Changsha Yuelu Academy
Yuelu Hill Park (Yuelu shan gongyuan) lies on the western banks of the Xiang River (Xiang jiang) and is one of Changsha's most historic spots. The area is most notable for its academic establishments, and conveniently history has not been forsaken by the Hunan University (Hunan daxue) that now takes up a part of the park. The hill rises to a height of around 300 meters above sea level, and the park covers an area of 500 hectares.
The most famous academic establishment here was the Yuelu Academy (Yuelu shuyuan), a Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) institution that was designed to train scholars for the civil examinations. The Academy was built in 976 AD, and was named by King Zheng of the Northern Song Dynasty in 1015. The area, around 25,000 square meters, where this academy once stood now holds a Hexi Altar, a Classroom, the King's Book Pavilion, the Wen Temple and Gardens, although only one Stele is originally Song.
The Loving Dusk Pavilion (Aiwan ting), at the Qingfeng Gorge in the east of the park, was built in 1792, was originally called Red Leaf Pavilion (Hong ye ting) and is also known as Loving the Maple Pavilion (Aifeng ting). This building, a pleasant Qing Dynasty structure with sharply flying eaves, was a favourite of the young Mao Zedong and a spot where he is said to have written a poem in the 1920s.
The park itself is a fairly pleasant walk, and it is possible to get away from the crowds. From the summit it is possible to get a view of the city, over the river and the Island of Oranges (Juzi zhou) that was once a favourite with the Europeans who settled here in the early 1900s. There is a pavilion at the top, the Yunlu Palace (Yunlu gong) that dates back to 1863. The area is also known for the tombs that were situated here, including the Huangxin Tomb, the Cai'e Tomb, the Chentianhua Tomb and the Gaodafong Tomb, that are all commemorated.
