Bailan Mountain Pavilion

Bailan Mountain Pavilion

Bailan Mountain Pavilion is a cultural relic protection unit of Guangdong Province.

Bailan Mountain Pavilion is located on the east side of Mashanjiao in Rongcheng District, Jieyang City, and is part of Ding Mansion. It served as the place where Ding Richang, a late Qing Dynasty bibliophile, stored and read books in his later years. In the tenth year of the Tongzhi era (1871), Ding Richang selected a site in Rongcheng to build his residence, which featured terraces, pavilions, flowers, and trees, all exuding exceptional tranquility. Within the estate was an L-shaped two-story wooden building. Both the corridors and the building were adorned with lattice glass windows. The upper and lower sections of these windows had movable wooden panels that could be adjusted to control light and ventilation, facilitating both reading and book storage. The wooden building was constructed with carefully selected materials, featuring a sturdy and practical structure along with unique craftsmanship.

To the east of the building lies Mashanjiao, which connects to the Rong River. The owner could take a small steamboat to another resting place — Ding’s Jieyuan Garden. To the west of the building is a large courtyard, in the center of which is an oval-shaped lotus pond. The pond features a rockery made of Ying stones, surrounded by dozens of different varieties of orchids, hence the name “Bailan Mountain Pavilion” (Pavilion of a Hundred Orchids). The plaque was inscribed by Ding Richang’s close friend and calligrapher He Shaoji. From the fourth year of the Guangxu era (1878), when Ding Richang was granted retirement until his passing, he spent most of his time here reading and receiving guests. In his spare time from official duties, Ding enjoyed collecting rare books, and his collection included many Song and Yuan Dynasty editions, such as the Song Dynasty-printed "Yu Gong Tu" (Tribute of Yu Map), "Mao Shi Yao Yi" (Essentials of the Mao Commentary on the Book of Songs), and "Changli Ji" (Collected Works of Han Yu), all of which were unparalleled in their time.

Due to being repurposed, the internal structure of Bailan Mountain Pavilion has undergone slight changes, but it remains largely well-preserved.

Ding Richang (1823–1882), also known as Chijing, was from Tangkeng, Fengshun. He served as governor of Jiangsu and Fujian. In the sixth year of the Guangxu era (1880), he was appointed to oversee maritime defense in Nanyang, command the navy, and concurrently serve as a minister handling foreign affairs. He was highly regarded by Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang. Throughout his life, Ding had a refined passion for book collecting. He built both Bailan Mountain Pavilion and Chijingzhai Library, housing a collection of over 100,000 volumes. His collection was renowned alongside Fan Qin’s Tianyi Pavilion and Huang Pilie’s Baipeng Yizhai, earning him recognition as one of the Four Great Bibliophiles of China. His written works include the five-volume "Chijingzhai Shumu" (Chijingzhai Catalogue), the fifty-volume "Fu Wu Gongdu" (Official Documents from Governing Wu), as well as more than twenty other titles such as "Bailan Mountain Pavilion Political Works," "Bailan Mountain Pavilion Poetry Collection," "Biographies of a Hundred Generals," and "Essentials of Magisterial Writings."

In 1993, the Jieyang Municipal People’s Government designated it as a cultural relic protection unit.

Zhongshan Subdistrict: Located in the central old town area of Rongcheng District, Zhongshan Subdistrict is bordered by Dongfeng River to the east, adjacent to Ronghua and Xinxing Subdistricts; to the west, it borders Nanjiao River, separating it from Xima Subdistrict; to the south, it faces Xianqiao Subdistrict across the Nanhe River; and to the north, it looks toward Dongxing Subdistrict across the Beiriver. The subdistrict covers an area of 0.754 square kilometers and governs four community committees: Yongge, Dongmen, Dianma, and Nanmen, with a total population of 30,093, including 17,631 permanent residents. It is the only subdistrict in Rongcheng District with an exclusively residential household registration. The area is home to well-known commercial venues such as Jinxiang Commercial Pedestrian Street, Beimen Market, and Zhongxingyuan Business Street, primarily... More details about Zhongshan Subdistrict++

Further Reading:

· Ninth Batch of Guangdong Provincial Cultural Relic Protection Units