New Top Ten Scenes of the West Lake-Lord Ruan’s Mound Submerged in Greenery
There are three artificial islands in the West Lake: Xiaoying Island (Three Pools Mirroring the Moon), Huxin Pavilion (North Tower Base) and Lord Ruan’s Mound. Lord Ruan’s Mound is an island piled by use of the mud from the dredging of the West Lake after the Zhejiang Governor Ruan Yuan dredged the West Lake in the fifth year of Emperor’s reign (AD 1800) in Qing Dynasty, so the later generations address it as Lord Ruan’s Mound. It is the smallest island in the three islands of the West Lake.
In 1981, Greenery Mountain Resort was built on the island. Inside the resort, the banner is higher than the tips of trees and flutters with wind, which is really of ancient customs. The center of the island is a piece of clearing and its northwest is a courtyard made up of halls, verandas, short fences and wood gate. The southeast bank is a dock and a round pavilion with cedar barks woven into roof and palms as columns placed in the northeast bank. The pavilion is named as “Yiyun” (refers to the meaning of memorizing Ruan Yuan). The small island floats on the clear green waves and is hidden away in the flowers and trees clusters, just like crystal emeralds on the jasper plate. The name “Lord Ruan’s Mound Submerged in Greenery” comes from that. The whole environment, with faraway mountains and nearby water, is open and bright, and clear and quiet.