Xiaoxiang Scenic Area

Xiaoxiang Scenic Area

“Xiaoxiang” is the abbreviated name for the Xiao River and the Xiang River, which converge at Ping Island in the north of Yongzhou City.

The Xiang River originates from the Haiyang Mountain in Lingui County, Guangxi. The branch of the Haiyang Mountain that flows southwest to Guilin is called the Li River, while the one that flows northeast to Hunan is the Xiang River. In order to subdue the Nanyue region, after conquering the Chu Kingdom, Qin Shi Huang once “dispatched 550,000 troops divided into five armies” to continue advancing southward. One of these armies was ordered to “guard the passes of Jiuyi Mountain” (from *Huainanzi·Renjian Xun*). To solve the difficulty of transporting supplies, the imperial censor Lingqu was ordered to lead troops to dig a 30-kilometer-long Lingqu Canal between the Xiang River and the Li River, thereby connecting the Yangtze River and Pearl River water systems. The Xiang River enters the Lingling region from Lubutou in Dong’an, resembling a broad, emerald-green ribbon winding through hills and fields, covering a navigable distance of 216 kilometers. Along both banks, not only are there golden flowers and green seedlings, with idyllic farmlands like brocades, but also uniquely shaped limestone cliffs stand majestically along the shores, spectacular and awe-inspiring.

Xiaoxiang is not only magical and magnificent, but has also produced many literati and scholars. Some were exiled to Yongzhou, others fell on hard times in the Jiangnan region, some served as officials in Jingchu, and some traveled through Xiaoxiang. They sang praises of the beautiful scenery of Xiaoxiang while also expressing nostalgic sentiments. In the Song Dynasty, Song Di came to Yong in the spring of the eighth year of the Jiayou era and painted eight landscape scrolls depicting the serene scenery of Xiaoxiang. *Dream Pool Essays* records: “Song Di was skilled in painting. Among his best works were *Wild Geese Descending on a Sandbank*, *White Sails on a Distant Shore*, *Mountain Market in Clear Mist*, *Evening Snow on the River*, *Autumn Moon over Dongting Lake*, *Night Rain in Xiaoxiang*, *Evening Bell from a Misty Temple*, and *Sunset Glow over a Fishing Village*, collectively known as the Eight Views.” Li Zongshu compiled these scenes into a poem titled *Eight Views*: “Rain falls on Xiaoxiang, halting night travels; moonlight evokes memories of Dongting’s autumn. Sails on distant shores stir longing to return; wild geese hover over sandbanks, descending with force. Sunset paints fishing villages where fishermen’s songs rise; evening bells drift from temples amid floating tea smoke. Clear mist over mountain markets invites tipsy delight—don’t wait for heavy snow to thicken on river and sky.” Poets such as Du Mu of the Tang Dynasty, Mi Fu of the Song Dynasty, Zhang Songling of the Five Dynasties, and Liu Yong of the Song Dynasty all left numerous poems about Xiaoxiang. Xiaoxiang has long been a poetic representation of the motherland’s landscapes and has become an elegant synonym for Hunan.