Jiaxing Imperial Stele Pavilion

Jiaxing Imperial Stele Pavilion

Jiaxing Imperial Stele Pavilion is a cultural tourism attraction.

This pavilion gets its name from the imperial stele. Emperor Qianlong made six southern tours during his reign, and each time he visited Jiaxing. So why did this small prefectural city hold such a strong appeal for an emperor?

It was because he had a special affection for Nanhu Lake in Jiaxing. He toured Nanhu Lake eight times and composed poems on each visit to commemorate the occasion. There are two Imperial Stele Pavilions on the lake’s central island: the East Imperial Stele and the West Imperial Stele. The Qianlong Imperial Stele stands 188 cm tall, 80 cm wide, and 25 cm thick.

The poem inscribed on the stele reads: “Not Penglai Isle nor Fanghu is it, yet willows tender, new, fair, and bright. Misty the view as though with rain imbued, news of South Lake through West Lake is in sight. Scenes of all seasons here are richly dight, no need for fishers’, farmers’ pictured sight. Let sunshine now make up for days gone by, wonders all shown bring unique delight.”

This poem was composed by Emperor Qianlong during his second southern tour (1757) when he visited Nanhu Lake. He compared the Yuewu Tower to Penglai, the legendary immortal island, and Nanhu Lake to Hangzhou’s West Lake, feeling that the natural beauty was enough to lift his spirits—there was simply no need for any “picturesque scenes of fishermen or farmers.”

On his first two visits to Nanhu Lake, Emperor Qianlong encountered overcast weather, with misty haze over the lake, preventing him from enjoying the distant views—a fact he regretted. As a result, he also expressed in his poetry a wish to visit Nanhu Lake on a clear day.

Sure enough, when he came to Nanhu Lake for the third time, the weather was sunny. The poem on the back of the stele reads: “Twice I passed here in the year of Yin and Chou, both times the famed misty rains did show. Amazed anew this time, the scene’s changed quite, since crossing river skies have been all bright. Willow twigs bow dancing on the ground so low, plum blossoms smile heralding spring’s glow. Climbing high tower, I gaze as far as sight, near and far the waterspring shines bright.” This revisit happened under fine weather, so Qianlong was inspired to write this poem. During his stay by Nanhu Lake, Emperor Qianlong composed a total of 15 poems.

Emperor Qianlong’s special fondness for the Yuewu Tower at Nanhu Lake was also reflected in his fifth southern tour when he had the Yuewu Tower replicated. He spent over 35,000 taels of silver to build a copy of the Yuewu Tower on Qinglian Island in Chengde’s Mountain Resort, naming it “Yanbo Zhi Shuang” (Joy of Misty Waves).

The six southern tours of Emperor Qianlong: First, the 16th year of Qianlong (1751); Second, the 22nd year of Qianlong (1757); Third, the 27th year of Qianlong (1762); Fourth, the 30th year of Qianlong (1765); Fifth, the 45th year of Qianlong (1780); Sixth, the 49th year of Qianlong (1784).