Spring Terrace at Dawn

Spring Terrace at Dawn

Why is Spring Terrace crowned with “at Dawn”? It’s likely due to its elevation. Amid the relatively flat Xiushui River valley plains, this small hill abruptly rises to an altitude of 130 meters, making it the first place in the city to greet the sunrise. Naming it “Spring Terrace at Dawn” is most fitting. The county annals state that the earliest person to refer to this small urban hill as a “terrace” was Liu Cheng, the Marquis of Yichun during the Western Han Dynasty. In the sixth year of Emperor Wu of Han’s Yuanguang era (129 BC), he designated five terraces in Yichun: Yichun Terrace, Fairy Terrace, Lake Ridge Terrace, Transformed Terrace, and Fishing Terrace. Among the five, Yichun Terrace boasted the most splendid scenery. Coupled with its panoramic views of the plains and the bustling human settlements below, where “seasonal landscapes unfold before your eyes,” it became a prime destination for literati and poets throughout history. People would gather here, drinking wine in the breeze, composing poetry, and expressing their emotions, further spreading its fame far and wide.

The construction of pavilions on Yichun Terrace began in the Song Dynasty. During the Xianping and Jiayou reigns of the Northern Song Dynasty (998–1063 AD), locals built the Temple of the Marquis of Yichun on one side of the terrace to commemorate Liu Cheng. Later, the essayist Li Gou, while lecturing at the Yuanzhou Prefectural School, ascended the terrace and wrote the lines: “Who resides in this little Penglai after being exiled? Only Yichun’s ancient terrace remains.” Since then, scholars and dignitaries throughout the ages, whenever they visited Yichun, made it a point to climb Yichun Terrace. They leaned on the railings, gazed into the distance, composed poetry, and poured out their feelings, leaving behind many widely celebrated verses. Wang Anshi, one of the Eight Great Prose Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, expressed his admiration for the majestic terrace with the line: “The city of Yichun wraps around towers and terraces; I can imagine ascending to sip a cup of wine.” He imagined standing atop Yichun Terrace, gazing at the endless green bamboo veiled in mist, and watching the plum fruits ripen under the summer rains — what a intoxicating sight in the Jiangnan region. Meanwhile, Yan Song, the powerful prime minister of the Ming Dynasty, visited Yichun Terrace multiple times and composed many delicate and elegant lines, such as: “Pine and fir trees rustle beyond the city walls as cool winds rise, towers stand tall as the fine scenery shifts,” and “Cliffside trees change with the seasons, mountain clouds never align with vulgar sentiments.”

The front of Yichun Terrace is a high platform built from city bricks. Standing on the platform, you can see a magnificent three-story pavilion. The pavilion features a hip-and-gable roof style, double eaves, four ridges, and is covered with cylindrical tiles. The ground floor has brick railings, while the second and third floors are adorned with wooden flower railings, latticed carved windows, upturned eaves, and painted beams — all exuding an ancient elegance and refined craftsmanship. On the front side of the pavilion, there are also side rooms arranged in a triangular formation with the main hall. One of the side rooms houses a large stone stele locked away, inscribed with the two characters “Yi Chun” (Yichun), said to be handwritten by Empress Dowager Cixi. In the 1950s and 60s, the greatest joy for children after school was playing “guerrilla games” (a type of hide-and-seek) on Yichun Terrace. They played gleefully amidst towering camphor and locust trees, and within dense patches of thatch. On either side of the high platform of Yichun Terrace, there are two massive jujube trees. After the frost, when their leaves fall, the jujubes drop onto the thatch and brambles, ready for anyone to pick and eat. Their incredibly sweet taste is unforgettable. To the east of Yichun Terrace stands the Changli Academy, built during the Ming Dynasty to commemorate Han Yu. Two large mulberry trees in front of its gate cast deep shade, and in early summer, the mulberries that cover the courtyard are so abundant that children end up with purple-stained mouths. Back then, Yichun Terrace was not only a popular spot for watching the sunrise but also a cherished paradise for people of that generation.

Even today, although Yichun Terrace is no longer the tallest structure in the city, its significance in people’s hearts remains irreplaceable by any other building. On clear, sunny days, standing on the three-story pavilion, you can watch the red sun burst forth from the horizon where mountain meets sky, bathing the entire city in the fresh, translucent glow of dawn — a breathtakingly beautiful sight that lifts the spirits.