Romantic Poem and Majestic Peaks of Liuzhou to Lure Visitors

There is a simple， hospitable and charming garden ornamented with green peaks， clear water， fantastic stones and tranquil caves. Pretty scenes can be seen everywhere in the humid mountains and beside the Liujiang River. The flow of the Liujiang River is running as slow as many years ago， nurturing generations of local people and fostering a splendid culture. Liuzhou， an aged-old noted historical and cultural city， was praised by numerous talented and popular poets in their works. Liu Zongyuan， a renowned poet in the Tang Dynasty （618-907）， once wrote that： “Trees standing on the hills cover almost everything， and the river meanders through the city”. Xu Xiake， an esteemed geographer and traveller during the Ming Dynasty （1368-1644）， admired the beauty of this land in his travel notes： “Thousands of peaks stand around the city， and the city was embraced by a winding river”， leaving us a vivid description of Liuzhou. Also， Liuzhou was praised by then Premier Wen Jiabao as “a city boasting green mountains， clean water and excellent environment” during his visit to Liuzhou in 2006.

Flourishing historical culture of the Dragon City

Located in the north-central area of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region， Liuzhou shares a boundary with Hunan Province in the north and Guizhou Province in the northwest. The Liujiang River meanders through the downtown， as reflected in Liu Zongyuan’s poem： “The meandering Liujiang River resembles my complicated feeling”. Featured with green mountains， elegant hills， odd caves， beautiful stones， exuberant forest and lush grass， Liuzhou is shaped like a pot. Reputed as the Dragon City or the Pot City， Liuzhou was listed as one of the A-class tourist cities and historical and cultural cities in China.

As early as 60，000 years ago， the ancient human beings had started their slash-and-burn cultivation on this land. Research showed that the geological age of the “Liujiang Man” unearthed from Liuzhou was earlier than that of the “Upper Cave Man” from Beijing， indicating that “Liujiang Man” is the representative of the earliest “Homo Sapiens” ever found in southern China and even Southeast Asia.

Since a country was established here in the Western Han Dynasty （202 BC-9 AD）， the scattered cultural relics， historic sites， poems and biographies written by men of literature and writing had silently told us its previous 2，100 years. Liuzhou belonged to Guilin Prefecture during the Qin Dynasty （221 BC-206 BC）， and it was not until the Western Han Dynasty that this area became a county for the first time. During the Tang Dynasty （618-907）， its name was changed from Maping County to Liuzhou County.

The prehistoric culture continuously has been inherited on in this land， forming a splendid Liuzhou. Indeed， “flourishing” and “inclusive” are the two best adjectives to describe Liuzhou’s culture. Liuzhou’s people embrace not only the men of letters’ culture represented by Liu Zongyuan， but also the religious culture with symbols as Kaiyuan Temple and Lingquan Temple. No matter whether it is refined literature or any other type of culture， it can flourish here. Besides， Liuzhou is a multi-ethnic region where different customs interact with each other， thus forming a rich and diverse ethnic culture. As it is， its exotic charm of ethnic custom can be summed up as “Dong’s architecture， Miao’s festival， Yao’s dancing and Zhuang’s singing”.

Nurtured with decency and integrity of a number of noble ancient sages， Liuzhou’s culture has featured with masculinity which is directly expressed by local people’s frankness， straightforward and unyielding character.

Flowing water and towering peaks

There is a vivid description about Liuzhou’s picture-postcard cityscapes — “Liuzhou is a city in the landscape garden and the landscape garden embraces the city”. For years， Liuzhou has developed scenic sites along the Liujiang River， such as the Panlong Waterfall Group， music fountain， riverside sites as well as lighting projects. Either a view of a bird resting on the green peak of Standing-Fish Rock， or any seasonal color of Longtan Scenic Area， or several lines of poetry left at Liu Zongyuan’s Memorial Temple， will enable you to stay longer on this mysterious land.

