Pavilions and Terraces in huzhou
2 min readPavilion as a traditional feature in the Chinese architecture is one partof gardening designs. It has also been favoured in many scenic sites. There are some dozens of pavilions with their own appearances scattered over Mogan Mountain. Among them, the pavilion with the tablet of Marshal Chen Yi’s poetry is well-known to all, which was built in the 1960s in Luhuadang. The inscriptions on the tablet are the verses from the handwriting of Chen Yi. Those lines were created during his stay on Mogan Mountain. Because of that, Zhang Aiping, the former minister of National Defence gave the inscription himself and entitled the pavilion “”Marshal Chen Yi’s Poetry Tablet Pavilion”. Another pavilion with high reputation on the scenic site is Guanpu Ting(Pavilion for Watching Waterfall). Guanpu pavilion has a hexagonal roof with upturned eaves. The design of the pavilion and the choice of its location based on two purposes: one is for tourists as a stop to have a short rest after climbing up; the other is to provide a full view of overlapping waterfalls as well as a spectacular display of green rolling hills. Other pavilions, such as Tianchi Ting and Qingliang Ting are all worthy of their names.
Terrace as a kind of functional architecture affords a good service for tourists to look out at the distant views. Mogan Mountain scenic site has more than one observation terraces. The most popular is Xuguang Tai
(Terrace of Sunrise Rays) built in 1986. After taking a walk up along a small mountain path, tourists get to a pavilion named Qingliang Ting(Cool Pavilion), and find a higher square terrace on the round top of the hill with balusters running around. Some stone-chairs and side tables are set. There is a small square pavilion with upturned eaves on the center without any blocks on its four sides. It is the best place for tourists to see the sunburst and the sunset, to watch rosy clouds at dawn and the glow of sky at sunset, and to enjoy the rays of sunlight through a multitude of clouds.
