In Yuyao, there is a park that you must visit. It has a history of thousands of years and has attracted many celebrities such as Su Dongpo and Wang Anshi. It is Longquan Mountain Park.
As a county-level city, Yuyao is small but clean and beautiful. I went to Longquan Mountain after seeing Wang Yangming’s former residence. It can be reached in a few minutes by riding a bicycle.
Longquan Mountain is a famous mountain in Yuyao. The mountain has a garden-style landscape since ancient times. It is less than 100 meters above sea level but is extremely green. It is densely covered with century-old trees and has the solitude of a primeval forest. The scenery of this mountain is excellent. In front of it is the clear Yuyao River, and not far to the west is the Xijiang River. Surrounded by mountains and rivers, it forms a beautiful scene of its own.
Longquan Mountain is famous for its two scenic spots: Longquan Well and Zhongtian Pavilion.
Longquan Well is located on the top of the mountain. No one can figure out why there is a well on the mountain. According to literature, this well never runs dry all year round. Even if there is drought and little rain, the well water is still clear. When you look into the well water, you will often see two dragon ripples on the water surface, like two dragons playing in the water, so it is called "Longquan Well".
Because Longquan Well was so famous, the mountain was called Longquan Mountain. It became famous in the Song Dynasty. Su Dongpo loved tea, and made a special trip to Yuyao to taste Longquan well water, and praised it: "Longquan stone well is sweeter than anything else." Before Wang Anshi paid homage to the prime minister, he also came to drink Longquan water and wrote a poem to praise it: "The rocks on the mountainside have been moist for thousands of years, and the springs in the eyes of the sea have never dried up in a day; the people in the world are waiting for the rain, but they don't know where the dragon is."
There are many historical sites in Longquan Mountain, most of which are unmarked. I searched for them on the top of the mountain for a long time and finally found this stone well. There is a stone pavilion in the stone well. A stone is pressed at the mouth of the well. When it is removed, it becomes dark and the ripples of the dragon playing in the water cannot be seen. I don't know how the ancients saw it. There is a Longquan inscription engraved on the stone wall next to it, but the font has been blurred.
Not far from Longquan Well, there is a group of elegant red buildings, which is Zhongtian Pavilion.
Zhongtian Pavilion began during the Zhengde period of the Ming Dynasty, when Qian Dehong, a scholar at that time, gave lectures here. During the Jiajing period, Wang Yangming and Ding You returned home to observe the system, and were invited by Qian Dehong to give lectures. With Wang Yangming's reputation, this place suddenly became a place where students from the south of the Yangtze River flocked to. There were more than 300 students attending each class, and students came and went. Crowded Longquan Mountain.
Wang Yangming was very happy, so he specially set up academic rules for this purpose, wrote "Zhongtian Pavilion Encouraging All Students" and engraved it on the stone wall, which became a legend for generations.
The original building complex of Zhongtian Pavilion was very large, but it was later destroyed in the war. The existing building has been renovated in modern times. It follows the layout of the Qing Dynasty, but the scale has been reduced by half. Zhongtian Pavilion is not allowed to enter, but you can visit. There are a bunch of desks inside, with a statue of Wang Yangming in the center. Mr. Wang Yangming seems to be still giving lectures.
The park is open to the public free of charge, and locals often come here to drink tea and chat. Because the spring water of Longquan Well is sweet, it has been a place for drinking tea and playing chess since ancient times. After the tour, I found that there are too many historical monuments on the mountain, such as Lu Wen'an Temple, which was built by the descendants of the Lu family during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty.
Lu Wen'an was a native of Yuyao, Zhejiang Province. His highest official position was Crown Prince Taibao and Bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion. When Japanese pirates flooded the southeast coast, he reported to the court to build a city in the south of the Yangtze River, which effectively prevented Japanese pirates from advancing westward and protected the safety of people on both sides of the Yao River.
There are four stele pavilions halfway up the mountain, inscribed with prominent figures in Yuyao history, such as Wang Yangming and Huang Lizhou. Many people are unfamiliar with Huang Lizhou, but when they mention his other name, they will suddenly realize that he is Huang Zongxi.
Huang Zongxi was a famous thinker and educator in the late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty. He proposed the democratic idea of ??"the world is the master and the king is the guest" and is known as the "Father of Chinese Ideological Enlightenment". Coincidentally, he is also from Yuyao, which shows that Yuyao has a strong culture of learning.
With its many historic sites, Longquan Mountain has become a landmark park in Yuyao. Coupled with the lush forest and bamboo environment, it has become a good place for self-cultivation.
Address: North of Beibinjiang Road, Yuyao City District, Ningbo City, Zhejiang Province. No tickets are required.
Transportation: Take bus No. 101, get off at Laoximen Station, and walk 600 meters.