有美堂暴雨 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 旧版英译:戈登.奥赛茵, 闵晓红, 黄海鹏(1990) 新版英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2023) 游人脚底一声雷， 满座顽云拔不开。 天外黑风吹海立， 浙东飞雨过江来。 十分潋滟金樽凸， 千杖敲铿羯鼓催。 唤起谪仙泉酒面， 倒倾鲛室泻琼瑰。 A Storm over Youmei Hall written by Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') old En. trans. by G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) new En. trans.+ annot. by Julia Min ( Feb. 2023) Beneath my feet the Earth shudders in thunder. And Heaven’s darkening in rumbling anger. The trade winds hurl up walls of waves over. Rains, dark and furious, fly across the river. Big drops loud like the pounding on Jie drums, The West Lake’s alive as a winecup overfilled, The shower could sober up Li Bai from his cup To write poems like a mermaid’s pearls tumbled. Notes: 1. Youmei Hall: built in 1057 (Song) in honour of Emperor Renzong and named after his Majesty’s verse. Many poems and prose were written by notable men including Su Shi’s teacher Ouyang Xiu on the hall’s spectacular view of both Qiantang River and West Lake. 2. Jie drums: large and loud drum of the Jie People, used to be favoured by the Tang Emperor Xuan Zong; 3. Li Bai: one of the greatest Chinese poets from the Tang dynasty. Once he was summoned to the Emperor’s presence when he was still in a hangover, whereupon the Majesty ordered to douse him with cold water. When he sobered up, he broke into a frenzy of composition. Appreciation: Written in 1073 when Su Shi was still the deputy governor of Hangzhou, a very productive period for him not only as a civil servant but also as a poet. The famous destination Youmei Hall was located near Hangzhou city, a most developed place back then. The hall had been a hot topic for poetry, prose and paintings since its establishment. Any new piece of work would be judged heavily by critics against the masterpieces of the past on the subject. Just imagine how you would feel to compose a poem on daffodils after Wordsworth’s poem, or to paint the last supper after Leonardo da Vinci’s work, or to sing “Poetry in Motion” after Johnny Tillotson. I can almost feel the pressure there during his composition, which perhaps, turned to inspiration for his heroic current manifested in the vibes of this poem, as he was a man able to swim against the current. The poem has been indeed a most remembered one on Youmei Hall. You can’t help but being drawn to the dramatic yet powerful moment of a majestic summer storm played on the wide river surface, the surrounding hills, West Lake on the other side, and of course, the travellers on the top of Mt Wu. To match such momentum Su Shi touched upon the glorious Tang Empire -- the best known emperor and his drums, the romantic and untamed poet Li Bai, and even the legendary mermaid’s treasures for your wild imaginations. I’m right there beside him before the Hall, all wet through. Are you too? Wow! Reference: 1. Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1990 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏) (“ A Storm Over Youmei Hall -- Earth breaks open under me;/ In wonderful anger Heaven is solid black;/ The darkness hurls-up great waves in the distance/ And furious rains cress the river with Easterlies./ The river’s alive as wine in my gold cup overfilled / The Jie are pounding drums demanding rain’s obedience. /Be quick, my soul, like Li Bai, when the King had him doused. / Upside down’s the mermaid’s house and all her pearls spilled.”) 2. pictures from Google

