Poetic Yunnan 5: Six poems on Spring City

A view of Kunming, the Spring City in central Yunnan

Yunnan is a land of poems, and the provincial capital Kunming is known as the Spring City, or “春城/chūn chéng” in Chinese, largely for its spring-like weather all year round. It’s big fun to read poems in the Spring City in spring. However, the phrase “春城/spring city” in most Chinese poems before the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) was a common noun that may refer to any city or town in spring, as is shown in the case below:

I
hán shí
寒食
hán hóng

chūn chéng wú chù bù fēi huā

Cold Food Day
By Han Hong; Translating by Xu Yuanchong

Nowhere in spring city but flowers down fall from trees,
On Cold Food Day royal willows slant in east breeze.
At dusk the palace sends privileged candles red
To the five lordly mansions where wreaths of smoke spread.

Culture ABCs:

a. The poet Han Hong succeeded in being a candidate in the highest imperial examinations, in 754 AD of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). His dates of birth and death remain unknown.

b. The Cold Food Day in the title and Line 2 falls before the Mourning Day, or the Tomb Sweeping Day. Ancient Chinese folks put out their fire at home to have cold food in the honor of Jie Zitui, who died of a fire set to his hiding forest by an emperor in the Spring-Autumn Period (770-476 BC). Later, eating cold food also became a folk practice on the Mourning Day.

The phrase “春城/spring city” in the poem was a common noun that refers to Chang’an, capital of the Tang Dynasty. Now it’s called Xi’an city in northwest China’s Shaanxi province. Although Poem I is not originally dedicated to the Spring City Kunming, it happens to depict the wonderful scene of “flowers falling from trees here and there” -- a most typical sight of the Kunming city. As a result, the poem has been widely loved by residents in Yunnan. Now Kunming is the flower capital of Asia.

As for the poems that are originally dedicated to Kunming and finally endowed Kunming with the title of Spring City, the Ming Dynasty poet Yang Shen, with his art name being Yang Shengan, contributed the most, and he is regarded as the first to gracefully name Kunming as Spring City. In the following five poems, we can see Yang’s perception to the city at different stages, involving Kunming's weather, landscape, folk customs and more.

Flowers bloom at a lakeside park in central Yunnan's Kunming, the Spring City.

II
diān hǎi qǔ zhī shí
滇海曲之十
yáng shèn
杨慎

pín xiāng bō nuǎn fàn yún jīn
蘋香波暖泛云津，
yú yì qiáo gē qǔ shuǐ bīn
渔枻樵歌曲水滨。
tiān qì cháng rú èr sān yuè
天气常如二三月，
huā zhī bú duàn sì shí chūn
花枝不断四时春。

10th Tune on the Dianchi Lake
By Yang Shen

Sweet duckweeds and warm waves float at the Yunnan Ferry;
Fishing boats and woodcutting songs linger on curved shores, merry.
The weather is often like that in the second or third moon;
Flowers blooming in four seasons bring the spring boon.

Culture ABCs:
a. The poet Yang Shen (1488-1559), native to Sichuan province that neighbors Yunnan, is a high-ranking official of the Ming Dynasty. Yang was banished to Yunnan province for over 30 years, when he was greatly pleased by the dazzling sights of the province.

b. This poem is one of the 12 tunes Yang composed for the Dianchi Lake, and the Yunnan ferry in Line 1 is said to be located near today’s Shuanglong Bridge in downtown Kunming. The ferry was where the Panlong River empties into the Dianchi Lake. Back to some 500 years ago, Dianchi had a higher water level and flooded a much larger area.

Poem II doesn’t directly mention the Spring City, but its graceful depiction of Kunming’s weather in Lines 3 and 4 is immortal. According to an article on the social network of Spring City Evening News, this poem represents Yang’s first intuitive perception to the city’s spring-like weather, which is now recognized by global visitors.

