Xianlu Pavilion

　　Xianlu Pavilion is the best-preserved, largest-scale teahouse in the region that still serves travelers today. The structure is approximately 14 meters long and 20 meters wide, with a total floor area of about 280 square meters. It is built from brick, wood, and stone, and consists of two main sections. The front section is the teahouse, featuring fireproof walls at both ends, a symmetrical arched stone gate in the center, and a horizontal stone plaque inscribed with the name “Xianlu Pavilion” in regular script above the gate. There are four stone windows on the outer wall, beneath which long stone benches are placed for travelers to rest. The rear section is a “Guanyin Hall,” which houses a more than one-meter-tall statue of the Deity in a shrine, along with an offering table. On either side are wing rooms—one for making tea and the other for sleeping—that connect the two main buildings into a small courtyard. The layout includes corridors and a stone-paved courtyard. The roof features flush gables covered with traditional small green tiles.

　　“Celestial dew and nectar soothe sorrow, while mountain mists and plum rains bring cool relief.” This acrostic couplet reflects the founders’ purpose. For over a hundred years, as village leaders and tea servers came and went, the pavilion never ceased to offer tea to passersby. People have stayed true to the promise implied by the plaque. Reading the inscription on the founding stele provides further insight: “In the past, the sages of the Song Dynasty built an academy at Yuelu, becoming a model for scholars. Today, we build a teahouse at Xianlu, so that travelers may find relief. Though the virtues bestowed differ in scale, the benefit to people remains the same. The name ‘Xianlu’ shall endure, as enduring as this mountain’s heights and the stream’s flow...”