Cultural Classics, Sacred Sites of the Way (Part 3)
Section 3: Cultural Heritage, Former Residences and Ancient Towns. A Rare Inland River Sandbar — Changsha's Orange Isle. The first ci poem Mao Zedong published, "Qin Yuan Chun · Changsha," refers to Orange Isle, also called Juzhou or Shuiluzhou, in the middle of the Xiang River in Changsha. Surrounded by water, the isle is about 5,000 meters long and 145 meters wide on average.
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
Section Three
Cultural Heritage: Former Residences and Ancient Cities
A Rare Inland-River Sandbar in the World—Changsha's Orange Isle
The first ci poem by Chairman Mao to appear on the poetry scene, "Qin Yuan Chun · Changsha," speaks of Orange Isle, also called Juzhou or Shuiluzhou, which lies in the middle of the Xiang River in Changsha. Orange Isle is surrounded by water on all sides, about 5,000 meters long and 145 meters wide on average—roughly five kilometers long. It was formed in the second year of Yongxing under Emperor Hui of Jin (305 CE) and has a history of more than 1,600 years, making it one of Changsha's important scenic spots. In the cold autumn season of 1925, Mao Zedong revisited Orange Isle and wrote "Qin Yuan Chun · Changsha." Orange Isle thereby became widely famous. Thousands of citrus trees are planted on the isle; in golden autumn the oranges hang heavy, and on both sides of the isle are flat river beaches, a natural swimming ground. Premier Zhou Enlai also once visited the isle during his lifetime and called it "a rare inland-river sandbar in the world."
One of China's Four Great Stele Forests—Yongzhou's Wuxi Stele Forest
Wuxi originates as a small stream on Yangming Mountain in Shuangpai County and flows through the Qiyang Basin before entering the Xiang River. In the second year of Guangde in the Tang Dynasty (764 CE), the famous essayist and poet Yuan Jie went to Daozhou (present-day Daoxian) to serve as prefect and named the small stream "Wuxi." Later, when the great Tang calligrapher Yan Zhenqing passed through Qiyang, Yuan Jie invited him to write on a cliff face near the Xiang River his "Song Stele" recounting the whole course of the "An Lushan Rebellion," the "Eulogy of the Great Tang Restoration," and asked a highly skilled stonemason to engrave it. Thus Yuan's eulogy, Yan's calligraphy, and the naturally formed steep cliff became the "three excellences" of the Wuxi cliff inscriptions: extraordinary text, extraordinary calligraphy, and extraordinary stone. Wuxi now preserves more than 380 stone inscriptions, forming a unique open-air stele forest where "no cliff lacks engraved text, and every stone bears inscribed poetry," providing extremely precious materials for the study of Chinese history, literature, philology, and calligraphy.
year), the famous essayist and poet Yuan Jie went to Daozhou (present-day Daoxian) to serve as prefect and named the small stream "Wuxi." Later, when the great Tang calligrapher Yan Zhenqing passed through Qiyang, Yuan Jie invited him to write on a cliff face near the Xiang River his "Song Stele" recounting the whole course of the "An Lushan Rebellion," the "Eulogy of the Great Tang Restoration," and asked a highly skilled stonemason to engrave it. Thus Yuan's eulogy, Yan's calligraphy, and the naturally formed steep cliff became the "three excellences" of the Wuxi cliff inscriptions: extraordinary text, extraordinary calligraphy, and extraordinary stone. Wuxi now preserves more than 380 stone inscriptions, forming a unique open-air stele forest where "no cliff lacks engraved text, and every stone bears inscribed poetry," providing extremely precious materials for the study of Chinese history, literature, philology, and calligraphy.
Hunan's First Discovered Han Yu Handwriting Inscription—"Changli Passed Through Here"
On a scenic forested cliff at Shilangtan in Yongxing County, Chenzhou City, a rare Tang Dynasty inscription in the handwriting of the writer and philosopher Han Yu was discovered, consisting of four large characters: "Changli Passed Through Here." Han Yu's ancestral home was Changli, and he was known to the world as Han Changli; he is honored as the foremost of the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song." The four characters are arranged from right to left and carved in intaglio, and beside the inscription there is another version of the same content in relief. Experts from the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau stated that Han Yu's handwriting inscription was discovered in Hunan for the first time, and nationwide there are only a few such sites, such as Yangjiang in Guangdong, giving it high value for cultural relic archaeology.
