Jia Yun Pavilion

Jia Yun Pavilion

Jia Yun Pavilion is a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province.

Also known as Jia Yun Tower, Jia Yun Pavilion is located on Cui Ping Mountain in Da Chuan District, Dazhou City, Sichuan Province. It was one of the famous Eight Scenic Spots of the former Da County. The pavilion takes its name from a poetic line in Bai Juyi’s “Record of the Thatched Cottage on Mount Lu”: “Ancient pines and aged firs, their tall branches scraping the clouds, lower boughs brushing the pond.” This thousand-year-old pavilion, “humbly” nestled in the hills of Cui Ping, has witnessed the transformation of Dazhou over the centuries.

Standing about ten meters tall, Jia Yun Pavilion features gray tiles and white walls, a hexagonal three-story structure with upturned eaves and a pointed roof. Its interior staircases and beams are all made of wood, giving it a simple and classic charm.

Jia Yun Pavilion was originally built by Yuan Zhen, the Sima (prefectural governor) of Tongzhou during the Tang Dynasty’s Yuanhe era. It was destroyed in the Ming Dynasty but rebuilt in the second year of the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1797). In the thirteenth year of Emperor Xianzong’s Yuanhe era, the imperial court issued a general amnesty, and Yuan Zhen was summoned to the capital. On the ninth day of the first lunar month, he set off by boat from Tongzhou, traveling downstream. The local people crossed the river and climbed up to Jia Yun Pavilion on Cui Ping Mountain to bid him farewell from afar. Since then, the ninth day of the first lunar month has become the most distinctive “Yuanjiu Climbing Festival” in Dazhou, a tradition that continues to this day. The entire structure of Jia Yun Pavilion tapers elegantly as it rises, refined and graceful, embodying the style of Qing Dynasty garden architecture. According to the 1911-era “Da County Annals,” after the Qing Dynasty, the multicolored clouds over Cui Ping Mountain were no longer seen as an ominous sign. Instead, many literati and poets celebrated the colorful clouds along with Jia Yun Pavilion as one of the Eight Scenic Spots of Tongzhou. To this day, the poetic phrase “A auspicious cloud curls inward, southern green hills mirrored in clear waters” is still widely recited.

Current Status

As Jia Yun Pavilion had not been renovated for nearly a hundred years, its rafters and corners were severely decayed, the gray tile roof had partially collapsed, and its foundation, walls, and windows had all been removed. Most of its roof tiles and carved ornaments were damaged, leaving the structure on the verge of collapse. It was once classified as a Grade D dangerous building by the former Da County Work Safety Bureau. Later, with strong attention from party committees and governments at all levels, the former Da County Culture and Sports Bureau secured special maintenance funds through extensive efforts. The Sichuan Provincial Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute’s Ancient Architecture and Grottoes Design and Research Office conducted on-site surveys, measurements, and developed a scientific maintenance and preservation plan. After a series of preparatory works, the restoration project officially commenced in August 2007. By the end of March 2008, the restoration work was fully completed.

In 2001, Jia Yun Pavilion was listed by the Dazhou Municipal People’s Government as one of the first batch of municipal-level key cultural relic protection units. In 2007, it was designated by the Sichuan Provincial People’s Government as part of the seventh batch of provincial-level cultural relic protection units.

Protected Area: The courtyard wall extends 5 meters outward to the east, west, and north, and 15 meters outward to the south.

Construction Control Zone: Extends 20 meters beyond the protected area.