Lianchi Pond, formerly known as Lianhua Pond, is located south of Banping Mountain and north of Guishan in Kaohsiung City. Lianchi Pond is 1.4 kilometers long. It got its name because the pond was full of lotus flowers in the Qing Dynasty and was fragrant in summer. On the west bank of Lianchi Pond scenic area, there are many temples. Within 500 meters, there are more than 20 temples. The scenic spots from north to south are Kaohsiung Confucian Temple, Chunqiu Pavilion, Qiming Hall, Wuliting, Longhu Tower and so on.
Long bridges, art pavilions and pagodas with strong colors add a lot of lively scenes to Lianchi Pond and form a famous temple tourist area in Zuoying District. The west bank is also the old downtown of Zuoying and is very lively. At the same time, the east bank of Lianchi Pond is a spacious road around the lake, and the south bank is connected by Shengli Road and Xinzhuangzi Road, just forming a complete road around the lake. At dawn and dusk, Lianchi Pond is misty and the scenery by the pond is beautiful and faintly visible, with an indescribable sense of mystery. Especially in the summer moistened by sweet rain, the pond is full of water and sparkling. Coupled with the weeping willows swaying by the lake and the duckweed and water lilies on the pond surface drifting with the wind, the beauty of the picture is like being in the West Lake. If you want to visit all the scenic spots around Lianchi Pond, it may take half a day or one day. For tourists, basically, just visit several important temples on the west bank. The scenic spots are relatively concentrated and walking will not be too tiring. Longhu Tower is seven stories high. There are twin pavilions of dragon and tiger standing on the pond. There are statues of dragon and tiger in front of each pavilion. Tourists can enter from the dragon’s mouth and exit from the tiger’s mouth to get its auspicious meaning. Inside the dragon tower are illustrated pictures of China’s twenty-four filial sons. Inside the tiger tower are pictures of twelve sages. The tower body is connected with the shore by a zigzag bridge. It stands towering and corresponds to the pond surface, with beautiful scenery. The tiger’s mouth and the dragon’s mouth are places where tourists rush to take pictures. Chunqiu Pavilion. Walking forward from Longhu Tower is Chunqiu Pavilion and Qiming Hall. Chunqiu Pavilion is two Chinese palace-style pavilions, collectively known as Chun Pavilion and Qiu Pavilion. Each has four floors and eight corners, with green tiles and yellow walls, just like pagodas. The antique tower shadows are reflected in the water. Each is connected by a zigzag bridge and is also called ‘Chunqiu Royal Pavilion’, which was built to commemorate Guan Gong, the martial saint. At the front end of Chunqiu Pavilion is Guanyin riding a dragon. According to local legend, Guanyin Bodhisattva once appeared in the clouds riding a dragon and instructed believers to build a holy statue according to the form of her appearance between Chun Pavilion and Qiu Pavilion. Hence, there is now the holy statue of Guanyin riding a dragon. In front of the holy statue, there is a small pond with hundreds of turtles of different shapes. Those who don’t know may think they are fake sculptures. Next to Chunqiu Pavilion is Qiming Hall, also known as the Great Hall of Southeast Emperor Que. It is a majestic temple by Lianchi Pond. In the middle of the zigzag bridge between Chun and Qiu Pavilions, another long bridge extends into the pond. The three-story pavilion at the end is Wuliting. Standing in the pavilion, you can take a panoramic view of Longhu Tower on the opposite side.Walking north along the trail beside the pond from the Confucius Temple, you will reach the Confucius Temple. This is a building imitating the northern palace style, with magnificent and grand architecture. The interior includes Dacheng Hall, Dacheng Gate, east and west corridors, Chongsheng Shrine, Lingxing Gate, Limen and Yilu Square, Minglun Hall and Pangong Square, Wanren Palace Wall, Pangchi and arch bridge, etc. The architecture is complete. You can pray for your child’s academic success here.
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