阳关曲.中秋月 --写给子由 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 旧版英译:戈登.奥赛茵, 闵晓红, 黄海鹏(1990) 新版修改及赏析: 闵晓红(2023) 暮云收尽溢清寒， 银汉无声转玉盘。 此生此夜不长好， 明月明年何处看。 The Mid- Autumn Moon (to Ziyou) -composed to “Yangguan Tune” written by Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') old En. trans. by G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) Revision+ annot. by Julia Min (2023) Evening shadows gathered-in, A bright chill spills over the land. The jade plate spins As the Milky Way remains silent. This night, this life, -- No good time stays for good. Who knows, next year’s full moon, If we’ll see her together again? Notes: 1. Jade plate: the full moon; Appreciation: The Moon Festival is an important day for family reunion after the harvest, as Chinese believe the full moon represents fulfilment and union. This has been reflected in many things. For example, Chinese usually use round table for dining, and people with a round face is regarded as a happy face that would bring luck to the family. A circular shape corresponds with a square shape, a yin-yang balance as in nature with human society deriving ideas that, to a degree, shaped Chinese culture. This short ci lyric excels not only in the rhymes but also other poetry features like ‘pin ze’ and ‘dui zhang’ (平仄和对仗) which are special to Chinese poems thanks to the character form and sound benefits. It’s a ‘qi jue’ (七绝)，a strict 4 line format with 7 characters which is deliberately arranged based on yin-yang theory. This has been a popular poetic form (since 200s AC) with two couplets where every word or phrase echoes the previous line in grammatical function and tone, and the subjects should correspond with each other as well, such as ‘此生此夜’ with ’明月明年’（ ‘this night this life…/ next moon, next year….’） The subject is easier to capture for this short poem. It’s been 7 years separation for the brothers before this day and it happened to be such a blissful night together under the beautiful full moon and a serene cloudless sky dotted with the Milky Way. The first two line usher us into the natural scene, and then the subject turned to his sentiment in the second couplet, hinting the unpredictable future of official careers in a chaotic time of the Song during the practice of the New Law, where Su Shi and all his followers were faced with more turmoil on the way. A profound impact on the readership – ce la vie! Reference: 1. Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1990 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏) (“The Mid- Autumn Moon -- Evening shadows gathered-in, a bright chill spills over the land. / The Milky Way is silent and the jade plate spins. / This night – this life – we don’t have the good things for long. / And next year’s moon – who knows? – if we’ll see her together again.”) 2. picture from calligraphy by Pan, Wangjing (潘望京书法)；

於潜女 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 旧版英译:戈登.奥赛茵, 闵晓红, 黄海鹏(1990) 新版英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2023) 青裙缟袂於潜女，两足如霜不穿屦。 觰沙鬓发丝穿柠，蓬沓障前走风雨。 老濞宫妆传父祖，至今遗民悲故主。 苕溪杨柳初飞絮，照溪画眉渡溪去。 逢郎樵归相媚妩，不信姬姜有齐鲁。 The Yuqian Women written by Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') old En. trans. by G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) new En. trans.+ annot. by Julia Min ( Feb. 2023) Snow blouses, blue skirts, the Yuqian women wear. Their feet are pale as frost because they’re bare. Just a silver comb, in two loops they dress up hair; Wind or rain, their silver headbands stay, I swear. The palace style’s descended from Wu-Yue period To honour their King Qian, their legend figure. The willows start shedding catkins to Yun River. The women in fresh make-up cross it in gondola To charm their woodmen husbands on their return. No Yuqian man trades his girl for a posh lady fair. Notes: 1. ‘Yuqian’: a county about 200 km from Hangzhou. 2. ‘Wu-Yue’ and ‘King Qian’: King Qian (Qian, Miao钱镠) , the founder of Wu-Yue State during the Ten States period between the Tang and the Song. Hangzhou was the capital. To save his people from the catastrophe of a war with Song’s Zhao army, he gave up his crown for peace and the united Song Dynasty. Many famous men have come from the Qian family even in modern China. 3. ‘Yun River’ another name for River Tiao; ‘Yun’ is chosen for the assonance in the line. 4. ‘gondolas’: so translated as I imagine the boat likely to be the Chinese gondola (蚱蜢舟), a localization strategy applied in translation as the English definition refers to the boat generally used in Venice. It serves well the romantic vibes between the lines. Appreciation: In 1093, Su Shi inspected Yuqian area where the Wu-Yue culture had flourished since the early Han Dynasty. The traditional dress, the silver head coverings, and the charming openness of Yuqian women took his fancy. In contrast would be the courtesans, the mythical ladies and the various ideal women of some folklore. Again, catkins are associated with softness and the feminine in culture, with true love and spiritual nourishment. If you step back for a panorama view of the artistic world in China and Europe, you’ll see the similarity in the main features of the Renaissance --- the general trends in aesthetic tastes evolved from the luxurious palace art to the simple style of common subjects, to their everyday life in the country villages. Bright colours gradually gave way to simple plain colours like light blue, light green, black and white. This occurred across the board not only in poetry but also in paintings, statures, music, and designs. I sincerely wish this new perspective could inspire more studies on the rhymes and vibes of the Song Dynasty art. Reference: 1. Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1990 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏) (“ Yuqian Wome: Black skirts, snow blouses, the Yuqian women wear. / Their feet are pale as frost because they’re bare. / They whirl and dance, in two loops pin their hair; / In storms their silver headbands stay, I swear, / Descended straight from the palace and their / Precious ancestors to themselves, who take great care /To honor the old ruler. By Tiao stream catkins fill the air, / An eyebrow of a woodthrush wings down to where / One of these waits her woodman-lover hurrying there; / No Yuqian husband trades his lady for some mythical lady fair.”) 2. pictures from

