Liberation Pavilion

Liberation Pavilion

Liberation Pavilion is a cultural heritage site protected at the provincial level in Hunan Province.

A provincial-level cultural heritage site and ranked second among the ancient Eight Scenic Spots of Xinning, Liberation Pavilion is one of the four surviving pavilions of Xinning. Originally built during the Northern Song Dynasty, it was designated as a county-level cultural relic protection unit by the People's Government of Xinning County in August 1999; on March 17, 2011, it was included in the ninth batch of Hunan Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites.

Located to the west of Zhongxing Road in Jingshi Town, Xinning County, on the eastern cliff of Litou Bay by the Fuyi River, and backed by Moke Ridge. It is a provincial-level cultural heritage site. Originally named Lion Crouching Pavilion, it was first built during the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song Dynasty. Repaired during the Ming Dynasty, an ancient stone tablet was unearthed inscribed with the characters “放生” (Liberation), leading to its current name. In the early years of the Qing Shunzhi reign, Magistrate Wang Wei built the Goddess of Mercy Pavilion and prohibited fishing nets. It underwent multiple renovations afterwards. It was destroyed by war in the ninth year of the Xianfeng era (1859). It was rebuilt in the sixth year of the Tongzhi era (1867) and the fifth year of the Guangxu era (1879). At that time, it included Liberation Pavilion, Jade Emperor Hall, Liberation Pavilion, and the Temple of Civil and Martial Deities. It overlooks Lotus Pond. The Xinning County Annals from the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty recorded that during his tenure in Shaoyang as the Tongpan of Yongzhou, the Northern Song scholar Zhou Dunyi passed by here while managing affairs in Shaoyang, “floating lotus flowers on the pond to accompany drinking,” hence the name. “Moonlit Night at Lotus Pond” is one of the Ten Scenic Spots of Southern Zi. “Evening View from Liberation Pavilion” and “Moonlit Night at Lotus Pond” were also listed among the old Twelve Scenic Spots of Xinning County. In the thirteenth year of the Guangxu era (1887), a fire destroyed the town and all pavilions and temples. They were later restored. During the Republican period, the County Government Consultative Assembly was located here, enshrining plaques of anti-Japanese heroes. On October 10, 1949, Magistrate Xu Junhu convened a meeting here to declare the peaceful uprising of Xinning. The current structure is a walled courtyard complex with an asymmetrical rectangular layout, covering an area of 896 square meters with a total built-up area of 701.1 square meters. It features a brick-and-wood structure with small blue-tiled roofs. To the south of the courtyard are two buildings side by side: the east building has one floor and the west building has two, both featuring fire walls and flush gable roofs. The lower floor of the west building’s southern side has seven arched windows, while the upper floor has six, offering excellent views of the river. On the stone wall is inscribed the phrase “Eternal Embankment Protection” in regular script, each character 0.5 meters in size, deeply carved with strong strokes, inscribed by Zhou Dunyi.

Jingshi Town: The former Feixianqiao Township, Baisha Town, and Jingshi Town have been merged into the newly established Jingshi Town.

Jingshi Town is located on the southwestern border of Hunan, nestled among the hills of the Yuecheng Mountain Range, with the clear Fuyi River flowing diagonally across the entire town. It borders Jinziling Forest Farm to the east, connects to Langshan Scenic Area to the south, neighbors Feixianqiao to the west, and adjoins Gaoqiao Town to the north. The town covers a total area of 199.62 square kilometers, with 37,434.5 mu of arable land, including 32,324.5 mu of paddy fields and 5,110 mu of dry land. It has a total population of 82,182, of which 36,026 are non-agricultural residents. ... More details about Jingshi Town ++

Further Reading:

· Ninth Batch of Hunan Provincial Cultural Heritage Sites