Yufeng Hill （Standing-Fish Rock Scenic Spot）， standing on the southern shore of Liujiang River， is shaped like a standing fish， hence its name. The hill， small in size， looks delicate and pretty. At the foot of the hill， there is the Little Dragon Pool with clear water. On the south side of the pool， there is the Stone Museum in which more than 100 species of stones and over 500 valuable items are exhibited. Viewing downwards beside the pool bank， the pool forms a beautiful reflection， like a giant carp leaping in the pool， so it is also named as the Leaping-Fish Pool. Yufeng Hill has seven winding rock roads from the foot to the Shuxin Pavilion in the hillside. From the hill gap to the peak， however， there is only one way for going up and down， just like a ladder to heaven. Seven caves are irregularly scattered yet each connects to another. In the caves there are huge and extraordinary sculptures of Liu Sanjie （a legendary immortal singer of Zhuang ethnic group）. On the walls are engraved poetry and ode by literary giants since the Yuan （1206-1368）， Ming （1368-1644） and Qing Dynasties （1636-1912）， which are all rare art treasures. Visiting the caves is like being caught in a fairyland， leaving you the illusion of “A half-day in the cave whilst a thousand years in the outside world”. A panoramic view is right here when you are standing on the top of the Yufeng Hill and looking into the distance.

Longtan Scenic Spot， combining beautiful natural scenery with distinctive customs of the ethnic minority groups， is another attraction. Sheer limestone peaks surround the quiet crystal-clear water of Longtan Pool， and cast a reflection on the water. Mysteriously， the water temperature of Longtan Pool is constant. During winter season， the pool filled with rising water vapor and curling fog looks like a wonderland. Record handed down from ancient times showed that Liu Zongyuan had once prayed for rain for local residents here.

A prefectural governor on the scroll of fame

Liuzhou’s fame was enhanced by Liu Zongyuan （773-819）， a celebrated politician， thinker and one of the Eight Great Literary Masters of the Tang and Song （960-1279） Dynasties. Liu Zongyuan， once a member of the Ministry of Rites in the Tang Dynasty， was demoted and banished to Liuzhou and served as the prefectural governor of Liuzhou in his old age because he participated in a political reform and failed. During his stay， he abolished the slaves， promoted culture and education， cultivated farmland， dug wells and planted oranges， bringing tangible benefits to the local people. In the late Northern Song Dynasty （960-1127）， the Emperor Huizong （1082-1135） bestowed Liu Zongyuan the official position Wenhui Marquis three years after Liu died in Liuzhou.

Proof about this part is evident in many landmarks built in his honor in this city. And the Liuhou Park （Park of Wenhui Marquis Liu Zongyuan）， built by the local people， seems like an oasis standing in the bustling downtown， attracting a large number of visitors each year. Its elegant landscape is expressed by towering and shady ancient trees， blooming and fragrant flowers， stone hall， the Flowers Island， the Peach Blossoms Hill， bonsai garden and artificial lakes， to name a few. And his hat and clothes， paintings and pictures， inscriptions on tablets introducing Liu’s life and historic feats as well as carved stones from different dynasties are still well preserved and exhibited in the park.

When you enter the park and walk along the stone path， you can see the Luochi Pool — a pool with clear and bright water. When the moon rises at night， its shadow reflects on the surface of the water， which is gorgeous and rank. The scene of “Luochi Night Moon”， one of Liuzhou’s famous Eight Ancient Scenes， has been well known since the beginning of the Tang Dynasty. The most precious treasure of the temple is the “Three-wonder Stele”. This stele assembles “Liu Zongyuan’s story， Han Yu （one of the Eight Great Literary Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties）’s article and Su Shi （one of the Eight Great Literary Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties）’s calligraphy” in one， bearing profound historical and artistic value nationwide for its uniqueness. In the opposite direction to the Liuhou Memorial Temple， there is the Ganxiang Pavilion， with green tiles， red pillars and delicate paintings. Tradition has it that Liu Zongyuan once planted orange trees here and wrote the famous Planting Orange Poem. With closed eyes， a delicate fragrance from the orange trees nearby will surround you， as if to bring you back to the ancient time.