Dawn of the Southern Song

960–1279

 

Dawn’s first rays warm the face, and the scent of peaches perfume the air as swallows chirp and whoosh overhead. Along the Su Causeway are some of the many simple pleasures in which guests can delight whilst waxing poetic about the Southern Song Dynasty. Named after the poet and official Su Shi (苏轼), Spring Dawn at Su Causeway (苏堤春晓) is the first among the top ten poetic scenes of the lake of the Southern Song Dynasty, and while it may have been created before the dawn of the Southern Song in 1090, it certainly sets the tempo.

The official Su Shi had West Lake dredged, giving employment to more than 200,000 workers during his time here. In so doing, Su incidentally set Hangzhou apart from other cities across China and the world for its advanced urbanization—a balanced blend of nature and city life. Both his work and his literary legacy are the reason the Su Causeway bears his name.

 

During the epic Song period’s peak, China’s population soared from 50 million to 100 million with advances made in chemistry, math, poetry, and worldwide trade, and with that success came a powerful navy and merchant fleet which would see the shores of Arabia and India. Over centuries of careful management, Hangzhou became the nexus of a commercial boom that would see it rise as one of the major commercial ports of the age.

When the Northern Song capital of Kaifeng fell to Jurchen invaders of the Jin Dynasty in 1127, and with emperors and most of the royal family captured, the ninth prince Zhao Gou (赵构) fled south with what remained of the court. He ascended to the throne in Nanjing and

became the first emperor of Southern Song Dynasty, Emperor Gaozong of Song (宋高宗). In the first few years of his reign, he spent most of his time fleeing,

and at one point was driven to the sea by Jurchen armies and spent four months on a boat in coastal waters.

It wasn’t until 1138 that the court established a full-time presence in Hangzhou, and, for the city’s protection, thick walls were built all around. With the influx of refugees from the north, the city’s population soared. Eventually, the city’s southern wall extended over Wushan Hill (吴山) and north to the Grand Canal, west to the eastern shore of the West Lake and east to the Qiantang River, forming a rectangle nestled between hills and waters. Walk around the eastern shore of the West Lake and you will find some of the city gate relics, such as the western Gate of Qiantang (钱塘门). Built in 1148, the remains are protected in glass at Hubin Road and Qingchun Road, just 90 meters from the shores. It had a unique architecture of rammed earth that typifies the sort of Song construction associated with the former capital in Kaifeng. This, along with Qingbo Gate (清波门) and Fengyu Gate (丰豫门), or better known as Yongjin Gate (涌金门), served as the Western Wall of Hangzhou, then known as Lin’an (临安). Today, they’re marked by tourists and history aficionados, but in the past, they would have been guarded by some of the fiercest warriors in the East.

 

In many ways, Lin’an was a peculiar case in terms of city planning. Most ancient capitals in China, like Chang’an or Peking, built their imperial palaces on the northern end facing south. But as you will see today, Phoenix Hill (凤凰山) which held the Southern Song imperial palace, was on the opposite end. But, to be fair, it wasn’t their first pick; many officials at the time actually favored the site of the Xixi wetlands (see page 78), which are on the northwest of the city, for the palace. However, Phoenix Hill won out because it was the highest point in the city, with easy access to the Qiantang River at the foot of the hill—which would enable the emperor to easily spot an invasion and flee via waterway. However, in explaining his own decision to face north, Emperor Gaozong told his officials that he wanted to be reminded of lost territory that he would one day take back.

 

From the imperial city, an imperial thoroughfare, or “heavenly street”, cut a south-north axis through the city, which is roughly today’s Zhongshan Road. Along the road were shops and stores of all kinds that bustled into the night. A section of the original royal street was excavated in 2004 and preserved for modern visitors to see in the Southern Song Relic Museum(南宋遗址陈列馆) by the Zhongshan South Road. A pedestrian street was also put in place—a remembrance of past glory as well as a popular hangout spot for today’s youngsters (see page 173).

 

Over the following years, Emperor Gaozong devoted much of his time to architecture projects and garden planning inside the imperial city and around town. Artistically talented like his father, the emperor oversaw some of the most magnificent palace buildings, which were said to have had such masterful aesthetics that it formed the Southern Song style.

 

Unfortunately, a mysterious fire in 1277 destroyed the imperial city just one year after the capital fell to the Mongol Yuan Dynasty (1206–1368). What remains today are relics buried underground and a stele of Emperor Gaozong’s calligraphy work on the hill.

 

For a panoramic view of the glorious capital Lin’an, head to Hangzhou Museum (杭州博物馆) on Wushan Hill where you can look out over the imperial city or explore the capital through a motion sensing digital exhibition.

 

For 138 years, Lin’an served as the capital of the prosperous Southern Song, nurturing the development of technology, arts, crafts, commerce, literature, and philosophy—leaving the world with a vibrant Southern Song legacy.

Eight-trigram Cropland Park
八卦田遗址公园

Shaped like a bagua, or eight trigrams, symbols to represent the fundamental principles of reality in Daoist cosmology, this farmland at the southern foot of Jade Emperor Hill (玉皇山) was also of imperial importance in the Southern Song Dynasty. First designated in 1143, Emperor Gaozong presided over the spring plowing ceremony in which the emperor himself would hold the plough for a few runs, so as to pay respect to ancestors and pray for a good harvest to come, as well as set an example for his subjects. In 2007, the West Lake Scenic Area Administration restored the Eight-trigram Cropland to its present state. The now 60,000-square meter park area features the octagon farmland enclosed by water channels with different crops of varied colors. The center area takes the shape of a round taiji, in which Longjing tea and other Hangzhou native crops are planted. The best place to get a bird’s eye view of the neat pattern is up on the Jade Emperor Hill in front of the Zilai Cave (紫来洞), a Daoist relic. The park itself is adorned with reliefs of ancient agricultural ceremonies and other themed exhibitions. A peaceful hangout with tea houses and corridors over tranquil water, the park pulls local residents and travelers alike.