Fuxian Lake, part 3 of 5. All five notes.

I came to Fuxian Lake for the water, but going through my photographs afterwards, I realised how many of them were really of the sky.

White clouds, rain hiding the far shore, gold and pink at sunset, and one night, stars. It never looked the same two days running, which is why I kept photographing the same view.

White clouds and rain on 14 June

On 14 June, the weather changed all afternoon. Dark clouds hung over the lake and a broad curtain of rain hid part of the far shore, while other parts of the same view stayed bright.

A curtain of rain beneath dark clouds over Fuxian Lake.
A curtain of rain beneath dark clouds over Fuxian Lake.
Dark rain clouds over the lake, with brighter sky to one side.
Dark rain clouds over the lake, with brighter sky to one side.

Later, white sails came out beneath the clouds, and someone stood at the end of a narrow jetty with the rain still hanging in the distance. On a lake this wide, you can watch the weather move across it.

A white sail beneath clouds over Fuxian Lake.
A white sail beneath clouds over Fuxian Lake.
A narrow jetty beside the lake, with rain in the distance.
A narrow jetty beside the lake, with rain in the distance.
More of the clouds, sails and rain on 14 June
Clouds and distant rain over the lake, with ripples near the shore.
Clouds and distant rain over the lake, with ripples near the shore.
A view across the lake towards distant hills and a white sail.
A view across the lake towards distant hills and a white sail.
Light and dark clouds meet above the lake.
Light and dark clouds meet above the lake.
Clouds above the lake, seen from a grassy shore.
Clouds above the lake, seen from a grassy shore.
A grassy lakeshore beneath a wide sky.
A grassy lakeshore beneath a wide sky.
Clouds above the hills across Fuxian Lake.
Clouds above the hills across Fuxian Lake.
Clouds gathering over the distant hills.
Clouds gathering over the distant hills.

I’d already fallen for Yunnan’s clouds in Kunming. Here, I had them again, over an even bigger stretch of water.

Gold and pink on 20 June

The evening of 20 June was the most beautiful of the stay. Golden light glowed beneath a heavy grey cloud, with the hills and trees dark below it. Then a band of pink and orange spread across the lake.

I couldn’t choose just one photograph, so here are several.

Golden clouds above the trees at dusk.
Golden clouds above the trees at dusk.
The evening sky over Fuxian Lake on 20 June (16 seconds).
Pink and grey clouds above Fuxian Lake at dusk.
Pink and grey clouds above Fuxian Lake at dusk.
Bands of pink clouds above the hills across the lake.
Bands of pink clouds above the hills across the lake.
More photographs from the same evening
Evening light beneath the clouds over Fuxian Lake.
Evening light beneath the clouds over Fuxian Lake.
Pink evening clouds above the dark hills around Fuxian Lake.
Pink evening clouds above the dark hills around Fuxian Lake.
The evening sky above Fuxian Lake, with pink clouds and distant hills.
The evening sky above Fuxian Lake, with pink clouds and distant hills.

Different evenings on 22, 23 and 24 June

For a few days after that, I caught the sky almost every evening. On 22 June, the sun went down beyond roads, fields and farm buildings rather than water.

The sun setting behind the hills, seen from a road beside fields.
The sun setting behind the hills, seen from a road beside fields.

The next day, a small tree stood on a green strip of shore under a grey-white sky. On 24 June, there was a moon in a blue sky over the lake, and later, warm-coloured cloud along the hills.

A small tree by the lake beneath a cloudy sky.
A small tree by the lake beneath a cloudy sky.
Blue sky, scattered clouds and the moon above Fuxian Lake.
Blue sky, scattered clouds and the moon above Fuxian Lake.
Blue sky, the moon and the curving shore on 24 June
A curve of the lakeshore beneath a clear blue sky.
A curve of the lakeshore beneath a clear blue sky.
The moon above the lake in the evening blue sky.
The moon above the lake in the evening blue sky.

By about eight o’clock, the cloud had turned orange-pink, and I took one photograph after another as it changed.

Layers of evening cloud above the lake and distant hills.
Layers of evening cloud above the lake and distant hills.
A long band of peach-coloured cloud above the lake at dusk.
A long band of peach-coloured cloud above the lake at dusk.
More of the evening light on 24 June
Pink light along the edge of a cloud above the trees.
Pink light along the edge of a cloud above the trees.
Warm evening light behind the hills, with a pink glow beneath the clouds.
Warm evening light behind the hills, with a pink glow beneath the clouds.
Peach and grey clouds above the water and distant hills.
Peach and grey clouds above the water and distant hills.

July’s clouds and sunbeams

July brought big white clouds with dark bases, and boats under broken layers of cloud. More and more of my photographs were almost all sky.

Large white clouds above Fuxian Lake, with darker clouds over the hills.
Large white clouds above Fuxian Lake, with darker clouds over the hills.
White and grey clouds across the blue sky.
White and grey clouds across the blue sky.
Boats and clouds on 8 July
Boats beneath a wide, cloudy sky at Fuxian Lake.
Boats beneath a wide, cloudy sky at Fuxian Lake.

On 9 July, beams of light fanned upwards from behind the clouds, edged with gold, with the hills in silhouette. At the time, I called it a sunset with the Tyndall effect.

Sunbeams above the hills at sunset.
Sunbeams above the hills at sunset.

The next day went from bright blue sky over the lake to dark clouds by evening, two quite different skies in a single day.

Blue sky above the lake and a broad stretch of shore.
Blue sky above the lake and a broad stretch of shore.
Large white clouds in the evening sky above Fuxian Lake.
Large white clouds in the evening sky above Fuxian Lake.
The later sky on 10 July
Evening clouds above the lake and hills.
Evening clouds above the lake and hills.
Evening clouds above the hills, trees and rooftops.
Evening clouds above the hills, trees and rooftops.

Two hours watching the Perseids

One night I carried a reclining chair down to the lake to watch the Perseid meteor shower. I spent two hours there and saw more than ten meteors. Each one flashed past and was gone almost immediately.

I’d hoped for a fireball, one of the really bright ones, and didn’t see one, which was a little disappointing.

A starry night at Fuxian Lake.
A starry night at Fuxian Lake.

But that’s not what I remember. I remember carrying a chair down to the water on the night of 13 August, the stars over the lake, and waiting for the next quick streak of light.

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About this note

This note draws on my own travels and photographs and videos.

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