Research On The Historical Changes And Construction Of Daming Lake Culture

The Daming Lake is an urban artificial lake fed by numerous springs. Situated in the northeast of Jinan City, it is among the three famous tourist sites of Jinan, along with Baotu Spring and Qianfo Mountain. The earliest record of the lake is found in Shui Jing Zhu (Commentary to the River Classic) by Li Daoyuan, the North Wei Dynasty. It was named Lotus Seed Lake and Lishui Ripple in Sui and Tang dynasties, West Lake in Song Dynasty and adopted the current name in Jin and Yuan dynasties. Boasting a large number of relics, the Lake plays a major role in cultural inheritance, urban landscape construction, improving urban ecological environment, and promoting tourism. Therefore, conservation, construction and development of the lake stand as an essential task for the municipal management. The article aims to promote the conservation and utilization of the lake through research on its culture, and contribute to local tourism as well as cultural inheritance.The research focuses on the cultural aspects and cultural construction of Daming Lake. The article defines Daming Lake culture, investigates its formation and reviews the four stages involved in cultural landscape construction: 1)Song Dynasty-Qing Dynasty, gradual development; 2)1911-1948, construction at a standstill due to years of war; 3)1949-2003, construction resumed; 4)2004 to present, restored to its former glory. In addition, the article deals with the cultural features and changes regarding tourism, folk art, commerce, catering and folk custom—which, as an important component of Daming Lake culture, reflects the characteristics and changes of the culture.The author studies the relationship between Daming Lake's cultural construction and development of Jinan city, observing the impact of Daming Lake culture on the construction of a historic city. The research examines the implications of Daming Lake culture for modern living (e.g., exploitation of the culture is correlated with construction of a livable, eco-city), building a cultural city, enhancing city reputation, and local tourism. Finally, the article proposes principles and central tasks for construction of Daming Lake culture, aimed to provide theoretical basis for the construction.Through researches on the historical changes and construction of Daming Lake culture, we came to a conclusion: historical changes and continual construction indicate public attention to the lake. With a long history and cultural richness, Daming Lake has been a charming theme in the progress of the city. Closely related to the economic growth, cultural development, and people's lives in the city, the lake is the soul of the landscape. Justifiably, lake construction and cultural development will play a major part in the process of building a modernized metropolis. To preserve the appeal of the "watery" city, traditions must be combined with modernization. Only by focusing on conservation, redevelopment and cultural inheritance for the lake, can we enrich Daming Lake culture with modern features and supplement the city with traditional beauty.