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Home Travel in Hunan Yuelu Mountain
Yuelu Mountain
Travel in Hunan

    Yuelu Academy of Classical Learning
Lying in the west bank of Xiang River (xiāng jiāng 湘江), Changsha City (cháng shā shì 长沙市), Hunan Province (hú nán shěng 湖南省), Yuelu Mountain (yuè lù shān 岳麓山) covers an area of 8 square kilometers. Since Tang (táng 唐) and Song (sòng 宋) dynasties, Yuelu Mountain is famous for its beautiful natural scenery and also get reputation for its rich cultural connotation. In the mountain there are the Yuelu Academy of Classical Learning (yuè lù shū yuàn 岳麓书院) with thousands of years’ history, Lushan Temple (lù shān sì 麓山寺) and the Yunlu Palace (yún lù gōng 云麓宫), which was built in 1478 AD. Thus there forms the unique cultural landscape with Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism coexisting.

King Yu's SteleThe main peak of Yuelu Mountain, which is called Yu’s Stele Peak (yǔ bēi fēng 禹碑峰), is 300 meter above the sea level, and it is like a pearl standing there. It is named after the King Yu’s Stele (yǔ wáng bēi 禹王碑) in the mountain. On the stele there was carved an article with 77 Chinese characters, which are now difficult to distinguish. Yu (yǔ 禹) was an ancient hero who conquered floods.

Lushan Temple is located on the hill slope. It was built in A.D.268. It was later destroyed and rebuilt several times. The present temple was last rebuilt in the 1980s. Lushan Temple is one of the oldest monasteries in Hunan. The huge Lushan Templeyew podocarpus tree standing in front of the temple is said to be more than 1700 years old.

There is a clear spring near the Lushan Temple, named White Crane Spring (bái hè quán 白鹤泉). Its water is clear and fragrant. It has got the reputation of “the most fragrant spring in Yuelu Mountain”. It is said that there were a couple of crane always flied to this spring in ancient times. When the water is boiled, it gives off whirling steam said to look like a flying crane. And there is White Crane Paviliona tea room beside this spring, and the tourists can have a taste of the tea made by the spring.
The Yuelu Academy of classical Learning, hidden in the woods, was built at the beginning of the Northern Song Dynasty (běi sòng 北宋, 960-1127) and was one of the greatest classical academies of that time. Zhu Xi (zhū xī 朱熹, 1130-1200), a famous Confucian, used to teach here. The late leader of the Chinese revolution, Mao Zedong, also studied here.

Aiwan PavilionAiwan Pavilion (ài wǎn tíng 爱晚亭) was built in 1792 during Qing Dynasty (qīng cháo 清朝). Its original name is Red Leaf Pavilion (hóng yè tíng 红叶亭), later changed based on a poem by Du Mu (dù mù 杜牧), a famous poet during Tang Dynasty. Aiwan Pavilion is supported by four red poles. There is a tablet with the poem, "Qinyuanchun, Changsha"(qìn yuán chūn cháng shā 沁园春 • 长沙) written by Mao Zedong (máo zé dōng 毛泽东). It is one of the four greatest pavilions in China, which include Old Tippler's Pavilion (zuì wēng tíng 醉翁亭) in Anhui Province (ān huī shěng 安徽省), Mid-lake Pavilion (hú xīn tíng 湖心亭) in Hangzhou City (hang zhōu shì 杭州市), and Joyous Pavilion (táo rán tíng 陶然亭) in Beijing (běi jīng 北京). Its blossoming peach trees, graceful willows and flowing streams has attracted many poets and artists.

Besides these scenic spots, the Flying Stone (fēi lái shí 飞来石), the Tomb of Huangxing (huáng xīng mù 黄兴墓) who is a martyr gave his life to the overthrow of the Qing Dynasty, the Tomb of Cai E (cài è mù 蔡锷墓) who was a general of the Nortthern expedition against the traitor Yuan Shikai (yuán shì kǎi 袁世凯) in late 1910s, and Snake Cave (mǎng shé dòng 蟒蛇洞) are also famous attractions in Yuelu Mountain.

Yuelu Mountain is charming all year round, with pink peach blossoms and green willows in spring, a pleasant climate in summer, colorful maple trees in Autumn and snow-covered evergreens in winter. It is really worth your traveling.

Yuelu Mountain
Location: West bank of Xiang River, Changsha City
Admission fee: it is free since 1 June, 2009
Opening hours: 8:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Traffic: you can take bus No. 106, 202, 305 to get there