Yanxi Mountain

Yanxi Mountain

Yanxi Mountain is located at the foot of Jinfeng Mountain in the city area. The mountain is covered with ancient lush trees, dotted with numerous exotic springs and peculiar rocks, and scattered with pavilions and towers. Cliff inscriptions can be seen everywhere.

Entering Yanxi Mountain from Lianzhou Middle School on Fanyu Road in Lianzhou City, you will see an archway that is 6 meters high and 6.5 meters wide, built with blue bricks and yellow tiles, exuding an antique charm. The horizontal plaque features the cursive characters "Yanxi" (meaning “joyful celebration”), and above it is a couplet: “The writings of the Ministry of Personnel soar higher than the North Star; the waters and stones of Lianzhou outshine all others in the south.” This is a classic phrase the people of Lianzhou take pride in. On either side of the main gate are side doors, each inscribed with cursive characters by Han Yu, a Minister of Personnel from the Tang Dynasty: “Kite Soaring” and “Eagle Soaring.” Stepping through the archway and looking back, you’ll find the beam inscribed with “A Place of Fascinating Beauty,” as well as another couplet: “Heavenly springs gush forth, leading to Twin Purity Spring in search of living water; Jinfeng Mountain grounds the earth’s veins, offering a view that makes other mountains seem small.”

Walking dozens of meters north along the simple and solemn bluestone path, you’ll come to the Tiecang Pavilion. Though not large, it holds significant commemorative value. In the autumn of 1938, when the Japanese invaded Guangzhou, the Nationalist provincial government relocated to Lianzhou. Governor Wu Tiecheng delivered an anti-Japanese rallying cry to the people of the province on Yanxi Mountain and inscribed the words “Prosperity Through Adversity,” encouraging the public to resist the invaders. The following year, local residents built the Tiecang Pavilion in honor of this significant act and placed the stone tablet inscribed with “Prosperity Through Adversity” inside the pavilion.

Facing the Tiecang Pavilion is the Liubei Pavilion, initially built in the sixth year of the Yuanyou era during the Northern Song Dynasty. Local gentry utilized the stream from Tianze Spring to carve out a winding, cup-shaped shallow channel on the lawn in front of the pavilion. The spring water flows gently through the channel. Officials and literati gathered by the pool, imitating the ancient custom of “floating wine cups along a winding stream,” composing poetry over drinks. A wine cup—sometimes replaced with a peach blossom—was released at the source of the stream to float downstream. Whoever the cup floated near would drink a cup of wine and compose a poem. “Liubei” (floating the cup), drinking, and poetry became a refined pastime among Lianzhou’s literati, inspiring many literary works. Ming Dynasty poet Zhang Xuan wrote: “Carving stone to form a channel, azure waves flow, in peaceful times leisure activities abound. Unaware if today’s scholarly gathering matches the grandeur of the Yonghe era of Jin. Blooming season, wine carried for spring outings, hands holding flower twigs as drinking tallies. Drunken eyes think the world small, Yellow River’s nine bends swell with spring flow.”

Turning southward, you’ll see a massive rock whose head and tail are vividly shaped, resembling a dragon’s swaying tail. On it sits the Wolong Pavilion, built during the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song Dynasty. Across the path is the Zhenlu Pavilion, which houses a chessboard carved into a natural rock surface—it is the oldest existing chessboard in China. During the Cultural Revolution, part of it was destroyed under the campaign to “eliminate the Four Olds,” chipping away a corner and robbing one side of the game of the space for a chariot in its opening formation.

Descending the steps from Zhenlu Pavilion, you’ll arrive at the renowned Yanxi Pavilion. It is recorded in both the *Chinese Scenic Spots Dictionary* and *Chinese Pavilions, Towers, and Terraces*, and Yanxi Mountain is named after this pavilion. Built in the 13th year of the Zhenyuan era of the Tang Dynasty (797 AD) by Wang Hongzhong, an official of the Ministry of Personnel, it served as a place for ancient officials and literati to host banquets and relax. Six years later, Han Yu named it Yanxi Pavilion, inspired by the phrase from the *Book of Songs*: “The Marquis of Lu rejoices—a praise,” and composed the *Record of Yanxi Pavilion*. In the 26th year of the Daoguang era (1847), calligrapher Dai Xi handwrote the *Record of Yanxi Pavilion*, which was engraved on a stone tablet and placed inside the pavilion. In 1938, Lin Sen, Chairman of the National Government of China, inscribed a couplet for the pavilion. Though the Yanxi Pavilion itself is quite ordinary—with green tiles, yellow eaves, upturned corners, four red pillars, and covering only a few dozen square meters—it seems unremarkable at first glance. However, its history and culture have inspired generations of literati to write about it ceaselessly. The surrounding stone walls are covered with inscriptions left by historical figures, including poems and writings by Tang Dynasty writers Yuan Jie, Liu Yuxi, and Han Yu; Northern Song philosopher Zhou Dunyi; Southern Song Prime Minister Zhang Jun and scholar Zhang Shi; Ming Dynasty poet You Pu; and Qing Dynasty scholar Xu Qi. There are also more mundane carvings such as “visited here” by those seeking to leave their mark.

The Liu Yuxi Memorial Hall, nestled in Yanxi Mountain at Lianzhou Middle School, features upturned eaves and bracket sets, along with vermilion pillars, all exuding the style of classical Chinese palace architecture with an antique charm. The simple yet majestic memorial hall becomes even more captivating after careful exhibition planning: the combination of lighting, murals, poetry, and bronze statues creates a rich atmosphere of historical depth.

Yanxi Mountain has many pavilions—including the Linyin Pavilion, Shiyong Pavilion, Junzi Pavilion, Huizou Pavilion, Zuigong Pavilion, and over ten others—as well as many peculiar rocks such as the Zuigong Rock, Feiyan Rock, Golden Rooster Rock, Twin Swords Rock, Immortal Bowl, Immortal Ape Rock, and Golden Turtle Rock. There are also numerous famous springs, such as Tianze Spring, Beishan Ancient Well, Lian Spring, Yong Spring, and Feilian Waterfall. Each pavilion, rock, and spring has its own history and cultural significance.

Yanxi Mountain bears witness to Lianzhou’s history and encapsulates its culture, inspiring generations of Lianzhou people to strive for progress.

The first floor houses a statue of Liu Yuxi, his poetry and essays, and exhibitions of historical sites. Notably, over ten exquisite traditional Chinese paintings were created based on selected poems Liu Yuxi wrote in Lianzhou, taking over two months to complete. These paintings vividly depict Liu Yuxi’s legacy in Lianzhou, serving as a highlight. The entire first floor systematically restores, through artistic methods, the changes and achievements Liu Yuxi brought during his 4.5 years in Lianzhou. The second floor is a comprehensive exhibition hall introducing Lianzhou’s history and culture, while the third floor showcases contemporary achievements in Lianzhou. After opening, the memorial hall will become an important cultural project and new tourist attraction in Lianzhou.

During the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song Dynasty, Chen Yi, the prefect of Lianzhou, built the “Junzi Pond” in front of Yanxi Pavilion to commemorate the renowned Neo-Confucian scholar Zhou Dunyi from the Northern Song Dynasty. In the 20th year of the Tang Dynasty’s Zhenyuan era (804 AD), Han Yu wrote the *Record of Yanxi Pavilion*, referring to the pond as “the Pond of the Gentleman,” hence its name. Originally small and shallow, the pond was dredged and expanded to its current state in the 1990s with funding from the Lian County People’s Government.

The Wolong Pavilion is located on Yanxi Mountain at Lianzhou Middle School in Lianzhou City. Built during the Shaoxing era of the Southern Song Dynasty (1131–1162) by Chen Yi, the prefect of Lianzhou, it was named after the nearby Wolong Rock. It has undergone multiple renovations, with the current structure dating back to the 27th year of the Republic of China (1938). The pavilion faces north, featuring a single-eave hipped roof covered with green tiles, green-glazed tile ridges with cut edges, brick-built corner pillars, and four internal wooden pillars. In July 1996, it was designated as one of the first batch of cultural relics protection units in Lianzhou City, protected under the *Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics*.

The Tiecang Pavilion was originally built in the 28th year of the Republic of China (1939), with the current structure reconstructed on the original site in 1982. In the winter of 1938, Governor Wu Tiecheng allocated funds to renovate and protect the ancient Yanxi relics, and Principal Yang Zhiquan built the Tiecang Pavilion, placing the “Prosperity Through Adversity” stele inside. The pavilion and the stele were damaged during the Cultural Revolution. In 2011, it was designated as one of the second batch of cultural relics protection units in Lianzhou City, protected under the *Law of the People’s Republic of China on the Protection of Cultural Relics*.

The Lianxian Anti-Japanese War Memorial Hall was formerly the Sijiao Tower on Yanxi Mountain, located within the current campus of Lianzhou Middle School. Built in 1916 by Zhang Jiaqi from Yayagang in Lianzhou City, the tower features a single-eave hipped roof with alternating yin-yang roof tiles and stacked ridge tiles. It has a wooden staircase and floorboards, with a brick-pillared corridor on the western side’s first and second floors. During the war against Japan, the Guangdong Provincial Government offices were relocated to Lianxian multiple times. Later, the Chinese Communist underground party used it as a secret meeting and liaison spot. It is an important cultural relic building in Lianzhou City with significant historical value, and was designated as one of the second batch of cultural relics protection units in Lianzhou City in July 2011.

The Liu Gong Ancestral Hall was originally built in 1945, with the plaque reading “Hall of Tang Dynasty Prime Minister Liu.” The hall was demolished in the 1980s. To commemorate Liu Zhan, a Tang Dynasty prime minister from Lianzhou, the Liu Gong Ancestral Hall was rebuilt with the support of the Lianzhou Municipal Party Committee and Government. The hall showcases Liu Zhan’s upright and incorruptible life. Covering an area of 660 square meters, the hall features three flagpole stones in front of its entrance, commemorating that three generations of the Liu family—Liu Jing and his descendants—were all successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations.