Lü Xun -- Shaoxing

Author: Han Mo Lin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: The great painter Gu Kaizhi of the Jin Dynasty highly praised the landscapes of Kuaiji Mountain: "A thousand peaks vie in beauty, ten thousand gorges contend in flow, with lush trees and grass covering them, like clouds rising and rosy mists gathering." The renowned calligrapher Wang Xianzhi said: "Walking along the mountain path, the rivers and streams reflect each other, leaving one overwhelmed by the scenery." The scenic beauty lingers, but what truly touches the soul is the culture that has been nurtured over thousands of years of history. Four thousand years ago, Yu the Great, who tamed the waters, passed through here; two thousand years ago, the King of Yue established his capital, engaging in conflicts with Wu, turning the land into a battlefield of hell; during the Southern Song Dynasty, it was once a temporary capital. Over millennia, the legacy includes the majestic Yu the Great Tomb at the foot of Kuaiji Mountain, the vigorous Yue King Terrace at the foot of Longshan, the Kuye Creek where Goujian smelted metal and forged swords, the Qinwang Mountain where Qin Shi Huang gazed at the sea, the Qiu Jin Memorial Hall in the southern part of the city, and the Baishia Hall, the ancestral home of Zhou Enlai, in the city center. Scenic beauty is painted by brush, and nature writes its own stories. What makes Shaoxing enchanting is not just its indifferent landscapes. Wang Xizhi's retreat, the Jiezhu Temple, the Fanshan Bridge where he inscribed fans for elderly vendors, the Liquan Curved Water where the Orchid Pavilion Banquet took place, the Shen Garden Pool and Terrace where Lu You mourned in his "Hairpin Wind," Xu Wei's Qingteng Study, and Lu Xun's Baicao Garden. Thinking of the romantic tales of the great figures of the past, one realizes that even ordinary courtyards are imbued with extraordinary emotions because of their connection to these legends.