City of Literature and Culture

City of Literature and Culture

In the square at the east entrance of Longshan Park stands the stone memorial archway inscribed with the words "City of Literature and Culture." The front plaque bears the four characters "Southeast Renowned City," originating from the line in the poem by Fan Zhongyan, a renowned statesman and literary figure of the Northern Song Dynasty: “At the foot of the two Yu Yao hills, lies the most famous city in the southeast.” The plaque on the reverse side of the archway is inscribed with the four characters "文献名邦" ("City of Literature and Culture"). Here, "文" refers to valuable cultural and historical texts, "献" refers to learned and knowledgeable scholars well-versed in history and anecdotes. This is because since its establishment as a county in the Qin Dynasty, Yuyao has consistently produced a great number of notable figures and scholars, with abundant writings and rich historical significance. It has long been praised as having "the greatest personalities of Yao River surpassing all under heaven." As early as the Ming Dynasty, Yuyao was referred to as the "City of Literature and Culture." This plaque was originally written by Shi Hong in the early Qing Dynasty, and later recarved by Weng Qinglong, a native of Yuyao, during the Qing Dynasty.