Western Hills

　　The Western Hills are world-renowned thanks to the "Fisherman" ci poem composed by the mid-Tang hermit poet Zhang Zhihe: “Before the Western Hills white egrets fly, peach blossoms bloom where the carp grow fat. A straw rain cape, a green straw cloak—no need to return in the slanting wind and fine rain.” Zhang Zhihe, also known as Xuanzhenzi, was summoned to serve as a Hanlin academician during Emperor Suzong’s reign. Though immensely talented and of noble character, he did not fit in with the times. Later, he was exiled and demoted to the post of magistrate of Nanpu. After receiving a pardon, he wandered the rivers and lakes, styling himself the “Recluse of the Misty Waves.” Yan Zhenqing’s “Inscription on the Tombstone of the Wandering Master Xuanzhenzi Zhang Zhihe” records: “In the ninth month of the ninth year of the Dali era, [Zhang Zhihe] visited me in Huzhou. Seeing that my little boat was worn out, he asked to have it replaced.” Zhang replied: “If you would grant me a fishing boat, I would be glad to make my home on the water, drifting along the rivers and lakes, moving between the Tianmu (with rain radical over speech radical) streams, and the Western Hills. That would be the joy of this humble man.” During his time in Huzhou, Zhang Zhihe interacted with Lu Yu (also known as Jinglingzi), Pei Xiu (styled Jiaolang), the former imperial censor Li E, the poet-monk Jiao Ran, and Yan Zhenqing—all of whom were also in Huzhou at the time. Day and night, he sailed his small boat along the serene waters of the Tianmu (with rain radical over speech radical) streams and the Western Hills area, and composed the timeless “Fisherman” ci poems from genuine emotion. There are five “Fisherman” ci poems in total, at least two of which depict the landscapes of Huzhou.