Ouye Pool

Ouye Pool

Ouye Pool is a cultural relic protection unit of Fuzhou City.

Ouye Pool is located in the northern part of Fuzhou city, south of Yeyeshan Road and east of Guping Road, within the former site of the Fujian Provincial Finance Department. Legend has it that it was the place where Ouye Zi, a renowned smelter from the Spring and Autumn Period, forged swords, hence its name, also known as Sword Pool. Nearby are historical sites such as Ye Mountain and Behind Sword Pool. According to the "Three Mountains Records" by Liang Kejia of the Song Dynasty: “This pool was the place where Ouye Zi forged swords, but there is no evidence to confirm it. Although there is a Sword Pool Temple in the state, during the Yuanhe era of the Tang Dynasty (806–820 AD), the monk Weigan dredged the pool and found several bronze knives and sword rings. There were still forging stoves among the bamboo groves, but they were located south of General Mountain, hundreds of steps away. This is not that pool. Perhaps the sword forger adopted the name based on this, which is possible. But the pool did not get its name because of the sword forger.” In ancient times, Ouye Pool covered an area of several square li, with sites around it including Ye Mountain, Lizhe Temple, Sword Pool Monastery, Five Dragon Hall, and Ouye Pavilion. During the Song Dynasty, Cheng Shimeng built Ouye Pavilion here. By the Hongzhi period of the Ming Dynasty, the pool had severely silted up, leaving only half an acre of water, enclosed within the Examination Hall. In the 21st year of the Republic of China (1932), the Fuzhou County Historic Sites Preservation Society dredged it again and restored Ouye Pavilion, Lingyun Platform, Xiyu Hall, and Sword Pool Monastery, also erecting a stone tablet inscribed “Ouye Zi’s Sword Forging Site,” which later gradually fell into disrepair. Today, the half-acre pond and the “Ouye Zi’s Sword Forging Site” stele still remain.

The Song Dynasty poet Huang Shang wrote in his poem “Ouye Pool”: “People appear in dreams like lightning, seen but a few times; / Swords chase clouds and thunder, nowhere to be found. / Only the Yue Mountains and the pool remain; / The bright moon of the night is as timeless as of old.” The Ming Dynasty poet Zhang Shiche wrote in “Feast at Sword Pool”: “Stone paths wind along green peaks, / Red feasts spread under emerald hues; / Lotus is gathered among waterweeds, / Boats drift through clouds of mist.” Later, the pool gradually shrank due to encroachment by residences, leaving only a half-acre pond. In the eighth year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty (1828), residences were purchased and the pool was redredged, expanding its surface area several times, and Ouye Pavilion was rebuilt to the south of the pool. In 1983, the water source was dredged and cleared, stone revetments were restored, an octagonal Sword Light Pavilion was built in the center of the pool, and structures such as a stone boat and Xiyu Pavilion were erected to the north. A moon terrace was constructed in front of the pavilion, protected by stone railings, with a winding bridge leading to the Sword Light Pavilion. The west side of the pool was enclosed with iron railings, planted with flowers and trees, and it was listed as the second batch of municipal-level cultural relics protection units. In 1998, to commemorate the 2,200th anniversary of Fuzhou’s founding, Ouye Pool was redredged, and the Yuandynasty Ouye Pool Official Land Stele, which had been stored in the Mount Qi Stele Corridor, was moved back and erected by the pool.

Gulou East Subdistrict: Gulou East Subdistrict

Located in the northeast corner of Gulou District, it borders Wusi Road to the east, Guping Road to the west, Qingcheng Temple and Xian South Road to the south, and Hualin Road to the north. It covers an area of 2 square kilometers, with 12,400 households and a population of 35,400. The subdistrict office is located at No. 189, Gudong Road. It administers 13 neighborhood committees — Qingcheng, Qixing, Kaiyuan, Saiyue, Guping, Hudong, Yingji, Weiqian, Xiannan, Jingzhi, Zhongshan, Gudong, and Modou — and one administrative village, Gongzheng. Within its jurisdiction are 113 units affiliated with provincial, municipal, and district governments, and 26 foreign-invested enterprises. Major historic sites include Ye Mountain Chenghuang Temple and Kaiyuan Temple... More details about Gulou East Subdistrict ++