Yufeng Mountain

Yufeng Mountain

Yufeng Mountain

Yufeng Mountain is located in the northwest of Kunshan City. At 80.2 meters high, the area features vast flatlands, but this one lone peak stands out beautifully amidst them, covered in lush greenery. Moreover, the mountain rocks are as white as jade and known as "exquisite stones," earning the mountain the reputation of “a real mountain that looks like an artificial one.” During the Liang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties, the Huiju Temple was built here on a grand scale and is said to have been the foremost among the “Four Hundred and Eighty Temples of the Southern Dynasties”; Emperor Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty visited during his southern tour and inscribed the phrase “Kites fly, fish leap.”

In the 32nd year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty (1906), it was turned into a park. Because the shape of the mountain resembles a saddle, it was named “Ma’an Mountain Park.” In the 25th year of the Republic of China (1936), it was renamed “Tinglin Park” in honor of Mr. Gu Yanwu.

At the main entrance, there is a screen wall inscribed with “Yufeng’s Finest Spot.” On the eastern side is the flowering quince (one of the Three Treasures of Kunshan, the other two being Kunshan stone and twin lotus), which stands over ten meters tall. Every April and May, its tree is covered with silvery blossoms that bloom in groups of eight, hence earning the name “Gathering of Eight Immortals.” The building on the western side is the memorial temple of Gu Dingchen, a prominent official of the Ming Dynasty, built to commemorate his achievements in building city walls to resist Japanese pirates. In front of the mountain is a statue of Gu Yanwu, and the screen wall is engraved with his famous quote: “The rise and fall of the nation concerns everyone” (calligraphy by Li Yimang). A native of Qiandun (also known as Qian Dun) in Kunshan, Gu Yanwu is regarded as one of the three great thinkers and patriotic scholars of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, alongside Wang Fuzhi and Huang Zongxi. He produced a vast body of work, and his quotes have had a profound influence on later generations.

Yufeng Mountain is divided into an eastern and a western peak — the eastern peak is called Bo Yun Peak, and the western peak is called Zi Yun Rock. Halfway up Bo Yun Peak is a pavilion built during the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty by Tao Shu, Viceroy of Liangjiang. On the eastern foothills of the mountain lies the tomb of Liu Guo, a renowned patriotic ci poet of the bold and unconstrained style from the Southern Song Dynasty. Known by the alias Dragon Chau Taoist, he was close friends with Xin Qiji and Lu You, and wrote works such as “Dragon Chau Ci.” Beside the tomb is a cave where spring water trickles down from the top; the cave’s lintel is inscribed in seal script: “Water Curtain Cave.” Above it stands a several-zhang-high sheer rock wall engraved with: “Nie Yun Peak.”

To the north is the Gu Tinglin Memorial Hall. In the pavilion in front of the hall stand two pieces of Kunshan stone, each two meters tall, named “Spring Clouds Emerge from the Cave” and “Autumn Waters Ripple Across,” exquisite and lustrous, considered treasures among stones. To the south is a pond filled with twin lotus flowers. It is said these are the rare “Thousand-petal Lotus” variety from India, with double sepals growing together, making them an extremely rare and precious flower. They were originally planted in Zhengyi by the famous Yuan scholar Gu Aying and later transplanted here. Zi Yun Rock is the main peak of the mountain, featuring many steep rocks and oddly shaped stones. Its natural scenery surpasses that of the eastern peak, and it includes attractions such as Cuiwei Pavilion, Yufeng Pavilion, and Wenzao Peak.