Duidui Pavilion

Duidui Pavilion Duidui Pavilion is located southeast of the Yan Guesthouse, beneath the Left Wing Mountain. Here, to the west, it faces the Five Elders Peaks, and below, it overlooks the Sacred Grace Spring. The cliffs are steep and the stream rushes with force. Originally, it served as a place where Li Wanjuan, the prime minister of the Northern Song Dynasty, proofread books, hence it was also called the Book-Proofing Terrace. In the 14th year of the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty (1501), Shaobao, the assistant education commissioner, built this pavilion on this site in honor of Zhu Xi, naming it Duidui Pavilion. This small pavilion, upon hearing its name, evokes the beauty of landscape scenery, and upon reflection, reveals deep reverence and admiration. Shaobao wrote in his “Record of Duidui Pavilion”: “These Five Elders — who matches them from the beginning of heaven and earth to its end? Who could be their equal through the ages? Why say only the Master stands alone?” He also said: “I have heard from Confucius: ‘The benevolent find joy in the mountains.’ The mountain condenses qi, and within it flows principle. Springs, rocks, earth, and wood — none are without benevolence. It is because of benevolence that they are tranquil, and it is because of tranquility that they endure. All mountains are so, but those that are tall and grand are especially so. The Master is a man of benevolence. Pure, broad-minded, upright, and moderate — his virtue harmonizes with the mountain, making him a pillar, a towering peak. Facing the Five Elders is indeed his due!” (From *The Chronicles of Bailudong Academy* by Li Yingyi of the Ming Dynasty) It means that the moral character and scholarship of Zhu Wengong (Zhu Xi) can stand in equal measure to the Five Elders Peaks — eternal through the ages, unchanging through time. Later, Li Mengyang composed the “Inscription and Preface of Duidui Pavilion,” and Wang Yangming inscribed the poem “Gazing at the Five Elders from Duidui Pavilion,” which was hung in the Minglun Hall. Near Duidui Pavilion, there are large stone carvings such as “Spring of Sacred Grace” and “Wind-Swept Spring and Cloudy Ravine.” In the stream, there are stone inscriptions handwritten by Li Mengyang and others, including “Pillar,” “Viewing the Stream,” “Living Water from the Source,” “Source of Orthodox Learning,” “My Joy,” and “Moon Spring.”