Orchid Pavilion Scenic Area
Edition HistoryEdit Introduction:
View 0 photos, or upload your photo.
Located in the meeting place of the plain, water net and hilly area of Shaoxing, Orchid Pavilion fully presents the harmony of scenes of mountains and water town. Its reputation completely comes from a historic and elegant gathering of a group of great people including Wang Xizhi, called "Yonghe Xiu Xi (an ancient sacrifice held on the edge of a river)" in the history. On March 3rd of the 9th year of Yonghe period (353 AD) during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wang Xizhi, a famous calligrapher, invited 42 personages of the time to come here for the Xi ceremony, such as Xie An, Sun Chuo, Xu Xun and Zhi Xun etc. They undertook to compose poems, and the one who failed would be made to drink as a forfeit. Wang Xizhi collected all the finished poems and composed a 324 words preface in others’ invitation with rapturous delight in drinking. Hence was born the world famous article of "Prologue to the Orchid Pavilion Collection", also named "Xi Book" and "Prologue Aside River". Eminent and praiseworthy in both literary talent and calligraphy especially, this article was called "the first running hand of the world" by Chu Suiliang, a famous calligrapher in the Tang Dynasty. From then on, this pavilion became a famous garden south of the Yangtze River and the Mecca for calligraphers, calligraphy lovers and litterateurs of the past dynasties.
Orchid Pavilion is not spacious but quite elegant, its major sights include Goose Pool Stele, Orchid Pavilion Stele, "Qu Shui Liu Shang"(mean wine goblets floating in the stream in Chinese), Liushang Pavilion, Imperial Stele Pavilion, Right Army Temple and Calligraphy Museum etc.
Goose Pool Stele is a stone architecture covered by the triangle top. Tradition has it that the two Chinese words of "E" (Goose) "Chi" (Pool) carved in the stele were written by Wang Xizhi and his son, who were all famous calligraphers, so it is called "the stele of father and son" and worth a lot. According to the legend, Wang Xizhi was writing the word of "E" when he heard the calling of imperial edict. As the general of local right army, Wang Xizhi, of course, dared not to neglect and stopped immediately to receive it. Then, Wang Xianzhi, who was watching aside, couldn’t help taking the brush pen and continued to write the word "Chi". The goose pool at the side of the stele is a memorial architecture, which is built for keeping accordance with the stele and related to the truth of Wang Xizhi’s life-long love of goose. He loved watching, writing and raising goose, that’s why came the story that he exchanged his work "Dao De Jing (Moral Scripture)"for gooses. So, you can find goose pools in most places related to memorializing Wang Xizhi.
Orchid Pavilion Stele is also named as small orchid pavilion; the inscription of "Lan Ting" was composed by the emperor in the 37th year of Kangxi period (1698). There is a rift in the middle made in the period of Cultural Revolution. In 1980s when restoring the stele, people cannot find the small bit between the two words anyhow. Though it has been carefully anastomosed, tourists, with deep regret, always like to use their fingers to rub and cover the defect according to imagination. As time goes by, the lost bit between the two words seems loom; and Orchid Pavilion is also light-heartedly called by people as "Stele of Emperor and People".
"Qu Shui" refers to a snaky stream floating in the ground and "Liu Shang" the wine goblets floating in the stream. Sitting aside the stream and reciting poem while drinking with the goblets forms the scene of the famous "Qu Shui Liu Shang". It will never be exaggerated that without Wang Xizhi and his friends’ gathering of "Qu Shui Liu Shang", "Prologue to the Orchid Pavilion Collection" will never exist, so does today’s reputation of Orchid Pavilion. So, "Qu Shui Liu Shang" should be the place where the spirit of Orchid Pavilion Scenic Spot lies. At the edge of the snaky stream, there are frequently elegant people, who imitate the ancients to float goblets in the stream.
The building facing Qu Shui Liu Shang" is Liu Shang Pavilion, a memorial place. The existing building is built in Qing Dynasty. Things displayed in it include the picture of "Qu Shui Liu Shang", works of famous calligraphers and poems composed when floating goblets in the stream etc.
Behind Liu Shang Pavilion is Imperial Stele Pavilion with overlapped eaves in eight angles. The imperial stele is 6.8 m high, 2.6 m wide, 20 cm thick and 18,000 kg weight, one of the biggest ancient stone steles of China. On its face is the whole test of "Prologue to the Orchid Pavilion Collection" written by Emperor Kangxi and the reverse is "Events of Orchid Pavilion" wrote by Emperor Qianlong when visiting Orchid Pavilion. It is called the "Stele of Grandfather and Grandchild", with which the "Stele of Father and Son" and the "Stele of Emperor and People" are the "three miracles" of the scenic spot.
Help us improve our web site by Editing This Article.
There are 0 comments about Orchid Pavilion Scenic Area:
There are 0 questions about Orchid Pavilion Scenic Area:
Visit Other Cities
| Lishui | |
| Quzhou | |
| Huzhou | |
| Jinghua | |
| Zhoushan | |
| Taizhou | |
| Jiaxing | |
| Wenzhou | |
| Ningbo |  |
| Hangzhou |  |
ADVERTISEMENT
Accessibity:
Natural Scenery:
Culture & history: