Located 1 kilometer south of the city of Huzhou, Xian Mountain was originally named Xian Mountain. After Emperor Zhongzong of Tang, Li Xian (r. 705-710), to avoid the imperial taboo, Xian Mountain was renamed Xian Mountain. In ancient times, Xian Mountain was home to numerous scenic spots and historical sites, such as the Xian Pavilion built by Yin Kang of the Jin Dynasty, the Wuhua Pavilion built by Wei Jingxian from the 12th to 14th years of the Tianbao era (753-755) during the Tang Dynasty, the Gaofeng Hall and Jia Ke Temple that worshipped famous figures through the ages, the Sanxian Temple, and the Yilao Hall where celebrities gathered. The scenery is extremely serene and beautiful.
A more famous historical site on the mountain is the ‘Wazun Pavilion’. The Wazun is located at the summit of Xian Mountain, presenting a concave stone wine vessel, 2 meters long and about 1.5 meters wide. Ancient records indicate that this vessel ‘could hold five pecks of wine’. During the Kaiyuan period (713-741) of the Tang Dynasty, Li Suzhi, the great-grandson of Emperor Taizong, served as a separate driver in Huzhou, often climbed Xian Mountain with friends, stored wine in the Wazun, and drank heartily with guests. At the beginning of the Tianbao era, Li Suzhi was promoted to the right prime minister, and the people of the county built the ‘Wazun Pavilion’ at the place where Li ascended. Today, the ancient stele of the Wazun Pavilion is still preserved, with the Wazun stele standing 2 meters tall, half of which is buried in the soil. In the seventh year of the Dali era of the Tang Dynasty (772), Yan Zhenqing served as the governor of Huzhou. During his tenure, he invited 29 celebrities including Lu Yu and Jiao Ran to climb Xian Mountain, where they built a house around the Wazun stone and drank in a circle, overlooking the distance, and were inspired to write poetry. They jointly composed a poem. Today, the ‘Complete Tang Poems’ includes Yan Zhenqing’s ‘Climbing Xian Mountain to Observe Li Zuoxiang’s Stone Wine Vessel Linked Verse’, with each line consisting of five characters, totaling 29 links and 58 sentences, amounting to 290 characters, becoming a grand gathering of famous literary figures in the history of Huzhou.Xian Mountain
Located 1 kilometer south of the city of Huzhou, Xian Mountain was originally named Xian Mountain. After Emperor Zhongzong of […]
