Nanping Park (Provincial Forest Park)

Nanping Park (Provincial Forest Park)

Located in the southern suburbs of the county, it is a provincial forest park and also the largest park at the county level in the province. It consists of three parts: Nanping Mountain, Diaoyue Bay, and Luzhou. With a history spanning over a thousand years, it boasts rich cultural heritage. Many literati and scholars have composed poems here, and renowned literary figures such as Su Dongpo, Su Zhe, and Huang Tingjian visited it out of admiration. Huang Tingjian studied here in his childhood and wrote "Record of the East Suburb South Garden"; the famous Song Dynasty monk poet Hu Hong’s poem "Swing," which depicts the charm of the South Garden, was selected into "A Thousand Poems" and has been celebrated as an eternal masterpiece. Another of his works, "Evening View at the Bamboo Stream," was included in "Records of Song Poetry," making Diaoyue Bay widely known across the Central Plains. Liu Chenju, a Southern Song Dynasty poet, wrote "Record of the Little Xiechuan Pavilion" here, and many other literati left notable works. In the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty, Chen Yunzhang, the magistrate of Xinchang County, once composed a poem praising the scenery of the area: “The water and trees here are the most pristine, and the scenery along the way resembles that of Ya.” The park was established in 1982.

Major attractions include:

(1) Yue Fei Statue This 11-ton statue was built to commemorate Yue Fei’s eight-year resistance against the Jin invaders in Yifeng.

(2) Yuewang Temple (also known as Jingzhong Shrine) From the fourth year of the Jianyan era (1130) to the third year of the Shaoxing era during the Song Dynasty, Yue Fei and his son Yue Yun led the Yue Family Army in several battles in Yifeng, fighting against Jin generals such as Buyan Temur and Ma Jin. Yue Fei sent Yue Yun to transport grain from Hongzhou to relieve famine victims in Xinchang. To commemorate the father-and-son duo’s contributions in protecting Xinchang from disasters and enemies, local residents built Yuewang Temple in the county town during the Southern Song Dynasty. Originally located in the eastern suburbs of the county town, it was relocated here due to urban development needs. The temple was first built in the Southern Song Dynasty, renovated in the third year of the Zhengde era (1508) during the Ming Dynasty, and again in the eighth year of the Jiajing era (1529) in summer. It underwent another renovation in the ninth year of the Kangxi era (1670) during the Qing Dynasty. The original structure was made of brick and wood, featuring a front hall, a central plaza, corridors on both sides, and a rear building with six doors and five rooms. The main hall is 15 meters wide, 9 meters long, and 32 meters wide, with a total construction area of 1,248 square meters. Inside the temple is a stone incense burner inscribed with the words “Jingzhong Shrine,” crafted in the third year of the Zhengde era. There is also a stone tablet inscribed with the "Newly Built Song Yue E Wu Mu Memorial" by Chen Huaijing, the Yunnan Provincial Surveillance Commissioner and a native of the county, created in the third year of the Zhengde era. In September 1983, Yuewang Temple was listed as one of the first batch of key cultural relics protection units in the county. Upon entering the temple gate, there is a large screen wall inscribed with a poem by Yue Fei: “Alighting my horse on the forest ridge, I gaze keenly at the battlefield; where the battle clouds part, a stream flows. The pounding at the water’s edge still echoes the Jin Dynasty; who pitied the millet blossoms in the palace of Zhou? Now in the south, we crush petty foes; when will the northbound chariot return to the divine land? I vow to repay the sovereign with my seven-foot frame, pointing angrily to the horizon, tears unceasing.” This poem was self-titled by Yue Fei as “Composed at Duan Dui Shang While Pursuing Cao Cheng Until Here,” also known as "Inscription on the Sudden Horse Ridge." “Duan Dui” is near present-day Wanli Village, Qiaoxi Township, Yifeng, where there is also a General Lan Temple dedicated to General Lan, a subordinate of Yue Fei. Legend says this General Lan was a subordinate of Yue Fei. In the early Shaoxing era, when Yue Fei pursued Cao Cheng to Sidu, General Lan, holding the command flag and beating the war drum, was suddenly shot through the heart by an enemy arrow. To boost morale, he endured the agony, continued beating the drum until death, and stood upright in the field without falling. The people, moved to tears, built a grand temple in his honor, and folk tales tell of the “Standing Stone General.” It is said there is a ridge behind the temple called War Horse Ridge, where Yue Fei, moved by General Lan’s spirit, composed a poem. Today, to the left of the Yue Fei statue in Yuewang Temple stands a statue of Yue Yun, and to the right is a statue of General Lan, who remained standing even after being struck by an arrow. In the courtyard are stone statues of civil and military officials, while kneeling before the temple are the statues of Qin Hui and his wife.

