Moon over Jishan at Night

Moon over Jishan at Night

Jishan, located in the northeast corner of the county town, is a small earthen hill surrounded by water on all sides. Legend has it that during the Wei and Jin dynasties, Ji Kang, one of the "Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove" and a former Central Libationer of the Wei Kingdom, dissatisfied with the tyranny of Sima Zhao and disillusioned with the world, admired Zhuangzi and once lived in seclusion here, devoting his days to writing, gardening, and ironworking. He was later killed by Sima Zhao. The hill was named after him, hence called Jishan. Later generations, to express their admiration for Ji Kang, built a "Ji Kang Pavilion" on Jishan in the 31st year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1866). The pavilion was renovated and expanded during the Jiaqing era. However, due to years of neglect, it was eventually destroyed in wartime. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, in 1962, the county government allocated funds to rebuild the Ji Kang Pavilion, which still stands today.

In the past, Jishan was surrounded by water, dotted with weeping willows and wildflowers, alive with birdsong and leaping fish, offering a delightful scenery. Especially on summer and autumn nights, with the bright moon overhead, a cool breeze blowing, the fragrance of lotus flowers wafting, the pond water rippling, tree shadows swaying, and crickets chirping, the atmosphere was serene and poetic—thus earning its reputation as a scenic wonder. The Qing Dynasty poet Wang Zuolin wrote a poem titled "Autumn Moon over Jishan":

Alone I climb Jishan, my thoughts drifting far,

Chasing your unmatched tunes, I act wildly, bizarre.

Where love once lingered, all have long since gone,

Yet tales of your “Seven Unbearables” still live on.