Ziyun Pavilion

Ziyun Pavilion

Ziyun Pavilion is situated within Xishan Park of the Xishan Scenic Area in Fucheng District, Mianyang City. Also known as Phoenix Mountain, the area spans 0.3 square kilometers. It boasts dense forests, bamboo thickets, fragrant osmanthus blossoms, and clear flowing springs, creating picturesque surroundings. In addition to Ziyun Pavilion, the site includes the Ancient Immortal Cloud Temple, Tomb of Jiang Wan, Memorial Shrine of Jiang Gonghou, Reading Terrace of Yang Xiong, Jade Maiden Spring, as well as Taoist cliff inscriptions from the Sui and Tang dynasties.

Ziyun Pavilion was built to commemorate Yang Xiong, a literary figure, linguist, and philosopher of the Western Han Dynasty. Yang Xiong (53 BC – 18 AD), courtesy name Ziyun, was a native of Chengdu in Shu Commandery. During the reign of Emperor Cheng of Han, he served as a Yellow Gate Attendant, a position responsible for attending to the emperor and conveying imperial edicts. From a young age, Yang concentrated deeply on his studies, displaying remarkable erudition. He was known to have “read extensively on all subjects,” and at one time “focused intently on the Book of Changes (Yi Jing), and immersed himself in Laozi and Zhuangzi.” He mastered philology and lexicography, had a passion for fu (rhapsodic poetry), admired Sima Xiangru, and emulated his style. In his early years, he wrote works such as “In Response to the Li Sao (Encountering Sorrow),” “A Broadened Li Sao,” “Fu on the Shu Capital,” and “Inscriptions from the Four Corners of Chengdu.” Later in life, summoned to the imperial court, he authored masterpieces such as “Fu on the Sweet Springs Palace,” “Fu on Hedong,” “Fu on the Royal Hunt,” and “Fu on the Long Yang Palace,” which brought the grand fu tradition pioneered by Sima Xiangru—who advocated using lavish praise to offer subtle criticism (劝百讽一)—to its pinnacle. No one after him could match this achievement.

Yang Xiong made significant contributions to philosophical research concerning the essence of the universe and human life. He “wrote the Taixuan, integrating Confucianism and Daoism.” He also authored the Fajia, unifying the theories of Confucianism, Daoism, and Legalism, and offered unique interpretations of classic texts such as the Yi Jing and Analects of Confucius.

The Wenxin Diaolong (The Literary Mind and the Carving of Dragons) refers to the pairing of “Yang and Ma.” Following Sima Xiangru, Yang Xiong was the greatest fu writer of the Western Han Dynasty. His fu pieces, scholarly in nature, are both knowledgeable and skillfully composed, though they sometimes feel somewhat artificial. Yang Xiong’s main contribution to the fu genre lies in expanding its subject matter and expressive techniques beyond the court, using it to describe objects, narrate stories, express ideals, and convey emotions, bringing it closer to a more essayistic style.

When Yang Xiong left home for the capital in his forties, he stayed briefly in Fuling. Today, remnants of the “Yang Ziyun Reading Platform” and “Ink-Washing Pool” can be found at two locations: on Phoenix Mountain in Mianyang City and at the site of the ancient Zhongyang Town in Yongxing District of Fucheng. Historical records describe the landscape: historically, there were three Ziyun Pavilions in Sichuan. One was located at the residence of Yang Xiong in Chengdu, but this pavilion no longer exists, and its exact site is uncertain. Another was constructed near Yang Xiong’s hometown in the outskirts of Pixian County. It was relocated to the side of Yang Xiong’s tomb during the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty, but now only an earthen platform remains, as the building itself is gone. The only surviving Ziyun Pavilion today is the one at the Xishan Scenic Area in Mianyang. This site includes both a larger, newer pavilion and a smaller, older one, reflecting the local citizens’ reverence for literature and art, as well as their deep respect for ancient sages.

The old Ziyun Pavilion was built atop the Reading Platform of Yang Ziyun, located on the left wing of Phoenix Mountain's edge—a flat, solid rock surface. At the front end of the rock, there is a cliff relief carved portrait titled “Authentic Portrait of Yang Ziyun” along with a brief biography of Yang Xiong, said by the Republican-era Mianyang County Annals to have been engraved in the Song Dynasty. On the right side of the rock, a large cliff niche carving contains over 90 Taoist figures, created in the 12th year of the Xiantong era (871 AD) during the reign of Emperor Yizong of Tang. The old Ziyun Pavilion was constructed on this rock, though the year of its earliest construction is unknown. The Mianyang County Annals record that the pavilion rebuilt in the 6th year of the Republic (1917) was a rectangular wooden structure, which was destroyed in the early years of the Cultural Revolution. By the 1970s, the Mianyang County Urban Construction Bureau reconstructed a hexagonal brick-and-concrete pavilion on the site, which still stands today.

In 1987, the Mianyang Municipal People’s Government constructed a new Ziyun Pavilion at the mountaintop (“phoenix head”) of Phoenix Mountain, covering an area of over 10 acres, with a floor area of more than 1,400 square meters and a height of 23 meters. The three-story structure integrates towers, terraces, pavilions, and gazebos—displaying an elegant and majestic appearance. At the entrance of the Ziyun Pavilion courtyard, inscribed calligraphy by famed Chengdu calligrapher Fang Binsheng features Liu Yuxi’s "Inscription on the Humble Dwelling," highlighting the long history and profound cultural influence of the Western Shu Ziyun Pavilion. The courtyard also houses a towering granite statue of Yang Xiong, vividly portraying the presence of the great fu writer. In the exhibition room beneath the pavilion are displayed Yang Xiong’s philosophical and fu works such as the Taixuan and the Fayan. Among the couplets on the pavilion pillars is a particularly notable long verse composed by Gao Xianqi and written by Bai Yunsu. This piece captures the brilliance of Yang Xiong’s writings and the renewed splendor of Mianyang, blending harmoniously with the scenic beauty of Ziyun Pavilion to enhance the prestige of another famous attraction in Western Shu:

Eight hundred miles of soaring heavenly roads, sleeves brushing clouds and mist, singing loudly past the Sword Gate, with verdant corridors linking the new city. Behold the majestic Banner Mountain, the steep Drum Ridge, the graceful Pagoda, the spiritual Turtle—this renowned pavilion in Western Shu now gleams anew, a humble abode reborn. Recall how Liu Yuxi long ago paid his deepest respects to the master through his Inscription on the Humble Dwelling.

A divinely talented scholar of two millennia past, whose mind embraced the cosmos. His lasting influence rises over the Fu River. From the ancient Reading Terrace, one feels the weight of tradition. Think of the rhapsodies of Sima Xiangru, the prose of Wang Bo, the poetry of Du Fu, the histories of Ouyang Xiu—the great sages of China, whose writing has stood the test of time. Their verses remain timeless, and even today, the refined praises of Wang Anshi continue to captivate generations.

Scenic Spot Location

Fucheng District, Mianyang City, Sichuan Province