As Hangzhou became the capital of the Southern Song Empire, new villas and palaces with parks were built for the imperial family in the city and on the shores of the West Lake. Emperors bestowed the parks and villas on important politicians, some related to the imperial family or to the empresses’ families. When politicians were downgraded or died, the emperors confiscated the parks and retransferred them to members of the imperial family. Apart from this political function, parks were assigned to specific uses, be it recreation and amusement or ceremonial purposes. Some parks came to be neglected or rededicated as nurseries to provide other parks with plants or timber. Yet most were famous not only for their horticultural accessories but also for their rock arrangements and artificial lakes, which imitated in miniature the West Lake scenery, requiring adequate management of their water supply system.

随着杭州成为南宋帝国的首都，在城内和西湖畔为皇室建造了新的别墅和带有公园的宫殿。皇帝将公园和别墅赐给重要的政治人物，其中一些与皇室或皇后家族有关。当政治家被降职或去世时，皇帝会没收公园并将其重新转让给皇室成员。除了这种政治功能外，公园还被指定用于特定用途，无论是休闲娱乐还是仪式用途。一些公园被忽视或重新用作苗圃，为其他公园提供植物或木材。然而，大多数不仅以其园艺配件而闻名，还以其岩石排列和模仿西湖风景的人工湖而闻名。