In a work on the Shang Lin Park, Sima Xiangru of the Western Han dynasty described the palace garden of Emperor Wu Di as containing eight gushing torrents, each flowing in a different direction, while a dense concentration of buildings covered the mountains and valleys.
西漢才子司馬相如曾作《上林賦》，形容武帝的宮苑裡有「蕩蕩乎八川分流，相背而異態」、「離宮別館，彌山跨谷」﹘﹘一座園林能有八條姿態各異的河道分流而過，氣象不可謂不大矣。