The Landscape Writing Modes in West Lake Poetry: Centered on Bai Juyi, Su Shi and Yang Wanli’s Writings

Abstract

The rise of the “Ten Scenes” 十景 poems and lyrics in the late Song Dynasty marked the solidification of the landscape writing modes in West Lake poetry. Earlier, the exemplary writings of Bai Juyi 白居易, Su Shi 苏轼, and Yang Wanli 杨万里 on West Lake landscapes had already formed three distinct modes: Bai Juyi’s poetry is characterized primarily by the Panoramic Mode, Su Shi’s by the Poetic-Subject Mode, while Yang Wanli further developed the Landscape-Focus Mode, establishing a Lake-Surface-Mode. These modes provided models and methodological pathways for the later “Ten Scenes” poems and lyrics. The developmental history of West Lake poetry during the Tang and Song dynasties reveals the complex interactions among power, customs, landscape, and literature.

Keywords

West Lake poetry / landscape writing modes / Bai Juyi / Su Shi / Yang Wanli

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Higher Education Press