Hunan's Earliest Surviving and Most Valuable Stele Inscription—The Lushan Temple Stele in Changsha
The Lushan Temple Stele is located south of Yuelu Academy on Yuelu Mountain in Changsha. The stele is of bluestone, 272 centimeters high, 133 centimeters wide, with a rounded top. It has a seal-script title in raised characters, "Lushan Temple Stele," in four characters, clear and undamaged. The stele text has 28 lines, 56 characters per line, totaling more than 1,400 characters, in regular script. Because the surface weathered over many years, part of it has broken, and more than 1,000 characters survive. The inscription recounts the period from the founding of the temple in the Taishi era of the Jin Dynasty to the erection of the stele in the Tang Dynasty. Because the text, calligraphy, and carving are all excellent, it is called the "Three Excellences Stele." Also, because Li Yong once served as governor of Beihai, it is also called the "Beihai Three Excellences" stele. This stele is the earliest surviving and most valuable stele inscription in Changsha.
One of China's Four Famous Springs—Changsha's White Sand Ancient Well
White Sand Well is located on Baisha Street in the south of Changsha city. Since ancient times it has been one of the famous springs of Jiangnan. Though the well is small, its fame spans past and present, and it is called "Changsha's First Spring." A folk rhyme says: "Xishan in Wuxi has no tin, the waters of Pinghu are level with Pinghu, Deshan in Changde is a mountain with virtue, and the sand water of Changsha is water without sand." Sand water refers to the water of White Sand Well. The well neither overflows nor runs dry; the spring water is clear and sweet, making tea of exceptional color and flavor and wine fragrant and mellow. The Jin Dynasty writer Xie Huilian wrote in a fu of "drinking the fine mellow wine of Xiang," and Mao Zedong chanted, "Just drank Changsha water, and then ate Wuchang fish"—both are praises of White Sand Well.
The Widely Renowned Mountain of Longing—Yusi Mountain in Miluo
Yusi Mountain on the northwestern outskirts of Miluo City is widely renowned because China's great ancient patriotic poet Qu Yuan lived and composed poetry here in his later years. The mountain is verdant with ancient trees, and many relics and tragic legends about Qu Yuan are hidden within that lush green shade. Examples include the Sao Altar, where Qu Yuan chanted "Li Sao"; the Alone-Awake Pavilion, where he talked heart-to-heart with a fisherman; the Cap-Tassel Washing Bridge, where he washed his hat and capstrings; the Summon-Qu Pavilion, where Qu Yuan's students Song Yu and Jing Cha called back his soul; the Peach Blossom Cave, where Qu Yuan took refuge from the summer heat; and also Horse-Drinking Pond, Embroidery Mound, Grain-Viewing Mound, the Nüxu Shrine, and the Longevity Star Terrace.
A Major Town in Western Hunan—Qianzhou City in Jishou
Qianzhou Ancient City is located on the southern side of the Jishou urban area. In old times there was "Qianzhou" but no "Jishou." The former land of the "Five Streams Barbarians" was bleakly beautiful and mysterious. In the Eastern Han period, Qianzhou already belonged to the Five Streams Barbarian territory. Because it "lay southwest of Chu and bordered Qian and Shu," and because "military campaigns and punitive expeditions occurred in every generation," it gradually became a key military town on the frontier. In the 43rd year of Kangxi in the Qing Dynasty (1704), Qianzhou Prefecture was established, and in the second year of Jiaqing (1797) it was elevated to a directly administered prefecture... In 1953 it was renamed Jishou, and the various offices moved to the present Jishou urban area. The ancient city of Qianzhou, bustling for hundreds of years, gradually faded from people's view. The surviving ancient city was first built in the Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty and was once a major military town in western Hunan. Inside the city there still survive the features of its former defensive system, the original urban layout and street and lane system, as well as a large number of historic sites such as the Confucian Temple, Guanyin Pavilion, and Wenchang Pavilion. The Qianzhou city wall, first built around the eighth year of Zhengde in the Ming Dynasty (1514), is the now-famous "Southern Great Wall."
