Dongpo Pavilion

Dongpo Pavilion

Dongpo Pavilion is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a cultural relic protection unit of Hepu County.

Dongpo Pavilion is located within Hepu Normal School, surrounded by clear waters and offering breathtaking scenery.

Legend has it that Su Dongpo stayed at Qingleyuan during his time in Hepu in the third year of the Yuanyou era of the Song Dynasty (1100 AD). Though he only stayed for two months, he wrote poems and essays such as “Staying Overnight in the Pure Conduct Monastery on a Rainy Night” and “Recording the Words of an Elder from Hepu.” To commemorate him, later generations built Dongpo Pavilion on the former site of Qingleyuan. The pavilion has been rebuilt several times over the dynasties, with the current structure renovated in 1944.

Dongpo Pavilion is a brick-and-wood structure. A large plaque inscribed with the characters “Dongpo Pavilion” hangs above the main entrance, written by Venerable Tieshan, the abbot of Guangzhou’s Darong Temple in the 1940s. The front wall features a carved portrait of the poet, above which are four bold and rustic characters reading “Immortal Official’s Traces.” To the upper left of the portrait are more than ten stone inscriptions of poems written by the poet during his time in Hepu. Inside the pavilion, the front wall also houses a stone carving of Su Dongpo along with over ten other poem inscriptions. About 30 meters east of the pavilion lies Dongpo Well, one of the Four Famous Wells of Lianzhou. Legend says it was personally dug by Su Dongpo, and scholars who drank from its waters before taking imperial exams would achieve top honors.

To the east of the pavilion lies “Dongpo Park.” Surrounded by lake water with shimmering ripples and shaded by weeping willows, the area boasts beautiful scenery. It is a key cultural relic protection unit of the county and a popular tourist destination in Hepu.

The Legend of Su Dongpo’s Exile to Lianzhou:

Legend has it that Su Dongpo was exiled to Huangzhou, Danzhou, and Lianzhou because he misedited a poem by his teacher Wang Anshi. One day, Su Dongpo came across two poem drafts by Wang Anshi, three lines of which read: “Yellow flowers falling till the ground is covered in gold,” “A bright moon chirps on tree branches,” and “A yellow dog lies on a flower’s heart.” Su Dongpo thought, “How can yellow flowers (chrysanthemums) shed petals? How can the moon chirp? And how could a yellow dog lie on a flower’s heart?” He then changed the lines to “Autumn flowers don’t shed like spring flowers do,” “The bright moon hangs on tree branches,” and “A yellow dog lies under flower shade.” When Wang Anshi saw the changes, he shook his head repeatedly and said, “So arrogant — he needs to be taught a lesson.” As a result, Su Dongpo was exiled to places such as Huangzhou.

After arriving in Huangzhou (now Huanggang, Hubei), Su Dongpo saw that the chrysanthemums there did indeed shed petals. In Danzhou (now Hainan), he heard a bird called “bright moon” chirping on tree branches. And in Lianzhou, he learned that a type of dog rose had insects in the flower hearts referred to as “black dogs” or “yellow dogs.” He then realized that it was actually he who lacked common knowledge. Of course, Su Dongpo's exile was mainly due to his opposition to Wang Anshi’s reforms. The legend is not historical fact but rather an interesting piece of folk tale.

Transportation

Take a motorcycle taxi from the Hepu County Bus Station to Hepu Normal School.

Admission / Opening Hours: Free

Su Shi (1037–1101), also known as Zizhan and by his courtesy name Dongpo Jushi, was from Meishan in Meizhou (now part of Sichuan). His family had a strong literary tradition — his grandfather Su Xu loved reading and was good at poetry, while his father Su Xun was a master of classical prose who provided careful guidance to Su Shi and his younger brother Su Zhe. Their mother, Lady Cheng, was knowledgeable and principled, once telling young Su Shi the story of Fan Pang from the Book of the Later Han · Biographies of Exemplary Officials to inspire him to uphold his integrity. By the time Su Shi was 21 and left Sichuan for the capital, his knowledge and cultivation were already quite advanced.

Su Shi was highly erudite and open-minded in thought... More detailed information about Su Shi ++

Lianzhou Town: Located by the Beibu Gulf, Lianzhou Town is the seat of the Hepu County People’s Government and the political, economic, and cultural center of Hepu. The town covers an area of 229 square kilometers, governs 29 village (residential) committees, and has 4,047.3 hectares of arable land. By the end of 2001, the town had a population of 150,000, making it the largest town in Hepu County. It is traversed by National Highways 325 and 209, the North-South Second-Class Highway, and an expressway. It is just 16 kilometers from Beihai International Airport and 30 kilometers from Beihai Port, with the Qinzhou-Beihai Railway having a station in the southern suburbs of Lianzhou. With convenient sea, land, and air transport links, its geographical advantages are very prominent.

Environment and Resources of Lian... More detailed information about Lianzhou Town ++