Name : Sky Wind On Wu Hill
Location :
Wu Hill is located southeast of the West Lake.
It consists of the Purple Sunlight Hill, Cloud Sojourn Hill, Gold Land
Hill, etc. There are more than ten small peaks, about 100 meters high,
several kilometers long extending all the way to the city proper.
History :
Rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty, Town God’s Temple was dedicated to Zhou
Xin, an upright provincial inspecting commissioner. He was honest and
free of corruption, good at solving criminal cases, and dared to rid
corrupt officials. He was, however, murdered in cold blood. In order to
appease popular indignation, the emperor conferred upon him the title of
Town God of Hangzhou. Ever since then, the temple had large hordes of
pilgrims to worship him day after day. Wu Hill has long between known as
Town God’s Hill. During temple fairs, tourists crowded there, and
people in special lines aslo came. Among them were fortune tellers,
physiognomy practitioners, word-solving practitioners, jugglers,
acrobats, ballads singers, story tellers, dog-skin plaster sellers and
men of all trades, turning the fair into living exhibition of folk
customs in Hangzhou.
Description :
In October 2000, the scenic area of Town
God’s Pavilion was rebuilt
in the God Land Hill. A new seven-storied 41.6 meters high Town God’s
Pavilion stands erect on the ruins of the old one. The relief on the 1st
and 2nd floors tells stories and anecdotes of the history of
Hangzhou.From the 3rd to7th floors people can take a look at the view
around sipping at tea. To the right of the pavilion are such structured
as Zhou Xin’s Temple, theatrical stage,
Wen Chang Pavilion, stele
pavilion, and a poetry galley. The whole place coverd an area of 8.03
hectares. The old Town God’s Hikk has taken on a new look.
Scattered among the hills are ancient trees, springs, grotesque rocks,
ancient temples, and historical relics. In front of
Panoramic View
Pavilion and
Medicine King Temple are fifteen 400 to 500 years old
camphor trees. The oldest one, ” Song Camphor”, is more than 800 years
old. Gingkoes, Chinese plums, sweet osmanthus and other evergreens are
grown on the hill.
A strange cluster of rocks stands on the slope on the southwest of
God Land Hill. According to their different shapes these rocks are
referred to as the ” twelve animals stones in Chinese Zodiac”.
The
River and Lake View Pavilion stands on the top of Purple Sunlight
Hill, commanding a view of the West Lake on the left and the Qiantang
River on the right.
A couplet on the pillar by Xu Wei of the Ming
Dynasty reads:
” The 800-li lakes and mountains can tell when the landscape was painted;
Tens of thousands of average homes owe all they have to this pavilion.”
The Cloud Sojourn Hill is located southwest of the Purple Sunlight
Hill. A trail leads to the Monument to the Revolutionary Martyrs. On the
way there you come to
Justice Accumulation Pavilion and
Cloud and Pine
Pavilion, where you can take a rest break to enjoy the beautiful scenery
around over a cup of tea.
After Wu Hill extended into the city proper, it has been accessible
in all directions, either to go up or down the hill. Early at daybreak,
people flock there, carrying bird cages in their hands, dancing, playing
tennis and badminton, doing shadow boxing, practicing qigong, playing
the sword and singing local operas. There are huge crowds of people
every morning on the hill.
Wu Hill serves as the city lung, where people hope to get longevity and happiness. It offers special charm of its own.
The tower has a wax museum
containing 28 figures of historical importance. The hill is covered with
gingko and camphor trees that always are green. Some of the camphor
trees are really ancient - about 400-500 years old, the oldest is nearly
800 years of age. One of the reasons Wu Hill is so popular is because
everyone up there have such enormous pleasure watching flowers and trees
blossom there and follow how the scenery changes during the different
seasons of the year.
Websites :
http://www.amoytrip.com/sky-wind-over-wu-hill.html
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/812717