新城道中 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 旧版英译:戈登.奥赛茵, 闵晓红, 黄海鹏(1990) 新版英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2023) 东风知我欲山行，吹断檐间积雨声。 岭上晴云披絮帽，树头初日挂铜钲。 野桃含笑竹篱短，溪柳自摇沙水清。 西崦人家应最乐，煮葵烧笋饷春耕。 On the Road to Newtown written by Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') old En. trans. by G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) new En. trans.+ annot. by Julia Min ( Feb. 2023) The east wind sees me going to the mountains, So leaves off rain, the dripping music on eaves. The ranges wear caps of clouds like white cotton. The treetop hangs a brass gong, the sun at dawn. The peach buds smile by a low fence of bamboo, The weeping willows sway over the sand brook. Westhill smells boiling okra with bamboo shoots, A hearty start on the spring field for full yields. Notes: 1. Newtown: a county of Hangzhou Prefecture (Xindong County Zhejiang Province today); Appreciation: Su Shi had been always fond of visiting the country to get hands touch on the grass roots, the real life of the common people instead of sitting in his office for reports. Besides, he has been greatly influenced by Daoist works by Zhuangzi and others. The Zen philosophy, a branch grown out of … , was developed and widely embraced in the Song Dynasty and onward, even today. This poem is just one of the many poems he wrote about his trips to the country, to the villages in the mountains, all detailed with the natural features there and then which we can still visit and capture, if lucky, today. Such transformation from the high and graceful society life to the common folks’ rural life is greatly valued in the literature of the Renaissance of Europe that happened about 3 hundred years later. Here the shift took place between the luxurious Tang Dynastry to the simple even plain but familiar life picture of the people. Reference: 1. Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1990 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏) (“ On the Road to Newtown: The east wind sees I go into the mountains today/And leaves-off raining, but for the music falling front eaves./The hills wear the last of the clouds, white caps of cotton,/And a fresh sun hangs in the treetops, a bright, brass gong.// Each peach-bud’s a smile by low bamboo fences/Where a stream and her willow are waving, the sands running clear/How lucky the man with so cozy a place, with its yields,/The woman who boils-up the shoots for her man in the field. ”) 2. pictures from “蒋溥写意画”

