Jinshan Flying Pavilion

Jinshan Flying Pavilion

Jinshan Flying Pavilion is a Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Unit.

Jinshan Flying Pavilion is situated on the southeastern slope of Jinshan Village, Mazhan Town, Cangnan County. It has a square floor plan, stands 3.55 meters high, is 2.75 meters wide, and extends 2.26 meters deep. It is a typical stone pavilion designed in imitation of wooden architecture. The four corner pillars are carved from granite in a melon-shaped form, with bases at their lower ends and surrounded by step-edging stones. The upper sections of the pillars are connected by two horizontal beams, the column capitals sit atop square brackets, supporting a cross-braced beam that holds the square eaves purlin and eaves rafters. The sides feature one intermediate bracket set, while the front and back each have two. All intermediate brackets are designed as one-dou-three-sheng units. Seven granite slabs form the eaves rafters’ base, supporting the roof, which was originally a hip-and-gable roof based on its current condition.

Legend has it that this pavilion was used by martial monks during the Song Dynasty for training. It was said that they could leap up to the pavilion with such lightness skills that it earned the nickname “Flying Pavilion.” Built during the Northern Song Dynasty, there was once a temple at the foot of the stone pavilion. The temple was later leveled, and today the area beneath the pavilion remains a flat piece of land. Though the reason for the temple’s demise remains a mystery, the pavilion still holds significant value for the study of ancient stone carving and architectural techniques in southeastern Zhejiang.

Mazhan Town: The Four-Season Pomelo, also known as Sijipao, gets its name from its ability to bloom and bear fruit multiple times a year. The original Four-Season Pomelo of Cangnan originated in Xiakui Village, Kuili Township, Mazhan District, Cangnan County. It was cultivated in the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era by Zhou Zhizhen of Kuili from an ordinary seedling pomelo. It has been around for over 200 years, and a 150-year-old tree still exists in Xiakui Village, Mazhan Town.

　By the mid-Qing Dynasty, the Four-Season Pomelo was already hailed as a “celestial delicacy,” often offered as tribute or given as a precious gift. However, due to limitations in productivity and the small-scale farming economy at the time, its cultivation developed slowly and was mainly found in front of or behind homes. After liberation... More details about Mazhan Town++

Further Reading:

· Sixth Batch of Zhejiang Provincial Cultural Relics Protection Units