China's Pure Bluestone Archway with the Longest Doorway Lintel Span—The Ailian Archway in Chenzhou
The Ailian Archway is located in the Ailian Lake Scenic Area of Chenzhou City. It has a structure of six pillars, five doorways, and three tiers, 28 meters wide and 18 meters high, with the central doorway lintel spanning as much as 8 meters, the longest in the country. The Ailian Archway blends the styles of the Fengxian Archway in Jiahe, the Sima Archway in Rucheng, and the Xiuyi Archway, and uses high relief, low relief, openwork carving, and many other techniques to carve patterns such as two dragons playing with a pearl, lions rolling embroidered balls, and carp leaping over the dragon gate, making it a masterpiece of archway architecture.
Hunan's Longest Couplet—The Changsha Tianxin Pavilion Couplet
In June 2007, Hunan's first long couplet, "Inscribed Couplet for Tianxin Pavilion," created by Feng Jianping, a council member of the China Historical and Cultural Famous Towers Protection Professional Committee, was publicly unveiled in Changsha. According to available data, this "first long couplet" of the three Xiang region is the fourth longest couplet in the country. Hunan's "first long couplet" has 736 characters in total. Both the upper and lower lines open with ancient historical legends related to Tianxin Pavilion and Changsha. The whole couplet focuses on history: the upper line writes the literary history of Tianxin Pavilion, and the lower line writes the literary history of Changsha. The whole couplet uses a certain amount of space to praise scenery, with the upper and lower lines respectively describing the natural and cultural landscapes of Tianxin Pavilion and Changsha. The author spent half a year and revised the draft five times before completing it.
Hunan's First Ancient Tusi Capital—Laosicheng in Yongshun
Laosicheng, also known as Fushi City, is located by the Lingxi River in Yongshun County, Hunan, and is an "open-air museum of the Tujia people." It was completed in the second year of Tianshou in the Tang Dynasty (690 CE) and abandoned in the second year of Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty (1724) when the Yongshun Tusi Peng Zhaohuai moved the government seat upstream to Kesha. It was built over more than a thousand years, experienced the vicissitudes of Tujia history, and became Hunan's first ancient Tusi capital. The office and yamen of the Yongshun Tusi's small court were located here for more than 580 years, making it the political, economic, cultural, and military center of the Tujia people and the most typical, unique, and concentrated ancient ethnic cultural relic in China's southwestern minority regions.
China's First Ancient Commercial City—Hongjiang Ancient Commercial City
Having weathered 500 years of wind and rain, the Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town is located in the Xuefeng Mountain area of the Wuling Mountains in southwestern Hunan. It has completely preserved residential houses and various guild halls from the Ming and Qing dynasties, possessing important historical and cultural relic value. It is like a vivid "Along the River During the Qingming Festival" depicting the full panorama of Ming and Qing urban society, a living museum encompassing comprehensive historical materials on politics, military, economy, religion, and culture. The Hongjiang Ancient Commercial Town is a specimen of China's modern commercial development and one of the most complete and richly content-filled ancient commercial towns preserved in China. It can be called a "living fossil" of the embryonic period of Chinese capitalism, and renowned national cultural relic and archaeology experts have called it "China's No. 1 Ancient Commercial Town."
Hunan's Largest Dong Cultural City — Zhijiang Dong Cultural City
The China Dong Cultural City is located within the Xiangshipo Provincial Forest Park in Zhijiang Dong Autonomous County, 6 kilometers from the center of Huaihua City, over 20 kilometers west of the Zhijiang Memorial Hall for the Victory of the War of Resistance and Acceptance of Japanese Surrender, connected to the Wushui River to the south, and backed by the Xiangqian Railway and National Highway 320 to the north, with highly advantageous location and transportation conditions. The entire scenic area covers 3,500 mu, with sunshine, pine forests, streams, and grassy beaches forming its unique and beautiful natural landscape. Huaihua is the region with the largest Dong population and highest residential density in China. The scenic area highlights the theme of Dong ethnic cultural tourism and is a grand tourism world integrating folk customs, modern entertainment, vacation leisure, and forest sightseeing.
Hunan's First Multi-Ethnic Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition Hall — Zhangjiajie Dayong Fucheng Exhibition Hall
China's first multi-ethnic intangible cultural heritage exhibition hall is located within the central scenic area of Dayong Fucheng in Zhangjiajie. The multi-ethnic intangible cultural heritage exhibition hall mainly consists of the Tujia Village, Miao Village, Dong Township, Yao Mountain, and Bai Hall. Each exhibition hall uses an immersive approach to comprehensively display their distinctive culture, architecture, daily life, clothing, cuisine, song and dance, legends, drama, crafts, taboos, funeral customs, and more. Zhangjiajie is situated in the greater Xiangxi region, which gathers five major ethnic minorities: Tujia, Miao, Bai, Dong, and Yao. Due to the barriers of the mountains, they have maintained their own unique and splendid cultures and traditions for thousands of years. Among these, the Sangzhi Folk Songs, Tujia Hand-Waving Dance, Miao Drum Dance, Tujia Brocade, Jiangyong Nüshu, Tantou New Year Pictures, and Huayao Cross-Stitch have all been inscribed on China's first batch of the "National Intangible Cultural Heritage Protection List."