饮湖上初晴后雨 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 旧版英译:戈登.奥赛茵, 闵晓红, 黄海鹏(1990) 新版英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2023) 水光潋滟晴方好， 山色空蒙雨亦奇。 欲把西湖比西子， 淡妆浓抹总相宜。 A moment from shine to rain on West Lake written by: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') old En. trans. by: G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) new En. trans.+annot. by: Julia Min ( Feb. 2023) A sea of sparkling ripples when it shines, A mystic place with misty hills in rain. One shade the more, one ray the less, Can barely touch the nameless grace. A toast to West Lake for her rare beauty Like Xishi, and her values, shine or rain. Notes: 1. West lake: a most beautiful lake at Hangzhou near Shanghai (still a most popular tourist destination today); 2. “One shade the more, one ray the less,/had half impaired the nameless grace.” : borrowed from Byron’s famous poem “She Walks in Beauty” for an associating imagination; 3. Xishi (西施/西子): lived one of the four mostly admired beauties in ancient China, namely, Xishi, Wang Zhaojun, Diaochan and Yang Yuhuan. Xishi lived in the State of Yue during the Spring and Autumn period (770-476 BC). Appreciation: This famous poem was obviously written when Su Shi was the governor of Hangzhou (1071-1074), a place where he shared many beautiful memories with family and friends. The Hangzhou people today are still very grateful acknowledging his achievements for the region, calling him ‘The Legendary Mayor Su Shi’. This short poem of 7-Jue verse (七绝) has been recited in schools all over China. Even my son’s maid sings it to my granddaughter to cheer her up. As in every masterpiece of art, it’s composes of easy wordings and simple associations for the mass readership, while at the same time it manifests, to the intellectual readership, his philosophical perspective at the time, or more specifically, the lake is our poet, his moral quality and strength. Indeed his whole life has been tested to the limit again and again only to prove the same outcome. Nothing could touch his heroic and romantic quality come rain or shine. A nut hard to crack for his political opponents but dearly loved for a thousand years to come. Reference: 1. Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1990 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏) ("Drinking Wine by West Lake After Rain: The waters gleam and ripple freshly after a good rain;/She’s no less rare or lovely among the misting hills./I see her captivating as Xi Zi of ancient song,/Changing pale colors for bright, and always the more beautiful.”) 2. “One shade the more, one ray the less,/had half impaired the nameless grace.” : borrowed from Byron’s famous poem “She Walks in Beauty” for an associating imagination; 3. painting from Google；

Working on my Cholesterol By Julia Min Tue 27 Jul. 2021 My doc asked me to work on my cholesterol. The dietitian gave me a list to follow: No cheese, no butter, and no sugar. It took me a while to settle. My morning starts with a bowl of oats, And a wholemeal toast with avocado. only tea and fruits before noon, Simple lunch and soup dinner to follow, No soda, no pasta and no alcohol, My life felt boring and miserable. The first week was a struggle. The second week ringed demurral. In the third week, I insisted and persisted Till the craving left me, I felt healed. From good to bad, ugly to truth, I realized this life is a teaching school. JM: Your thoughts? Leave a comment and let me know :)

Are we on track or astray? - by Julia X. Min ( on 22 July 2021, amid the 5th lockdown of Victoria, Australia) Some say you may see the world in the sand. Why do you have to travel far and wide? Some say in a flower you can see Heaven, Why conquer all the way to other lands? Infinity is defined in the palm of our hand, we can see the universe on our land. If Eternity is in the moment, a conscious breathing would feel decent. Others see the world as a big Family, Whether you see the shades of sun rays or the billion ‘pop-ups’ from countries. Why push up ‘walls’ in the wrong places? If Earth is our home, our Mother Nature, we’re surely killing Her with clever ventures. If Heaven is home to Father, the Creator, He’d lament our loss of holy textures. Imagine a world without humans, nor our scientific achievements; No nuclear, no plastic, no chemicals, every other life would survive to thrive. Notes: 1. Reference is made to William Blake's " Auguries of Innocence" ” - To see a World in a Grain of Sand/And a Heaven in a Wild Flower /Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand /And Eternity in an hour… ... 2.‘pop-ups’, a word often used by the Indian mystic Sadhguru to describe us, humans, on the planet. 3. ‘walls’: trade walls started by Donald Trump, border walls built in America, and those in history, e.g. German walls, the Great Wall, … 4. 'shades of sun rays': J Min’s understanding of humans’ skin color is merely a result of sun rays. Tropical regions are home to darker skin while cold regions host fairer skin, so nothing to do with social values. Australia is meant for brown skin tribes which explains why so many Europeans suffer skin cancer in warmer areas.

