Humble Cottage Park

Humble Cottage Park

Located on Banbian Street in Hecheng. It was built in the fourth year of the Changqing era (824) during the Tang Dynasty by the renowned poet Liu Yuxi when he served as the prefect of Hezhou. The site features an inscription, written and engraved on stone by the famous calligrapher Liu Gongquan: “A mountain need not be high; it is famous so long as there is an immortal on it. A lake need not be deep; it has supernatural power so long as there is a dragon in it. This is a humble cottage, but my virtue makes it fragrant. Moss creeps up the steps, and the grass peeks through the curtain. Here, I converse with great scholars and entertain no ignorant men. I can play my plain lute and read the golden scriptures. No discordant music disturbs my ears, nor do official documents tire my body. The thatched hut of Zhuge Liang in Nanyang, the pavilion of Ziyun in Western Shu—Confucius said, ‘How could it be humble?’” The Song dynasty work *Yudi Jisheng* (*Records of Famous Sites*) by Wang Xiangzhi states: “The Humble Cottage in Hezhou was established by Liu Yuxi of the Tang Dynasty and features the *Humble Cottage Inscription* written in Liu Gongquan’s calligraphy.” In the tenth year of the Zhengde era (1515) during the Ming Dynasty, Prefect Huang Gongbiao recarved the *Humble Cottage Inscription* stele and constructed several structures including the “Pine Ladder Tower,” “Half Moon Pond,” “Ten Thousand Flower Valley,” “Dancing Crane Pavilion,” “Zhan Chen Pavilion,” “Xu Shan Pavilion,” “Playful Crane Pavilion,” “Flowside Pavilion,” “Ying Xun Pavilion,” “Jun Yan Pavilion,” and “Jiang Shan Yi Lan Pavilion,” all of which were later destroyed in wars. During the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era, Hezhou Prefect Song Sirén rebuilt nine rooms of the humble cottage. In the sixth year of the Republic of China (1917), Jin Baofu from Lingnan recarved a *Humble Cottage Inscription* stele. The cottage grounds include a small stone-paved courtyard and steps, with a small hill behind the cottage that is quite elegant and clean, resembling a reclining dragon. The moss-covered hill is lush with green grass and shaded by trees. At the foot of the hill lies the “Dragon Pool,” its blue waters clear enough to see fish swimming.

In 1986, the site was renovated with funding from the provincial and county governments, and a latticed wall was constructed. The two characters “Humble Cottage” at the entrance were inscribed by the poet Zang Kejia. The *Humble Cottage Inscription* was copied in Liu Gongquan’s style by provincial calligrapher Meng Fanqing and engraved on a stele. The main hall of the cottage houses a full-standing statue of Liu Yuxi, above which hangs a horizontal plaque reading “Promoting Virtuous Officials.” The surrounding area displays couplets and scrolls written by nationally and provincially renowned calligraphers such as Zhang Kaifan, Fang Shaowu, Situ Yue, Ge Jieping, Xiao Lao, Yao Duo, Wen Yonghua, and Jiang Bo, as well as a seal scroll by seal carver Ge Xuguang. Next to the corridor door of the main room is a couplet reading “Moss creeps up the steps, and the grass peeks through the curtain.” The wooden pillars on both sides feature the couplet “A thousand sails pass by the wrecked ship; ten thousand saplings bloom beyond the sick tree.”

In 1988, the county invested nearly one million yuan to develop the area around the “Fairy Mountain” and “Dragon Pool” of the Humble Cottage into “Humble Cottage Park.” Covering an area of over 50 acres, the park includes structures on the mountain such as the Jiangshan Yi Lan Pavilion, Wangjiang Pavilion, and Immortal Cave. Within the pool are the Linliu Pavilion and Lüxian Bridge. The surroundings feature over 300 meters of Qing-style latticed walls. The main gate faces south and is a memorial archway-style entrance, with a plaque reading “Humble Cottage Park” inscribed by the noted Anhui calligrapher Zhang Kai. In 1986, the Humble Cottage was designated as a provincial-level key cultural relics protection unit by the People’s Government of Anhui Province.