Zhouyi Garden

Zhouyi Garden

Fuling Zhouyi Garden, originally named Dianyi Cave, is located on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, facing Fuling City across the water. On the southern foothills of the majestic Beishanping, directly opposite Fuling City, there lies a stretch of natural large rock formations. The hollowed-out core of the rocks is shaded by hanging vines like curtains, with trickling springs falling in fine sprays, creating an atmosphere that is both serene and majestic. Locals in Fuling call this place Beiyán (North Cliff). At the western end of Beiyán, there is a man-made stone cave, with three bold regular-script red characters “Dian Yi Dong” (Cave for Pointing at the Book of Changes) carved on the cave door lintel. Because of the legend associated with this stone cave, Beiyán has gained fame both domestically and internationally. Over the past 700 years or so, numerous historical relics have been left here, attracting countless visitors. Dianyi Cave earned its name because the renowned Northern Song Dynasty Neo-Confucian scholar and educator Cheng Yi once annotated the *Book of Changes* (Yi Jing) here.

It is said that Dianyi Cave was excavated during the Song Dynasty. The *History of Song · Biographies of Recluses · Qiao Ding* records: “...Later, when Yi (Cheng Yi) was exiled to Fuling, it was actually the hometown of (Qiao) Ding. There is a cave in Beishan where teachers and friends would visit, recite poetry, and enjoy the scenery, which the people of Fuling called ‘Reading the Yi Cave.’ Zhu Xi’s poem *Inscription on the North Cliff* reads: ‘A tiny chamber houses the divine abode of the mind, where all worldly strategies reside. Each time I gaze upon the raging waves, I find endless inspiration, just as if witnessing boundless wisdom spring forth.’ This poem is now preserved on the cliff face, having been recarved in earlier years, and remains clearly visible today.

Dianyi Cave is 4 meters high, 3.8 meters wide, and 2.2 meters deep. It was hewn from a chunky coarse-grained yellow sandstone, and the chisel marks are still discernible. On the northwest wall of the cave, four regular-script characters “Yi Luo Yuan Yuan” (Origin of Yi and Luo) are inscribed, written by Shi Yantian, a late Qing Dynasty poet and calligrapher from Fuling. On the central north wall beside the spirit tablet of Master Cheng (the statue no longer exists) is a couplet: “Tracing the source of the Luo River, sincerity and rectitude of heart—esteemed as the master of a generation in the Northern Song; the Fu River gathers the marshlands, inheriting the past and inspiring the future—eternal reverence flourishing in Western Sichuan.” This couplet was recarved in the second year of the Guangxu reign (1876). The cave faces the river from Beiyán, offering an extremely secluded view. Before the 1930s, there was a “Guanlan Pavilion” (also known as Jiangtian Du Xuan) on the cliff edge in front of the cave. Inside the pavilion, a figure was depicted sitting with knees hugged, from where one could look down at the surging river and boats competing in the current, or gaze far into the distance at the layered rooftops of Fuling and the lush overlapping mountains. Legend has it that the pavilion was first built during the Yuan Dynasty, and was named by Jia Changqing, the most renowned literary and historical scholar in Shu at the time, who also composed *The Song of Guanlan Pavilion*, though unfortunately the song has been lost.

Such a simple and small stone cave may not have been where Cheng Yi actually annotated the *Yi Jing*; it was more likely later established by others in his memory, to express admiration for Cheng Yi’s unwavering dedication to scholarship and education despite life's turbulence, remaining true to his principles and joyfully committed to teaching. Of course, Cheng Yi’s historical limitations and the feudal dross within his Neo-Confucianism are self-evident. However, as a famous philosopher in the history of ancient Chinese philosophy, he made significant contributions to the development of Song Dynasty Neo-Confucianism. In this regard, the existence of Dianyi Cave is not without historical significance.

Dianyi Cave was included in the *Dictionary of Scenic Spots in China* in 1981. In May 1980, the Fuling County People’s Government designated it as a county-level key cultural relic protection unit, allocating funds for the gradual restoration of Beiyán and its development as a tourist site.

The garden displays and introduces the thoughts and deeds of figures such as Fuxi, revered as the “First Emperor under Heaven,” the “Humanity’s First Ancestor” Huangdi, as well as King Wen of Zhou, Confucius, and Cheng Yi, allowing visitors to systematically understand the origins and development of the *Yi Jing*. Features include the “Zhaoxiang Corridor” showcasing eight thematic sections such as “No Matter How Chaotic, Order Will Emerge,” the “Shenji Alley” with reliefs depicting scenes like Confucius foreseeing the future, the “Xingsi Chou” where the eight trigrams pillars stand solemnly, the “Leipilei Wu” ingeniously combining the 5,000-year-old Luoshu diagram with a modern six-pointed magic square, the “Du Hualang” (Painting Reading Corridor) featuring extensive cliff inscriptions by literati throughout the ages including Zhu Xi’s line “All worldly strategies reside here,” the “Ximo Pool” where Huang Tingjian washed his brush after inscribing “Gou Shen Tang,” the ever-flowing “Dicipan Rock,” the ancient “Liubei Chi” (Flowing Cup Pool) where Song literati composed poetry, the “Dianyi Cave” where Cheng Yi spent four years in solitude annotating four volumes of the *Yi Jing* and became a foundational figure of Neo-Confucianism, and the awe-inspiring Eight Trigrams Array. Here you can also find content exploring the relationship between Fuxi as the ancestor of management and modern management practices, as well as exhibits showcasing the connections between the *Yi Jing* and astronomy, geography, military strategy, mathematics, and everyday life.

The main structure of Zhouyi Garden — the “Yanyi Hall” — is a Taiji (yin-yang) sphere architectural design based on the concept of “the round heaven and square earth” and the generating number 55 of the cosmos. The design of the Taiji sphere is unique both domestically and internationally. The sphere has a diameter of 25 meters and contains five floors of building space, capable of accommodating hundreds of visitors at the same time. The Taiji sphere is in constant motion, reflecting the essential characteristic of change in the *Yi Jing*. If you take a boat ride on the river and gaze at the Taiji sphere from afar, or stroll through Zhouyi Garden along Chengtian Road, Tongtian Qu, and Yutian Dao, you will feel as if you have entered a mysterious and unfathomable realm.