suffocating days of our Chinese summer. I was trying to find some place where to spend the afternoon with some degree of comfort, when some one knocked at my door.
They were friends of mine, who had come to ask me to go bathing with them. They had been considerate enough to bring a sedan-chair for my use with them, and so off we went.
Beyond the N.E. gate of Fou-Tcheou there is a warm sulphurous spring, which is very much frequented by the inhabitants of the town. Some go and bathe in the common pool, which is reserved for the cure of diseases of the skin; others, who come either for cleanliness or merely for pleasure, take private cabins. I need not say that there are separate pools for the two sexes.