春残秋暮 （2022年4月墨尔本秋季，我也邂逅了新冠， 康复中读到李清照的《春残》，随和一首） 作者：闵晓红 病里梳头恨发长， 窗前家鸽唱夕阳。 萧条庭院花无几， 云疏月淡品菊香。 黄州荷花应待放， 梯田绕山插稻忙。 新冠久居龙虎榜， 归途无期仍遥望。 JM: Your thoughts? Leave a comment and let me know :) picture from google: http://do.poonline.com.cn/33032576/

玉楼春 . 南人北意 （写在2022.2.2墨尔本，两年多未能回国探亲， 祈望今年底回湖北过大年。） 作者：闵晓红 春归北国燕欲回, 雪压梅花琼枝坠。 江边垂柳开眉眼， 上元灯节不夜天。 澳洲秋季三四五， 华人望月念故土。 西风不解思乡浓， 何苦扰我归乡梦。 Notes： 1.‘澳洲秋季...’： 澳洲人认为夏季是每年的12月1日-次年的2月28日，整月计算守阳历， 依次可推出其它季节，中国人自然会认为有误。 今年立春之日是2月4日星期五，南半球当是立秋，所以出现了24天的差异；而且每年出入不一。我本人在这里观察气温水温及树木花卉的变化，的确是秋天的感觉。孰是孰非，有待气候专家确认。

玉兰的韵律 - 澳洲墨尔本2022.05.17 作者：闵晓红 五月秋暮叶子黄， 六七冬眠不知霜。 八月萌发探春早， 九月无叶斗艳忙。 十月东君催花去， 十一绿肥花泥香。 种子渐成见子苞， 孕育九月再吐芳。 冰心玉洁甚清雅， 神采风度如梅花。 西人不知中国梅， 幸有玉兰暖寒乡。 JM: Your thoughts? Leave a comment below.

吴中田妇叹 (和贾收韵) 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 旧版英译:戈登.奥赛茵, 闵晓红, 黄海鹏(1990) 新版英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2023) 今年粳稻熟苦迟，庶见霜风来几时。 霜风来时雨如泻，杷头出菌镰生衣。 眼枯泪尽雨不尽，忍见黄穗卧青泥！ 茅苫一月垅上宿，天晴获稻随车归。 汗流肩赪载入市，价贱乞与如糠粞。 卖牛纳税拆屋炊，虑浅不及明年饥。 官今要钱不要米，西北万里招羌儿。 龚黄满朝人更苦，不如却作河伯妇。 The Complaint of a Peasant Woman at Huzhou - To echo the rhymes of Jia Shou’s poem written by: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') old En. trans. by G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) new En. trans.+ annot. by Julia Min ( Feb. 2023) My field of sinica rice won’t make it this year. The frosty wind is here before the crops mature. To make it worse, the killing rain starts to pour. My sickle’s rusted, the rake mossed all over. To see a harvest in mud I can hardly bear. For a month I live onsite to drain the water. The rain is endless, but dried my eyes of tears. As it clears I reap the yield in sweat and pain, Loading my cart down and carrying it to town. Then I found the price as low as chaff there. The tax payment takes cash not grains this year, Treating the Huns thousands of miles northwest. I have to sell my cow and wreck my house here, to settle the tax and get wood for winter. Nothing’s left, what shall I do for next year? They say the Court’s filled with virtuous courtiers Like Gong and Huang, yet my life is no better Than the sacrificed wife to Yellow River. Notes: 1. To echo the rhymes of, ‘heshi’ or heyun’, a poem composed in the same rhyming pattern as another poem to show appreciation; I have not been able to find anything like this in the English world, so I call it ‘an echoe poem’, or here in full, ‘to echo the rhymes of’. 2. The Huns: a nationality on the northwest of the Song territory. There had been disorders and invasions along the northwest borders and the policy of Wang, Anshi, the leader of the New Law, was to pacify the Huns by offering money and silk. It was this unintelligent weak attitude that enraged many patriotic people of the time. 3. Lord Gong and Lord Huang: Lord Gong Sui and Lord Huang Bai, two highly respected officials from the Han Dynasty; 4. Yellow River: here refers to the God of the Yellow River to whom a sacrifice was made in time of flood in ancient China. It was believed a beautiful girl, drowned to be the sacrificed wife, could please the river god and stop the flood. Similar things happen also in other countries at ancient time. Appreciation: This poem was written in 1072 in Huzhou, about 80 kilometres from Hangzhou, an advanced agriculture region. It’s overtly political satire using a peasant’s tone for the experience, like Jonathan Swift’s Modest Proposal. The subject matter focuses on the common people – the miseries of the farmers saddled with armaments and with high taxes, yet no relief from an indifferent government even in times of natural disaster. The New Law proved to be a hasty effort, resulting in severe consequences in many parts of the country. For a change, the peasants are required to pay their taxes in cash, not in commodities. Such theme was quite popular during this time. Every Song courtier from the Royal Court, as well as every official despatched to districts, has a taste for poetry as it’s part of the Imperial Exam, a gateway to become a civil servant. You could imagine the impact of a collective output of poems by high officials in the gentlemen’s society, on the top of the many reports to the Emperor. Interesting to know this poem was versed in the same rhyme as Su Shi’s friend Jia Shou’s poem. Soon after, Su Shi’s brother Su Zhe echoed with a new poem in the same rhyming pattern to this one. It’s an intellectual game very popular back then. Reference: 1. Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1990 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏) ("My field of japonica rice won’t make it this year;/ Any night now come the killing frost and wind,/ And with the wind will surely come great rains./ The rakes will rot and cobwebs grow in our sickles/ I’m exhausted with drying my eyes and endless rains.// I can’t bear the sight of the harvest dead in the mud./I lived in my fields for a month digging ditches for drains./ As soon as it quit I came back with my cart loaded down./I sweated the pain in my shoulders and got it to town./ But the price was so low at the market it could have been chaff./ The cattle paid taxes and I burned the rafters for lunch.// So much for this year and forget food for the winter./ It’s cash not rice the boys in the capital need./ How else will they pay for the army they need in the north!/Judge Gong and Judge Huang can’t hear all the bitterest sad cases./ My life’s good as being the river God’s sacrificed wife.") 2. pictures from Google；

