Orchid Pavilion

Orchid Pavilion

Orchid Pavilion is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and a cultural relics protection unit of Zhejiang Province.

Orchid Pavilion, located at Lan Zhu Mountain in the southwest of Shaoxing, is an important cultural relic and tourist destination in Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province, China. On the third day of the third lunar month in the ninth year of the Yonghe era during the Eastern Jin Dynasty (353 AD), Wang Xizhi, Xie An, Wang Xianzhi, and over 40 other scholars gathered here for a purification ritual. In a state of slight intoxication, Wang Xizhi "picked up his brush and wrote with unrestrained vigor," creating the famous "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion," which made the site renowned.

Orchid Pavilion got its name during the Spring and Autumn Period when King Goujian of Yue planted orchids here, and a post station was built during the Eastern Han Dynasty. In the ninth year of the Yonghe era of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Wang Xizhi, the then Prefect of Kuaiji and a master calligrapher, invited 42 high-ranking officials and nobles to a grand gathering at Orchid Pavilion. There, he wrote the "Orchid Pavilion Preface," hailed as the "Number One Running Script under Heaven," making Orchid Pavilion a sacred site of calligraphy and a hub of Wei-Jin elegance.

The current Orchid Pavilion was reconstructed based on the site from the Ming Jiajing era, largely preserving the architectural style of the Ming and Qing dynasties. It is celebrated both domestically and internationally for its four distinctive features: "serene scenery, elegant events, brilliant literature, and peerless calligraphy." It is an important scenic spot in China, a renowned center of calligraphy, and a national AAAA-level tourist area. Its essence can be summarized as "One Preface, Three Steles, and Eleven Scenic Spots": the "One Preface" refers to the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion"; the "Three Steles" are the Goose Pond Stele, Orchid Pavilion Stele, and Imperial Stele; the "Eleven Scenic Spots" include the Goose Pond, Small Orchid Pavilion, Winding Stream for Floating Wine Cups, Floating Wine Cup Pavilion, Imperial Stele Pavilion, Eighteen Ink Vats by the Pool, Temple of Lord Wang Youjun, Calligraphy Museum, Ancient Post Station, Zhi Town, and Music Pool.

Surrounded by lofty mountains, dense forests, slender bamboos, and murmuring shallow streams, Orchid Pavilion exudes tranquility and elegance. The park features exquisitely simple and classic structures such as the "Goose Pond," "Winding Stream for Floating Wine Cups," "Orchid Pavilion Stele," "Imperial Stele Pavilion," and "Temple of Lord Wang Youjun," making them rare masterpieces of garden design.

The Goose Pond is the first scenic spot at Orchid Pavilion. With clear blue water and white geese playing in it, the pond tells the legend of Wang Xizhi’s love for, raising of, and calligraphy inspired by geese. A stone triangular pavilion called the "Goose Pond Stele Pavilion" stands by the pond. The stele inside, erected during the Qing Tongzhi era, bears the characters "Goose Pond." Legend has it that the character "goose" was written by Wang Xizhi and the character "pond" by Wang Xianzhi, forming a unique father-son collaboration known as the "Father-Son Stele."

The Orchid Pavilion Stele Pavilion is an iconic structure of Orchid Pavilion and ranks among China’s Four Famous Pavilions. Built during the Qing Kangxi era, the stele features the two characters "Orchid Pavilion" handwritten by Emperor Kangxi. During the Cultural Revolution, the stele was smashed into four pieces but was later restored in the 1980s. However, the restoration left the tail of the character "Orchid" and the head of the character "Pavilion" missing, creating a bittersweet legacy. Many visitors enjoy touching this damaged stele, which has become incredibly smooth over time—hence its nickname, the "People’s Stele."

The "Winding Stream for Floating Wine Cups" is a highly famous attraction at Orchid Pavilion. In front of the Floating Wine Cup Pavilion, there is a zigzagging stream shaped like the Chinese character "之" (meaning "to go"), with a piece of petrified wood in the middle inscribed with the four characters "Winding Stream for Floating Wine Cups." This scene recreates the setting described in Wang Xizhi’s "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion": "Here, there are lofty mountains and steep hills, lush forests and slender bamboos, as well as clear, rapid streams winding around, which are used as the winding stream for floating wine cups." It also reflects a well-known historical anecdote: On the third day of the third lunar month in the ninth year of the Yonghe era (353 AD), Wang Xizhi invited 42 literati and nobles to gather at Orchid Pavilion for a purification ritual. They floated wine cups down the stream from upstream, and whoever the cup stopped in front of had to drink and compose a poem on the spot. Those who failed were penalized with three goblets of wine—equivalent to half a catty today. In total, 11 participants composed two poems each, 15 wrote one poem each, and 16 were penalized for failing to write any. A collection of 37 poems was compiled and named the "Orchid Pavilion Collection," for which host Wang Xizhi was invited to write a preface. In a moment of inspiration and mild inebriation, Wang Xizhi used a rat-whisker brush and silk-worm cocoon paper to create the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" in one continuous stroke, later hailed as the "Number One Running Script under Heaven." To this day, many literati visit to emulate Wang Xizhi’s gathering, enjoying wine and poetry. Every year during the Calligraphy Festival, a grand Winding Stream for Floating Wine Cups gathering is held here.

