Site of the Single Sword Meeting

　　According to the "Records of the Three Kingdoms · Biography of Lu Su": "Su stayed in Yiyang, confronting Guan Yu. Su invited the Marquis to meet, with each side stationing their troops a hundred paces apart, but only asking that the General Guan come with just his sword." At the time, Sun Quan, seeking to reclaim Jingzhou from Liu Bei, sent Lu Su and Gan Ning to lead troops and station in Yiyang. Meanwhile, Guan Yu was ordered to march south to resist Wu, and encountered the Wu forces in Yiyang, facing off across the river. The Shu army camped north of the river, with the headquarters set up where Yongquan Street and No. 5 Middle School now stand on the north bank. The Wu army guarded the south bank, with their headquarters established on Turtle Platform Mountain, where No. 2 Middle School in the southern part of the city is located today. The high earthen platform atop the mountain, known as "Gan Lei Moonlit Night," was built by Gan Ning’s troops and is one of the ancient Ten Scenic Spots of Yiyang. The site where Guan Yu attended the single sword meeting back then was located at Linjiang Pavilion halfway up Turtle Platform Mountain, and the ruins still remain to this day, with the old pavilion partially preserved. The Bijing Ferry, where Guan Yu disembarked and climbed the hill to attend the meeting, remains to this day one of Yiyang’s well-known ferry terminals.

　　Turtle Platform Mountain, whose shape resembles a turtle, has been a strategic military location throughout history. In 1852, during the Taiping Rebellion, the Taiping Army advanced into Yiyang and used the area around Turtle Platform Mountain as a stronghold, engaging in a fierce battle with Qing Dynasty General Xiang Rong. The Qing army was defeated, with over a thousand soldiers killed and buried en masse on Yangwu Ridge, giving rise to the place name Qianzhongfen (later referred to as Tianzifen, meaning "Son of Heaven’s Tomb").

　　Turtle Platform Mountain stands beside the river, with lush greenery, clear waters, and ancient towering trees. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, local residents established Longzhou Academy on the mountain, transforming the former battlefield into a cradle for nurturing talent in Yiyang. At the time, Longzhou Academy was grand in scale and widely renowned, being one of the Four Great Ancient Academies of Hunan. During the Republican era, the academy underwent several name changes — first becoming the County No. 1 Higher Primary School, then Longzhou Normal School, and after the liberation, it was officially named Yiyang No. 2 Middle School.

　　In the summer of 1917, Comrade Mao Zedong, together with his friend Xiao Zisheng, traveled to the countryside around Yuanjiang Lake in Yiyang for an educational tour, investigating rural conditions. He stayed twice at Longzhou School and descended Turtle Platform Mountain to cruise along the Zi River.