A view of the Daguan River that flows into the Dianchi Lake in Kunming, the spring city. Photo/Yunnan Daily

III

chūn wàng sān jué
春望三绝
yáng shèn
杨慎

chūn chéng fēng wù jìn yuán xiāo
春城风物近元宵，
liǔ yà lián lóng huā fù qiáo
柳亚帘拢花覆桥。
yù bǎ guī qī bǔ shén yǔ
欲把归期卜神语，
zǐ gū dēng huǒ zhèng xiāo tiáo
紫姑灯火正萧条。

Three Typical Scenes in Spring
By Yang Shen

When Spring City ushers in the Festival of Lantern,
Willows droop like curtains, flowers adorning bridges.
I'd go divination on the date for my return,
But Purple Goddess's light is on the wane.

Culture ABCs:

a. Purple Goddess in line 4 is an allusion of the Chinese tradition, where folks would ask the goddess to tell their return or other fortunes on the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.

b. The phrase "light on the wane" in line 4 signals a weakening credibility of gods or deities. Here we can see the poet is sad and pessimistic about his home return, especially on the day for family reunion.

Poem III is where the term Spring City was first mentioned directly to refer to Kunming, presenting the city's sight in early spring. The same article on Spring City Evening News network said the poem marks Yang’s formal naming or recognition of Kunming as the Spring City.

Yang largely lived a lonely life in Yunnan, but was highly respected by the hospitable locals. He made a lot of friends here, and the friendly residents made his stay in the province full of touching stories of friendship. Poem IV is dedicated to Tang Qi, native to Kunming’s Jinning district.

A view of Kunming, the Spring City in central Yunnan

IV
jìn níng guān shè jiāng guī liú bié zhū jūn zǐ
晋宁观社将归留别诸君子
yáng shèn
杨慎

dōng tái běi dào kǔ xiàng liú
东台北道苦相留，
huā yuè chūn chéng yè sè yōu
花月春城夜色悠。
jǐn sǎn fū rén shuāng gǔ zhuǎn
锦伞夫人双毂转，
jīn guàn tài zǐ sì mén yóu
金冠太子四门游。
jiǔ zhī dēng xià kāi huá yàn
九枝灯下开华宴，
bǎi xì péng zhōng duó cǎi chóu
百戏棚中夺彩筹。
chéng xìng jiā qī shū bú yuǎn
乘兴佳期殊不远，
lǜ bō hóng dǎo gèng qīng zhōu
绿波红岛更轻舟。

Farewell to Gentlemen at Jinning Temple Fair
By Yang Shen

At North Road, my dear host repeatedly urges me to stay longer,
When Spring City in flowery moons has a night view of leisure.
The brocade-umbrella Lady travels on two-wheeled carts;
The golden-crown Prince wanders through four royal gates.
We enjoy a grand banquet under a nine-branch light;
At a canopy for diverse games we win awards bright.
In high spirits, I see another merry day just around the corner,
For green waters and red islets will make my boat even lighter.

Culture ABCs:

a. The host in Line 1 refers to Tang Qi, one of Yang’s seven disciples in Yunnan. Tang invited Yang to a Mt. Haibao temple fair near the southern shore of the Dianchi Lake, where Yang also met with other Yunnan men of letters like Chen Biao, a native of central Yunnan’s Yuxi city.

b. Lines 3 and 4 depict the performing scenes at the temple fair. The Brocade-umbrella Lady (512-602) in Line 3 refers to Lady Xian, or 冼夫人/xiǎn fū rén in Chinese. She was a heroine of the Li people, ancestors of the Zhuang ethnic group. Born to the chieftain of the Xian tribe in Guangdong and Guangxi during the Sui dynasty, she pioneered the noble cause of ethnic unity in south China. The lady is known as Tiển phu nhân in Vietnam.

c. The Golden-crown Prince in Line 4 refers to the ancient Indian prince Siddhartha who encountered the “four signs” during excursions through four gates of the palace. These signs were an old man, a sick person, a corpse, and a monk or a yogin. The prince later got awakened and became Shakyamuni Buddha, the founder of the Buddhist religion.

While poem IV features a leisurely night view of the Spring City in middle spring, specifically on the eighth day of the second lunar month when Buddha is honored by Yunnan folks, the following poem is evoked by Yang’s bosom friend Luo Guoqi.

A vernal view of a lakeside park in central Yunnan's Kunming, the Spring City.

V

xí shàng màn xìng chóng zèng luó guǒ qí
席上漫兴重赠罗果齐
yáng shèn
杨慎

jūn hóu zǎi jiǔ guò chūn chéng
君候载酒过春城，
huà jǐ qīng xiāng jiàng zhú míng
画戟清香绛烛明。
zhēn zhòng qīng yún xīn yì xiàng
珍重青云新意象，
liú lián bái yún jiù gē shēng
留连白云旧歌声。
zuò rú ní sù hái hé qì
坐如泥塑还和气，
zuì ruò shān tuí wèi jìn qíng
醉若山颓未尽情。
zhī jǐ xiàng féng nán jù bié
知己相逢难遽别，
xí jiān màn xìng yòu shī chéng
席间漫兴又诗成。

To Luo Guoqi Again -- Out of the Passion at Feast
By Yang Shen

Passing Spring City, your excellency carries wine to me;
The halberd is fragrant, crimson candles burning in glee.
Your new position at high office needs to be held dear,
While old songs by kinsfolks are to be kept in a cheer.
Being seated, you look like a clay statue with amity;
Getting drunk, you seem a hill collapsed in pity.
Bosom friends are hard to say farewell in haste;
I pour out my passion for another poem during feast.

Culture ABCs:

a. Luo Guoqi, then head of central Yunnan's Songming county, crossed the Dianchi Lake by boat to meet Yang at his residency at the foot of Kunming’s Western Hills. Yang was overjoyed, and he wrote the poem in impromptu.

b. 青云/qīng yún in Line 3 is a metaphor for a high official position, while 白云/bái yún in Line 4 is an allusion to love of kinsfolk or life of a hermit.

Poem V shows that Spring City produces quality wine for friends to get together, and this reminds us of the Yanglin town in Kunming's Songming county, where the Yanglin wine rich in medicinal ingredients has been produced for more than a century. As for the final poem, it is dedicated to Yang’s townsman Xiong Nansha.

A vernal view of a lakeside park in central Yunnan's Kunming, the Spring City.

VI

chūn xī wén yǔ zuò dào xiǎo jì xióng nán shā
春夕闻雨坐到晓寄熊南沙
yáng shèn
杨慎

bàn yè fēng shēng sì shuǐ shēng
半夜风声似水声，
wǔ gèng chūn yǔ biàn chūn chéng
五更春雨遍春城。
bèi tí fāng cǎo róng róng àn
被提芳草茸茸暗，
jìng zhǔ yāo huā zhuó zhuó míng
镜渚夭花灼灼明。
qiáng guò cūn láo réng dòng yǐ
墙过村醪仍冻蚁，
chuāng lín hǎi shù yǐ xuān yīng
窗临海树已暄莺。
tiān yá jiē wù cuī huá fà
天涯节物催华发，
tóng shì huái xiāng qù guó qíng
同是怀乡去国情。

To Xiong Nansha -- Wakened by Spring Rain and Sitting till Dawn
By Yang Shen

The wind at mid-night sounds like water flowing;
The spring rain before dawn sweeps City of Spring.
Sweet grasses blown quilt-like are thick and dark,
Fallen flowers on mirror-like islets light and bright.
Rustic liquor stored in walled pits still freezes ants;
Lakeside trees near windows already warm orioles.
Seasonal changes in the frontier push the grey-haired;
What we share is missing home and being banished.

Culture ABCs:

a. Xiong Nansha (1506-1580), with his official name being Xiong Guo, is native to Fushun county in Sichuan province, and he was a candidate in the highest imperial examinations in 1529. Like the poet Yang Shen, Xiong also experienced a life of exile in Yunnan province.

In poem IV, V and VI, we can see Yang Shen frequently use the term Spring City to mean Kunming in his communication with and correspondence to his friends and relatives, rendering Spring City into a proper noun to refer to Kunming exclusively in the Chinese linguistic context.

Flowers bloom at a lakeside park in central Yunnan's Kunming, the Spring City.

Online Chinese sources; Photos and trans-editing by Wang Shixue