醉书（六月二十七日望湖楼） 原作: 苏轼（字子瞻, 号东坡居士; 11世纪北宋） 旧版英译:戈登.奥赛茵, 闵晓红, 黄海鹏(1990) 新版英译及赏析: 闵晓红(2023) 黑云翻墨未遮山， 白雨跳珠乱入船。 卷地风来忽吹散， 望湖楼下水如天。 Drinking lines for the West Lake (at the Lakeside Pavilion, Hangzhou, 27 June, 1072) written by: Su Shi (11th AC, social name 'Dongpo') old En. trans. by: G. Osing, J. Min & H. Huang (1990) new En. trans.+ apprec. by: Julia Min ( Feb. 2023) Large clouds came like rolling ink past the hills. Raindrops danced around my boat like jewels; Then quick as the scene’s swept, the storm’s left. Where lake becomes sky my porch cannot tell. Appreciation: This short poem is the first of the five poems written in Hangzhou when Su Shi was the governor. The series starts with his experience in a boat on the lake and then shifted to the Lakeside Pavilion overlooking the scene. It could be simply read as a poem on a dramatic change of whether in West Lake region, or the reader could dig deeper to find the changing moods of the lake associated with Su Shi’s understanding of Daoism that all possibilities could be subsumed in any single moment. Reference: 1. Blooming Alone in Winter by Gordon Osing, Julia Min and Huang Haipeng，published by the People's Publication House Henan Province in 1990 (《寒心未肯随春态》戈登.奥赛茵，闵晓红，黄海鹏) ("Drinking lines for the West Lake (in Hangzhou on June 27th) / Black clouds roll, ink almost flooding the hills, / Great raindrops dance around my boat like jewels; / Then, quick as the scene’s swept, the clouds dispelled,Where Lake becomes the sky my porch can’t tell.") 3. pictures from Google；