The Floating Wine Cup Pavilion was built to commemorate the "Winding Stream for Floating Wine Cups" event. The plaque above the pavilion, bearing the three large characters "Floating Wine Cup Pavilion," was inscribed by Li Shutang, the Jiangxia Prefect during the Guangxu era. The accompanying couplet, "This place seems familiar, as if I once sat among those floating wine cups; such encounters are hard to predict—will I meet you again when I return for future purification rites?" was composed by Xu Shengweng and calligraphed by Shen Ding’an, president of the Orchid Pavilion Calligraphy Society. The pavilion displays reproductions of the "Orchid Pavilion Purification Ceremony Painting," "Winding Stream for Floating Wine Cups Painting," and the original tools used for the event, showcasing the scene of Wang Xizhi’s gathering. On the back wall, a copy of Sun Chuo’s "Postscript to the Orchid Pavilion," written by Yang Enshu from Xiangtan during the Qing Tongzhi era, is hung. Sun Chuo was one of the literary masters who attended the gathering.

The Imperial Stele Pavilion is an octagonal, double-eaved structure originally built during the Kangxi era. It was destroyed by a typhoon in 1956 and rebuilt in 1983. Inside the pavilion stands a massive stele known as the "Imperial Stele," a Qing-era original with a history of over 300 years. The front of the stele features a copy of the full "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" handwritten by Emperor Kangxi in 1693, showcasing his elegant and majestic calligraphy. The back of the stele bears a spontaneous seven-character regulated verse titled "Poem on the Scene at Orchid Pavilion," composed by Emperor Qianlong in 1751 during his visit to Orchid Pavilion. The calligraphy is free-flowing, expressing deep admiration for the site. With inscriptions from two generations of emperors, the stele is also called the "Grandfather-Grandson Stele." The Imperial Stele has survived many disasters, including a powerful typhoon in 1956 and damage during the Cultural Revolution.

The Eighteen Ink Vats by the Pool is an interactive attraction consisting of eighteen ink vats, a calligraphy practice platform, and the "Tai Character Stele." It is based on the legend of Wang Xianzhi practicing calligraphy with eighteen vats of water and his father Wang Xizhi pointing to a stroke to complete the character "tai" (great). Legend says that after practicing with three vats of water, Wang Xianzhi became somewhat arrogant, thinking he had mastered calligraphy. When he showed his work to his father, Wang Xizhi felt it was still subpar—especially the character "大" (big), whose upper part was tight and lower part loose, with strokes that were too open. He casually added a dot, turning it into the character "太" (great), and said, "Show this to your mother." Upon seeing it, Wang Xizhi’s wife remarked, "My son has practiced with three vats of water, but only this one dot resembles his father’s writing." Realizing his shortcomings, Wang Xianzhi felt ashamed and dedicated himself to rigorous practice, finishing all eighteen vats of ink. He later grew into a renowned calligrapher, earning the title "Two Wangs" alongside his father.

The Temple of Lord Wang Youjun is the highlight of Orchid Pavilion. Built during the Kangxi era, it features white walls, black tiles, and is surrounded by water on all sides. Inside the temple is a serene pool believed to be where the Sage of Calligraphy washed his brushes, along with the Ink Splendor Pavilion in the pool, a connecting bridge nearby, and surrounding corridors. The entire structure integrates "landscape, corridors, bridges, and pavilions" in a uniquely ingenious design. The temple displays a statue of Wang Xizhi, and the corridors on both sides feature stone engravings of the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion" copied by master calligraphers throughout history. Its essence can be captured in these lines: "Landscape, corridors, bridges, and pavilions; heaven, earth, sun, moon, and stars; Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing; regular, cursive, seal, clerical, and running scripts." The opening ceremony of the annual Chinese Orchid Pavilion Calligraphy Festival and calligraphy exchange activities are held in the temple every year on the third day of the third lunar month.

The Ancient Post Station, historically a stopover in the Han Dynasty, houses displays of photos and materials from visits by Party and state leaders to Orchid Pavilion, precious images of renowned calligraphers of the older generation exchanging ideas and practicing calligraphy here, and scenes of calligraphy enthusiasts from around the world visiting this sacred site. The area has also restored the ancient post office function of the post station. With old post boxes and post office setups, visitors can purchase scenic postcards of Orchid Pavilion, have them stamped with special Orchid Pavilion postmarks, and send them to family and friends as souvenirs.

The Music Pool is named after the character "乐" (joy) from Wang Xizhi’s "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion," which describes the event as "truly a joyous occasion." It is a newly developed leisure spot where visitors can enjoy tea and conversation, take bamboo raft rides, and relax while taking in the beautiful lake and mountain views of Orchid Pavilion.

Dining / Accommodation / Shopping: Shopping options include various stone paperweights engraved with calligraphy works, especially popular ones featuring excerpts from the "Preface to the Poems Composed at the Orchid Pavilion." Prices can often be negotiated down to under 10 yuan. Dried tender bamboo shoots are also tasty and make for a great souvenir.

Location of the Attraction

Lan Ting Town, Shaoxing County, Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province (approximately a 50-minute drive from the city center; direct buses are available from downtown)

Suggested Visit Duration

1–2 hours

Transportation

Take bus routes 23, 3, or 303 from Shaoxing Bus Station to the Orchid Pavilion Scenic Area stop; alternatively, purchase a combined Shaoxing tourism ticket at Lu Xun’s Former Residence and take a tourist bus to the site

Ticket Information

Orchid Pavilion Ticket: 90 RMB; Shaoxing Ancient City Tour Pass: 140 RMB (includes Lu Xun’s Former Residence, East Lake, Orchid Pavilion, Dayu Mausoleum, Shen Garden, Shen Garden at Night, and Famous Figures’ Former Residences)

Opening Hours

08:30~17:00

Further Reading:

· Seventh Batch of Major National Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level