Dragon-Tiger Cottage

Dragon-Tiger Cottage

Dragon-Tiger Cottage

Hu’An Mountain is located at Shanyang Dai (Fifteen Dai) on the northern foothills of the Siming Mountains, about twenty li southeast of Yuyao city. This area is embraced by green mountains on three sides, offering pleasant scenery. Comparable to the Shanyin Stream in Sheng County, it was referred to in the History of Song as “Shanyin,” and is home to numerous historical and cultural relics. In the early Qing Dynasty, the great thinker and historian Huang Lizhou once lived in seclusion here, devoting himself to writing. Every mountain, river, plant, and tree in Hu’An Mountain bears the footprints or verses of Lizhou.

After Huang Lizhou’s failed participation in the anti-Qing resistance, he was hunted by the Qing court and relocated to Bing She in Hu’An Mountain in the third year of the Shunzhi era (1646). According to the Huang Lizhou Chronology: “To the north of the Siming Mountains lies Hu’An Mountain, formerly known as Shanyin in the Song Dynasty. The eastern peak resembles a tiger, the western a dragon, and Lizhou’s Bing She is situated right between them—hence the name Dragon-Tiger Mountain Hall (also called Dragon-Tiger Cottage).” The cottage was extremely simple and crude. As Lizhou himself described, it was “a painstakingly built thatched hut” and “three low-roofed rooms covered with reeds.” There, faced with the harsh reality of the futile anti-Qing struggle, he immersed himself in writing and stayed for three years. His situation during those years is vividly depicted in his poem Reply to Magistrate He’s Inquiry: “At fifty, a lingering old man I stay, / Amid worn books and broken inkstones each day. / In snowy hills where no footprints can be seen, / All night long the wind brings only tigers’ scream.” Though living deep in the mountains and in straitened circumstances, he remained committed to producing timeless masterpieces such as The Wait for the Visiting Sage from the Mingyi Record, the Theory of Image-Number in the Book of Changes, and compiling the voluminous Collection of Ming Prose. He also received visits from notable local scholars such as Wanshi Zhen, Wan Jiyeh, and Liu Shao, making the place an intellectual beacon for scholars in Eastern Zhejiang. Unfortunately, Dragon-Tiger Cottage was destroyed by fire in the first year of the Kangxi era (1662). As recalled by his youngest son Huang Baijia, “Books were snatched from the flames, scattered and lost beyond count.” In May of that year, his former residence in Huangzhupu also caught fire. Despite suffering “near-death experiences half his life and two fires within one year,” Lizhou remained undeterred by these misfortunes and continued writing. In 1995, to commemorate the 300th anniversary of Lizhou’s passing, Yuyao Municipality rebuilt Dragon-Tiger Cottage on its original site.

The reconstructed Dragon-Tiger Cottage is nestled in the valley between Dragon Mountain and Tiger Mountain, covering an area of approximately 750 square meters. At the front is a gate with a brick-carved plaque inscribed with “Dragon-Tiger Cottage.” Upon entering, a stone-paved path leads directly to the cottage. The cottage itself is a five-bay wooden structure with a flush gable roof, built in the rustic farmhouse style of Qing-era Eastern Zhejiang, spanning a construction area of 250 square meters. Inside, cultural relics and images introduce Huang Lizhou’s life and works. Surrounded by lush greenery, the tranquil and elegant surroundings make it an ideal place for focused writing. Nearby is the “Shi’an Spring,” locally known as “Jiangjing” or “Dragon Eye Spring,” whose water is as clear and jade-like as a cat’s eye, remaining limpid year-round and never drying up—it is hailed as “the No. 1 spring in the county.”

Within Fifteen Dai Village, there is also the Shanyin Lake and Shanyin Lake Temple. The Ming Dynasty scholar Xie Qian once studied here, and there used to be stone inscriptions reading “Ancient Site of Shanyin Lake,” written by the hermit Yang Ke of Mitu Mountain. Lizhou praised it in a poem: “Shanyin Lake was once a famed Song stronghold, / Now elders gone, who discusses its lore? / Still glad the frosty winds leave traces strong, / Jade-like streams through vine-gate gates still pour.” The “jade-like streams” mentioned in the poem refer to the enduring Hu’An Twin Waterfalls near Chuanshui Village, which cascade down powerfully, split by rocks into two streams like a pair of jade chopsticks amid misty splashes—a spectacular sight. Lizhou composed poems about the twin falls and even had a personal seal made reading “Abbot of Twin Falls Hall,” later earning him the title “Dean of the Twin Falls Academy.”

To the east of Fifteen Dai Kou stands Lujia Peak, featuring “Dao Wen Rock,” shaped like a stone pagoda, where the Ming Dynasty philosopher Wang Yangming and Lu Xiang once lectured.

Several hundred meters south of the Shanyin Stream lies “Three Maidens Peak,” gracefully formed and facing Dragon-Tiger Cottage. The tea produced here has long been known for its exceptional quality.