Spring Scenery of Six Ridges · Morning Bell of East Mountain

Spring Scenery of Six Ridges · Morning Bell of East Mountain

In the city center, there are six small connected hills known as Six Ridges. During the Song Dynasty, the Zhenbian Tower was built here, located where the current Cultural Center stands. The site is relatively high, offering a panoramic view in all directions and overlooking the entire city—naturally advantageous for military garrisoning and defense in ancient times. Emperor Lizong of the Song Dynasty once inscribed the eight characters “A Panoramic View of Rivers and Mountains” and “A Marvelous Sight in Misty Rain,” but the inscriptions have since been lost.

Starting in 1927, Six Ridges was officially named Zhongshan Park. In 1945, the “Anti-Japanese Victory Monument” was erected on the slopes of Six Ridges and remains intact to this day. After the liberation, the Cultural Center and the Library were built here.

The East Mountain, where East Mountain Temple is located, faces Six Ridges across the Shaoshui River. The temple was built here during the Song Dynasty. Situated midway between the inner and outer streets of the urban area and adjacent to both the Zishui and Shaoshui rivers, the bell of East Mountain Temple could be heard not only within the streets and alleys but also aboard boats and fishing vessels.

During the Song Dynasty, the regional Confucian academy was relocated to East Mountain. The renowned scholar Zhou Dunyi (also known as Master Lianxi) came here to lecture and inspect. To commemorate his activities, the Lianxi Academy was established inside East Mountain Temple during the Ming Dynasty, becoming one of the earliest and most prestigious academies in Hunan. Deng Xianggao, a prominent scholar of the Qing Dynasty, served for a long time as the head (i.e., principal) of East Mountain Academy. He was an intellectual with a strong sense of nationalism. He compiled and published numerous classics, including the Posthumous Works of Wang Fuzhi and the Baoqing Prefecture Records. His Baoqing Prefecture Records include a volume titled The Chronicles of the Min Feudatory, which provides detailed accounts of the activities of the Southern Ming regime in Shaoyang.