Autumn-Admiring Pavilion or Aiwan Pavilion () is a

Chinese pavilion A Chinese pavilion (Chinese 亭, pinyin ''tíng'') is a garden pavilion in traditional Chinese architecture. While often found within temples, pavilions are not exclusively religious structures. Many Chinese parks and gardens feature pavilions to ...

Mount Yuelu Yuelu Mountain () is located on the west bank of the Xiang River, one tributary of Wu River in Changsha, Hunan. Its main peak and the highest point, Yunlu Peak, is about above the sea level. Introduction of Yuelu Mountain There are more t ...

, in Yuelu District, Changsha, Hunan. Alongside the

Zuiweng Pavilion The Zuiweng Pavilion () is a pavilion lying to the south east of Chuzhou City, Anhui Province, People's Republic of China. Located in The Northern Song Dynasty whilst the structure that exists today dates to the Qing Dynasty (1644–1911). ...

, Taoran Pavilion and Huxin Pavilion, it is one of the Four Great Pavilions of Jiangnan.

History

The Autumn-Admiring Pavilion was first constructed with the name of Red Leaves Pavilion () in 1792 in the reign of the

Qianlong Emperor The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...

(1736–1796) by , the then president of Yuelu Academy. And later (1730–1797), Viceroy of Huguang, changed its name to Autumn-Admiring Pavilion. It is cited from the verses of that "I stop my carriage to admire the maple trees at nightfall, whose frosty leaves are redder than the flowers of early spring." () by Tang dynasty (618–907) poet Du Mu (803–852). When Mao Zedong studied at Hunan First Normal University, he often comes here with his friends, searching of the truth salvaging the country. During the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937–1945), the pavilion was devastated by the Imperial Japanese Army. After the establishment of the Communist State in 1952, the government of Hunan reconstructed the pavilion. In 1987, the pavilion was completely restored by the government. The pavilion has been designated among the seventh group of " Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Hunan" by the

State Council of China The State Council, constitutionally synonymous with the Central People's Government since 1954 (particularly in relation to local governments), is the chief administrative authority of the People's Republic of China. It is chaired by the p ...

in 2013.

Architecture

The current Autumn-Admiring Pavilion is of pure stone structure. The roof is covered with green glazed tiles. It has two layers of overhanging eaves, eight granite

hypostyle In architecture, a hypostyle () hall has a roof which is supported by columns. Etymology The term ''hypostyle'' comes from the ancient Greek ὑπόστυλος ''hypóstȳlos'' meaning "under columns" (where ὑπό ''hypó'' means below or un ...

columns in the pavilion. Right above the pavilion, there is a big caissons (). In the center of the second floor of the pavilion is a red stele, on which there are the words "Autumn-Admiring Pavilion" (), written by Mao Zedong in 1952. The stone is engraved with a couplet in Chinese characters: "". ''

Acer palmatum ''Acer palmatum'', commonly known as Japanese maple, palmate maple, or smooth Japanese maple (Japanese: ''irohamomiji'', , or ''momiji'', (栴), is a species of woody plant native to Japan, Korea, China, eastern Mongolia, and southeast Russi ...

'' in autumn is a major attraction of Autumn-Admiring Pavilion.

References

Bibliography

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Autumn-Admiring Pavilion Pavilions Buildings and structures in Changsha Tourist attractions in Changsha Yuelu District Major National Historical and Cultural Sites in Hunan