Parrot Hill

Stork Hill

Stork Hill is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Stork Hill is located on the banks of the Fuchun River, east of Fuyang City. It stands as a solitary peak, and at the riverbank, there is a rocky outcrop shaped like a stork facing the river—hence the name. Legend has it that during the Three Kingdoms period, under the Eastern Wu, a Taoist temple was built atop the hill, which also led to it being called Guan Shan (Temple Hill). The hill rises over 40 meters high, featuring uniquely beautiful terrain and ancient trees, predominantly camphor trees. Halfway up the hill, facing the river, stands the "Spring River’s First Tower," rebuilt during the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty. From its railing, one can enjoy the picturesque view of the Spring River. To the east lies the "Pine and Bamboo Villa," built by the local patriotic figure Yu Hua (also known as Mantuo) for his mother to spend her later years in comfort. Upon its completion, Li Yuanhong inscribed the plaque “Integrity as Firm as Pine and Bamboo,” from which the villa gets its name.

The tower is built with brick and wood, in a simple and classic style. Its interior now displays calligraphy and paintings by famous artists, as well as historical materials related to the Yu family. Mantuo was the elder brother of the modern literary master Yu Dafu. He was assassinated in 1939 by Wang Jingwei's thugs for severely punishing a Han traitor assassin. Six years later, Yu Dafu was killed by the Japanese in Sumatra, and the brothers became known as the “Two Martyrs.” Not far from the tower stands a pyramidal-roofed “Two Martyrs Pavilion,” with the plaque “Two Pines Stand Tall” inscribed by Shen Yanbing. The pavilion walls feature two stone tablets, each engraved with a line-drawn bust of the Yu brothers, illustrated by Ye Qianyu, accompanied by short biographies written by Huang Miaozi. There is also a poetry stele inscribed by Guo Moruo. The pillar couplets were composed using verses from the Yu brothers’ works, compiled by Yu Pingbo and Zhao Puchu: “After the calamity, who rules these lake and mountain scenes? The gallant sons fill the land east of the river.” “Do not forget our forebears who stood firm amid the currents—let us share a cup of tea in this mountain pavilion.” Leading from the pavilion is the “Tomb of Mr. Yu Mantuo’s Blood-Stained Robe,” built in 1947 with a plaque inscribed by Yu Youren. The “Inscription on the Tomb of the Blood-Stained Robe” was written by Guo Moruo, with calligraphy by Ma Xulun. (Yu Dafu’s former residence is located in Dafu Lane in the city center—a low-walled compound with a small courtyard. In the living room of the building, calligraphy and paintings exchanged among the Yu family are displayed, including a scroll of Lu Xun’s poem “Self-Mockery” in seven-character regulated verse.)

Descending along the mountain path to a rocky outcrop surrounded by water on three sides, a stone tablet stands at the tip, inscribed with “Yan Ziling’s Fishing Spot.” On the eastern side is a huge rock engraved with “Climbing Clouds and Fishing the Moon,” left behind by the Song Dynasty poet Su Dongpo during his visit. Historical accounts say that on autumn moonlit nights, when boating on the river, one could often see an old turtle floating on the surface, seemingly drinking in the moon’s reflection on the water—an phenomenon known as “Autumn Moon over Turtle Stream,” which ranked first among the ancient “Eight Scenic Views of the Spring River.”