This attraction introduction is compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · Scenic Spots section). Ticket prices, opening hours, transportation, and contact information mentioned in the text may be outdated. Please refer to the latest official announcements from the scenic area before traveling; some content consists of historical background/cultural introductions and is for reference only.
Guihong Pavilion was built in the Song Dynasty. It is located to the right of the tall ceremonial gate of the county office. Although it faces south with its back to the north, sunlight is difficult to reach it. Only on clear days at dusk, when the setting sun shines and rosy clouds spread across the clear sky, does golden light radiate and the pavilion glow, hence its name. It is located to the right of the tall ceremonial gate of the Liuyang County Office.
According to the Tongzhi edition of the Liuyang County Gazetteer: the Guihong Pavilion was named after the ancients who watched the geese return home. It was built by Yang Shi, the magistrate of Liuyang County during the Song Dynasty. Over the years the pavilion had long since collapsed, and no trace of it remains. In 1094 (the first year of the Shaosheng era of Emperor Zhezong), Yang Shi took office as magistrate of Liuyang County. During his four years in office, he brought benevolent governance to the people, first building the Feiting Pavilion, and then the Guihong Pavilion, and wrote "Record of the Returning Geese": "At the corner of the northwest wall of the county office, there was an abandoned site... overgrown and buried in weeds. One day, I dragged my cane and shuffled along, wandering beneath it, looking all around, and was struck with wonder. Clearing away the brambles and cutting back the vines, I found fine trees and lush plants, with linked hills and deep valleys, bearing fragrance and holding charm, rising up on every side. So I took the discarded timber of the county office and built a pavilion upon it." Later Zhang also wrote "Record of the Guihong Pavilion": "The virtue of the lord (Yang Shi) reached the people of the county deeply! Sixty-six years later, Zhang Caishao of Jian'an came to govern, and sighing with emotion as he recalled his noble spirit, he consulted the elders and repaired the old place of the lord, making it the Guihong Pavilion, and painted his portrait upon it, to show to later generations, to comfort the people's gratitude, so that it would not be forgotten. In the Qing Dynasty, Zhou Zhongxin wrote a "Langtaosha" ci poem on the slanting sun of the Jihong Pavilion:
The high pavilion faces the qin hall, lightly veiled in misty light; through the years the scenery has changed with the vicissitudes of time. Raising my head, where has the flying goose landed? A stretch of slanting sun.
The portrait is painted and mounted, transmitting fragrance for a thousand years. The visitors to the Cheng gate have gone, and the scene is desolate. Afar one sees evening clouds veiling the green trees, and still remembers the sweet pear tree.
