Zhouyi Garden

　　Fuling Zhouyi Garden, originally named Dianyi Cave, is situated on the north bank of the Yangtze River, opposite Fuling City. On the southern slopes of the towering Beishanping Mountain, across from the city, lies a stretch of natural large rock formations. The hollowed-out cave within the cliffs is shaded by hanging vines and graced with trickling springs, creating a serene yet majestic atmosphere. Locals call this place Beiyán (Northern Cliff). At the western end of Beiyán is an artificially excavated stone cave, with three bold, well-executed red regular script characters “Dianyi Cave” (Cave for Studying the Book of Changes) inscribed above the entrance. Thanks to the story behind this cave, Beiyán has gained renown both domestically and internationally. For nearly 700 years, it has retained ancient relics and attracted countless visitors. The name “Dianyi Cave” originates from the fact that Cheng Yi, a renowned Neo-Confucian scholar and educator of the Northern Song Dynasty in China, once came here to annotate the Book of Changes (Yi Jing).

　　It is said that Dianyi Cave was carved during the Song Dynasty. The History of Song · Biographies of Recluses · Qiao Ding records: “…Later, when Yi was exiled to Fuling, which was actually the hometown of Qiao Ding. There is a cave in Beishan where teachers and friends would gather to recite poetry, and locals called it ‘Reading the Yi Cave.’ Zhu Xi wrote a poem titled ‘Inscription on the Northern Cliff’: ‘A tiny chamber holds the divine mind, Where the governance of the world takes form. Each time I gaze at the turbulent currents, I find them boundless, just like the wisdom within.’ This poem is now preserved on the cliff face, having been recarved in earlier times, and remains clearly visible today.

　　Dianyi Cave is 4 meters high, 3.8 meters wide, and 2.2 meters deep. It was hewn from coarse yellowish coarse-grained sandstone, with chisel marks still discernible. On the northwest wall of the cave, the four regular script characters “Yiluo Yuan Yuan” (Source of Yiluo) are inscribed, penned by Shi Yantian, a late Qing Dynasty poet and calligrapher from Fuling. At the center of the northern wall, flanking the spirit tablet (now missing) of Master Cheng, hangs a couplet: “Tracing the Luo River’s source with sincerity and integrity, a master of his generation from the Northern Song; the Fu River gathers waters to inherit the past and inspire the future, generations of offerings shine anew in Western Sichuan.” This couplet was recarved in the second year of the Guangxu reign (1876). The cave “faces the river from Beiyán, with scenery of profound serenity.” Before the 1930s, there was a “Guanlan Pavilion” (also known as Jiangtian Duxuan) perched on the cliff by the cave. Inside the pavilion, a figure is depicted sitting with knees hugged, offering close views of the surging river and bustling boats, and distant vistas of Fuling’s layered rooftops and verdant mountains. Legend says the pavilion was first built during the Yuan Dynasty, named by Jia Changqing, the most renowned literary and historical scholar in Shu at the time, who also composed the “Song of Guanlan Pavilion,” alas now lost.

　　Such a simple and small stone cave might not have been where Cheng Yi actually annotated the Yi Jing. It may have been later established by followers in his memory, to honor his unwavering dedication, moral steadfastness, scholarly commitment, and passion for education. Of course, Cheng Yi’s historical limitations and the feudal dross in his philosophy are self-evident, but as a notable philosopher in the history of ancient Chinese thought, he made commendable contributions to the development of Song Dynasty Neo-Confucianism. In this light, the existence of Dianyi Cave is not without historical significance.

　　In 1981, Dianyi Cave was included in the Dictionary of Scenic Spots in China. In May 1980, the Fuling County People’s Government designated it as a county-level key cultural relics protection unit, allocating funds to gradually restore Beiyán and develop it as a tourist attraction.

　　The garden displays and introduces the thoughts and deeds of legendary figures such as Fuxi (“The First Emperor under Heaven”), the Yellow Emperor (“The Forefather of Human Civilization”), King Wen of Zhou, Confucius, and Cheng Yi, allowing visitors to systematically explore the origins and development of the Book of Changes. Attractions include the “Zhaoxiang Corridor” featuring eight thematic sections such as “No Matter How Chaotic, Order Will Emerge,” the “Shenji Alley” adorned with reliefs depicting scenes like Confucius foreseeing the future, the “Xingsi Chou” area with grand, upright pillars of the Eight Trigrams, the “Leipilei Wu” combining the 5,000-year-old Luoshu diagram with a modern six-pointed magic square, the “Du Hualang” corridor covered with cliff inscriptions from literati across dynasties including Zhu Xi’s “The governance of the world takes form here,” the “Ximo Pool” where Huang Tingjian washed his brush after inscribing “Goushen Hall,” the ever-flowing “Dicipan Rock,” the ancient “Liubei Chi” (Flowing Cup Pavilion) where Song literati composed poetry, the “Dianyi Cave” where Cheng Yi spent four years in solitude annotating four volumes of the Yi Jing, thus becoming a foundational figure of Neo-Confucianism, and a breathtaking Eight Trigrams Array. Here you can also find content exploring the relationship between Fuxi as the ancestor of governance and modern management, as well as exhibits linking the Yi Jing with astronomy, geography, military strategy, mathematics, and everyday life.

　　The main structure of Zhouyi Garden — the “Yanyi Hall” — is a Taiji (yin-yang) sphere architectural design based on the concepts of “the round sky and square earth” and the cosmogonic number 55. The Taiji sphere’s design is unique both domestically and internationally. With a diameter of 25 meters, the sphere houses five floors that can accommodate hundreds of visitors simultaneously. The ever-changing Taiji sphere reflects the fundamental characteristic of the Yi Jing: constant change. If you view the Taiji sphere from a boat on the river or walk through Zhouyi Garden along Chengtian Road, Tongtian Qu, and Yutian Dao, you will feel as if you have entered a mysterious, unfathomable realm.