China's Best-Preserved Ancient Dong Architecture — Pingxi Village Gate
The Pingxi Village Gate is located in Pingxi Village, Jingwuzhou Town, Tongdao Dong Autonomous County, Hunan. It has a history of 397 years and is the earliest-discovered and best-preserved ancient Dong architecture in China to date. The structure consists of a front gate, a second gate, and side buildings, covering a building area of 125 square meters. The front gate was first built in the 40th year of the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, the second gate was first built in the 4th year of the Yongzheng era of the Qing Dynasty, and the side buildings were first built in the 33rd year of the Qianlong era of the Qing Dynasty, as evidenced by inscribed beams. Associated cultural relics include one imperial examination plaque, one prohibition stele, one "Eternal Forever" stele, one "Immortal Forever" stele, and one stone Earth God temple, all possessing high humanistic and ethnohistorical value.
Landmark Architecture of the "Hometown of Qu Yuan and Jia Yi" — Former Residence of Jia Yi
The Former Residence of Jia Yi is located on Taiping Street in Changsha City (at the intersection of Jiefang West Road and Taiping Street). It was first built during the reign of Emperor Xianzong of the Ming Dynasty and is the "oldest historic site" of the historic and cultural city of Changsha, as well as a landmark cultural heritage of the "Hometown of Qu Yuan and Jia Yi." Changsha Prefect Qian Shu searched for Jia Yi's ancient well and raised funds to build the Jia Taifu Shrine, which was subsequently repaired and renovated over the ages. In front of the Jia Yi Shrine was the Daguan Tower, and inside the shrine was a well said to have been dug by Jia Yi, called the Taifu Well. In front of the residence were two steles, one on each side, each about one zhang tall, with inscriptions too eroded to read. There was also a large tangerine tree, said to have been planted by Jia Yi himself. All of the above cultural relics were destroyed in the "Wenxi" fire of 1883. Now only one secondary hall remains. On the main wall of the shrine's main hall, a portrait of Qu Yuan is carved. The ancient well still exists, and a small lane has been opened beside it, named Taifu Li. Jia Yi (200 BC–168 BC) was a famous great Confucian scholar of the Western Han Dynasty. In the first year of Emperor Yuan of Han (179 BC), on the recommendation of his teacher, Commandant Wu, he was summoned to court and appointed as a Erudite. Emperor Wen of Han exceptionally promoted him to Grand Master of the Palace, but he was later envied and demoted to serve as Grand Tutor to the King of Changsha. He was a representative writer of the Sao-style fu, with representative works including "Ode Lamenting Qu Yuan" and "Ode to the Roc." His most celebrated political essays are "On the Faults of Qin," "Policies for Peace and Order," and "On the Accumulation of Grain."
Former Residence of a World Great Man — Mao Zedong's Former Residence in Shaoshan
Mao Zedong's Former Residence is located in Shaoshan City, Hunan, nearly 40 kilometers from Xiangtan City. Originally named Shangwuchang, the house faces south with its back to the north, built with mud bricks and blue tiles in a earth-and-wood structure. The entire house covers a floor area of 566.39 square meters with 18 rooms of various sizes. The east side was Mao Zedong's family home, with 13 rooms in total, and the west side was the neighbor's home with 5 rooms, with the central hall shared by both families. On December 26, 1893, Mao Zedong was born here. In 1966, Mao Zedong returned to Shaoshan for the last time. In March 1961, the State Council designated it as one of the first batch of national key cultural relics protection units, and on April 2, 1983, with the approval of the Party Central Committee, the "Old Residence" was renamed the "Former Residence." Currently, the Former Residence has restored and displayed Mao Zedong's bedroom, the bedrooms of Mao Zedong's parents, Mao Zemin's bedroom, Mao Zetan's bedroom, the horizontal central hall, the kitchen, and all other rooms. These rooms display a large number of cultural relics: cabinets, square tables, cupboards, large water harrows, rice pestles, winnowing machines, and more. Mao Zedong's Former Residence is one of the first batch of AAAA-level scenic spots in China.
