Nanyang Scenic Pavilion

Nanyang Scenic Pavilion

Nanyang Scenic Pavilion is located in Shitingjiao Village, Nanya Administrative Zone, Hongcao Town. It was built in the 35th year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1556) by a local resident named Wu Hengfu as a memorial gateway pavilion for his ancestral tombs at the “Crow Land.”

Wu Hengfu, a wealthy merchant during the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, called himself the “Hermit of Xingmei” and was known for his philanthropy. In one year when Haifeng suffered from crop failure and disaster, he donated half of the annual tax quota for the entire county to the imperial court, earning him the nickname “Wu Half-County.” He built a total of 18 granite stone pavilion tombs for his ancestors, collectively known as the “Eighteen Pavilions.” This pavilion is one of them (the other stone pavilion tombs were demolished during the Cultural Revolution). The pavilion is entirely made of granite, nearly square in plan, with a width of 3.4 meters and a depth of 2.8 meters. It features a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof and stands 5.4 meters tall. On the front, between the double eaves, there is a dark green stone plaque inscribed horizontally in intaglio with the four characters “Nanyang Scenic.” On the interior, it bears a vertical inscription in intaglio: “Erected in the 35th year of the Jiajing reign of the Great Ming, in the cyclical year of Bingchen, during the auspicious early summer, by the Hermit of Xingmei, Wu. Carved by Zhang Chengshou.” On the back (southeast side) of the pavilion, there is another dark green stone plaque with the two characters “Xuanlan” (meaning “profound view”) inscribed horizontally in intaglio. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, a village was established east of the stone pavilion and named “Shitingjiao Village.” To this day, the pavilion remains well-preserved.