(3) Nine Bells Tower Situated on Nanping Mountain, it houses nine ancient bells. At the turn of the year, literati and refined scholars in the city would climb the snow-covered mountain to gather poetically at the bell tower, quietly awaiting the arrival of the New Year. At the stroke of midnight, all nine bells ring in unison to celebrate peace and pray for happiness. The lingering chimes of midnight echo throughout the city, resonating like the sacred tones of the Yellow Bell, stirring the hearts of all who hear them. The Morning Bells of Nanping have become an elegant local custom for welcoming the New Year. The nine bells hung in the tower are all relics from ancient Buddhist temples and Taoist monasteries, including one cast during the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty, with the rest forged during the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong eras of the Qing Dynasty. The most exquisite is the bell originally from the Wufeng Jingjue Monastery in Huanggang Yuanqian Village, weighing 400 kilograms, with a smooth and gleaming surface and a resonant, pleasant tone. It was cast by the 35th Patriarch of the Linji School, Master Defang, using funds donated by devout believers.

(4) Prince Pagoda The Prince Pagoda is the tomb stupa of Li Xi, the 14th son of Emperor Suzong of the Tang Dynasty, and is a key cultural relic protection unit in Jiangxi Province. Li Xi, the 14th son of Emperor Suzong, became a monk under the renowned Tang Dynasty monk Huizhong of Nanyang. In the third year of the Jianzhong era, he went to Xiaoyao Mountain in Yifeng to practice Buddhism, donated to build Zifu Temple, and was known as Monk Xi. After his passing, he was buried on Xiaoyao Mountain, and his tomb stupa is commonly known as the “Prince Pagoda.” A Prince Pagoda Temple was also built, but it no longer exists, while the pagoda remains. Originally located at the foot of Jinqian Mountain on Xiaoyao Mountain in Tanshan Town, it was relocated here in 1983 and has become an important historical site in the park.

(5) Guangfu Temple (formerly the Ancient South Garden) Built during the Yuanyou era of the Northern Song Dynasty, it features a brick-and-wood structure. It is a complex of buildings in the traditional hip-and-gable roof style, retaining its ancient charm despite renovations over the dynasties. The main hall, Qingyu Hall, is seven bays wide and 12 meters deep, standing on a stone platform. The central hall has eight pillars and three bays, with a front corridor, rear windows, and a floor paved with square bricks. To the east are high arched brick bridges named “Soaring Sea Monster” and “Crossing Rainbow,” accessible to the upper floor via the “Snow Cave” and “Cloud Ladder,” where the “Kouxia Pavilion” offers panoramic views. Below the bridges is a fishpond. The hall has four rooms and corridors, with the “Lejing Studio” to the east and the octagonal two-story “Haoran Pavilion” to the west. Behind the hall, on the mountainside, is the “Yiran Pavilion,” near a lotus pond and a spring well, enclosed by brick and stone walls. Both Su Dongpo and Su Zhe visited Cai Zeng here, and Huang Tingjian also frequented the place, composing “Record of the South Garden of the East Suburb Resident.” The Tang Dynasty poet monk Hu Hong’s seasonal poem “Swing” from the South Garden was selected into the “A Thousand Poems” in the Southern Song Dynasty, becoming a timeless masterpiece and spreading the fame of the South Garden across the Jiangnan region.

(6) Children’s Playground The main entertainment area of the park, featuring a European-style small castle, mazes, slide towers, decommissioned fighter jets, horses, swings, roller coasters, go-karts, electric cars, rocking machines, pirate ships, crescent flying cars, mermaids, race tracks, trampolines, and inflatable castles.

(7) Martyrs’ Monument The monument is located in the center of the park, shaped like a square tower, standing 20.2 meters tall and 4 meters wide. The entire structure is primarily made of bricks, reinforced with concrete. The front of the monument features the gilded words “Revolutionary Martyrs’ Monument” in Mao Zedong’s calligraphy style, and 978 names of revolutionary martyrs are engraved on the front of the monument.

(8) Botanical Garden Viewing Area Includes a bamboo garden, plum garden, osmanthus garden, cherry blossom garden,

peach blossom garden.

(9) Folk Culture Museum The museum has collected over 500 pieces of traditional local folk items, categorized into handicraft workshops, farming tools, daily necessities, and folk artisans' tools. It includes several exhibition halls such as an oil press workshop, stone mill workshop, papermaking workshop, waterwheel, farming tools, daily necessities, and folk artisans’ tools.

(10) Tao Yuanming Memorial Hall Covering an area of 98 mu, with a construction area of 1,066 square meters, it features a statue of Tao Yuanming, twelve zodiac stone sculptures, and Tao Yuanming’s tomb.

(11) Chongwen Pagoda The pagoda was first established in the sixth year of the Tianqi era (1626) during the Ming Dynasty, with the sixth and seventh floors added in the 56th year of the Kangxi era (1717), taking 91 years to complete. It is a seven-story, eight-sided pavilion-style pagoda with a brick-and-stone structure, standing 45.5 meters tall. Each pair of floors features a waist eave and a platform, with the platform paved in stone slabs. Each side of every floor has a door flanked by niche-style windows inscribed with “Chongwen Pagoda” and “Renovated in the 19th Year of the Guangxu Era.” This pagoda is a major landmark of Yifeng.