Former Residence of a Great Man of His Generation — Liu Shaoqi's Former Residence in Ningxiang
Tanzichong is a small mountain valley in Huaminglou Town, Ningxiang County, Hunan. Comrade Liu Shaoqi's former residence is situated in Tanzichong. The residence faces west with its back to green mountains, a half-thatch, half-tile mud-brick house with a large pond in front. On November 24, 1898, Liu Shaoqi was born in this mud-brick house and spent his boyhood in Tanzichong. A poem goes: "Shaoshan Valley connects to Tanzichong; through wind and rain of Hunan arise two dragons." Just like Shaoshan Valley, 30 kilometers away, Tanzichong became a place to which the people aspire because it nurtured a great man of his generation. As early as 1959, this former residence was designated as a key cultural relics protection unit of Hunan Province. Since 1988, it has been designated as a national key cultural relics protection unit.
Hunan's Largest Ancient Tunnel — the Wutuan Xuntou Ancient Tunnel in Chengbu
In 1989, cultural relic and archaeology workers in Chengbu discovered a large man-made ancient tunnel in Xuntou Village, Wutuan Township, in the southern part of the county. The ancient tunnel has a total length of 3,000 meters and is the largest man-made ancient tunnel in Hunan. The Xuntou Tunnel is a rock-stratum tunnel, extremely solid, utilizing the steep mountain terrain and digging upward from the ground, divided into two main east-west passages. The main passages have three terrace levels, each level equipped with a storage warehouse and three stepped platforms, storing weapons, stones, and other items. A transverse passage connects the two main east-west passages, and each main passage branches off into several side passages, interconnected vertically and horizontally, linked front to back. Secret exits from the tunnel exist at the front of the mountain, behind the mountain, on the mountain's sides, along the riverbank, in tree hollows, and in tombs, forming a mysterious and ingenious underground Great Wall.
Hunan's No. 1 Ancient Bronze Pillar — the Xizhou Bronze Pillar in Yongshun
The bronze pillar was first erected in the first year of Tiande of the Northern Song Dynasty (1017). Inscribed on the pillar is the oath of alliance between King Ma Xifan of Chu and the Tusi Peng Shichou to cease hostilities. The Xizhou Bronze Pillar is 4 meters tall and weighs 2,500 kilograms. The pillar body is a hollow octahedron, originally filled with iron coins cast during the Ma family's rule. Inscribed on the pillar is the "Record of the Restoration of the Xizhou Bronze Pillar," totaling over 2,000 characters in regular script with elegant calligraphy. The bronze pillar originally stood on the bank of the You River below Yejituo in Yongshun County, Hunan. In 1971, due to the construction of the Fengtan Reservoir, it was moved to Huaguo Mountain in Wangcun, about 10 kilometers from the original site, where a protective pavilion was built to protect it. The Yongshun Xizhou Bronze Pillar is important physical material for studying ancient Chinese ethnic relations and is hailed as "Hunan's No. 1 Ancient Bronze Pillar," possessing precious historical value.
Hunan's Best-Preserved Ming-Qing Grand Mansion — the Ji Family Grand Mansion in Xiangxi
The Ji Family Grand Mansion is located in Pushi Town, Luxi County, Xiangxi. From the Ming and Qing dynasties through the Republic of China period, due to the developed waterway transportation here, Pushi's commerce and culture were extremely prosperous, once earning the reputation of "Little Nanjing." The Ji Family Grand Mansion follows the structural model of "shop in front, residence behind." It is built of brick and wood, with a depth of 58 meters, and the interior consists of "three wells, three halls, and twelve rooms." The surrounding fire walls are over ten zhang high, providing both fire protection and wind blocking. The front facade is a three-story connected structure, all constructed with stone slabs. The door lintels are carved in high relief with auspicious phrases such as "Family Rules and Pure Breeze," with lotus flowers and fragrant grass carved at both ends, and geometric patterns decorating the borders. The window tracery is mainly geometric patterns, with carvings of the Eight Immortals, figures, flowers and grass, and combat scenes in the center. All the carving work is exquisitely detailed and lifelike. This mansion is the most exquisitely designed and best-preserved Ming-Qing grand mansion discovered in our province to date.