China · HangzhouRain on the Lotus Pond
“Leave the withered lotus, to hear the rain upon it.” On West Lake the dead stems stand until after Lunar New Year.
What you’ll hear
- Rain on leaves
- Eave drips
- Frogs
In the 3D scene you can change the time, season and weather, or follow the local time.
About this place
West Lake covers about 6.38 km² and averages little more than 2 m deep, with lotus planted in beds across it; Quyuan Fenghe, “Breeze-ruffled Lotus at the Winding Courtyard”, is the best known. In Southern Song times an imperial brewery stood here, and the scent of lotus and wine drifted on the wind; the Kangxi Emperor fixed the present name in 1699. The first flowers open in late May and the peak runs from mid-July to early August. The plum rains set in in early to mid June and lift in early July.
The scene is a corner under the eaves of a waterside pavilion: beyond the curved bench rail lies a pond full of lotus, and across the water a stone arch bridge, white walls with dark tiles, and a small bamboo-roofed boat. Frogs call from the banks on summer nights and cicadas from the trees by day. Striated herons are summer visitors that leave around October. Mandarin ducks have bred on West Lake since 2007 and are joined by birds from the north in winter, when cormorants arrive too. After autumn the leaves dry brown, and the lake’s keepers leave them standing through winter, cutting them only after Lunar New Year.
Through the year
A rough guide from published sources, not monthly measurements.
Month by month
- JanuaryWithered lotus stands in the water; snow now and then
- FebruaryThe old stems are cut after Lunar New Year
- MarchWillows leaf out and the banks turn green
- AprilNew lotus leaves break the surface
- MayThe first lotus opens late in the month
- JuneThe plum rains set in, shower after shower
- JulyRains lift early; the lotus peaks from mid-month
- AugustStill in full bloom early on; cicadas loud
- SeptemberBloom ends early; osmanthus flowers late in the month
- OctoberLeaves wither; mandarin ducks arrive from the north
- NovemberBrown stems; dawn redwoods turn russet at month’s end
- DecemberThe withered lotus is left standing for winter
Four seasons
Late April · Spring
New leaves just break the surface, the willows are green, and trees and the stone bridge are mirrored below.
Mid-July · High summer
The lotus is at its peak, rain falls on a pond full of leaves, and frogs call after dark.
Late October · Autumn
The leaves have dried brown where they stand, and rain on them makes a different sound.
January · Winter
The withered lotus still stands; when it snows, the dead leaves and the railing turn white.
Best moments
Rain at dusk
Jul 15 · 18:50 · Rain
A July evening: rain on a pond full of lotus leaves, drips from the eaves, and the lotus in bloom.
Lotus in the rain
Jul 15 · 12:05 · Rain · Lotus leaves
Close to a single bloom as raindrops strike the leaves and roll across them.
Night rain
Jul 15 · 22:00 · Rain
After dark the rain keeps falling, lamps come on across the water and frogs call from the banks.
The lamplit pavilion
Jul 15 · 18:50 · Rain · Distant pavilion
Across the water to the pavilion, its lamps reflected in the pond at dusk.
A clear spring day
Apr 20 · 12:00 · Clear
A clear April day: new leaves just breaking the surface, with trees and the stone bridge mirrored below.
Autumn lotus
Oct 20 · 11:45 · Clear
By October the leaves have dried brown and stand in the water under a high pale sky.
Snow on the pond
Jan 18 · 12:10 · Snow
January snow settles on the withered lotus and along the railing.
Mist on the pond
Jul 15 · 12:05 · Fog
Summer mist hides the far bridge and pagoda, leaving only the lotus close by.
An artistic re-creation inspired by the lotus ponds around Quyuan Fenghe, not a copy of any real pavilion or bridge; the distant pagoda and the evening bell are there for atmosphere. Some bird calls, the cicadas, the bell and the rain on withered lotus use recordings from elsewhere or stand-ins.
In the 3D scene you can change the time, season and weather, or follow the local time.
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