Autumn: 7

Emperor Wu had Kunming Lake dug and filled to train his army. His thoughts were always of war. A statue of a girl weaving silk and three small whales that wave their tails in the rain now decorate the lake. Wild rice grows in the shallows and floats on the surface along with lotus flowers. This land is surrounded by mountains that only birds can get over, and it’s filled with lakes full of fishermen like me.