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The hills come alive with the sound of memories

May 15, 2009, Friday | Print Edition

IN a city of long and colorful histories, Yuhuang Hill may be the hill that enjoys the longest and most colorful history. Pan Zheng lingers for the view and more.

Hangzhou, a modern city with a lake and hills in the city center, is a perfect combination of heavenly nature and urban society. Although many of its hills have already become features of the city, Yuhuang Hill may be the hill that enjoys the longest and most colorful history in a city of long and colorful histories.

Standing between West Lake and Qiantang River, Yuhuang Hill, 237 meters high, is a historical attraction with a beautiful natural setting. Yuhuang Feiyun, which symbolizes Yuhuang Hill and means "the flying clouds" in Chinese, was selected as one of the New Top 10 Scenic Attractions of the West Lake in 1985.

The hill has been renamed several times throughout its history. In the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), Yuhuang Hill used to be known as Yuzhu Peak. And in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-979 AD) it was renamed Yuwang Hill, which means King Ashoka in Chinese, because it was said at that time the king of the Wuyue Kingdom enshrined the sarira (the particle-shaped remains of Buddhism monks after cremation) of the King Ashoka Temple on this hill. During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), it was renamed again and again - Yulong Hill, Dragon Hill and Tianzhen Hill. It took its current name in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) after the Fuxing Taoism Temple, which enshrines the Yuhuang Emperor, was built on top of the hill. Since then, every spring, faithful pilgrims visit Yuhuang Hill and the Fuxing Taoism Temple to pay homage and burn incense to the Yuhuang Emperor.

As an act of faith, pilgrims always walk from the foot to the top, but ordinary visitors don't have to. After passing through the gate, visitors have two paths to get the top of the hill: one for cars and one for pedestrians.

For those who don't like climbing hills this may be good news, but they may miss some great attractions, such as Zilai Cave - which would be a great shame to miss.

Located in the middle of the hill, it used to be an ordinary little cave. In the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), Zidong, the head of the Fuxing Taoism Temple, expanded it into a maze of caves of various sizes. It is spacious inside but its entrance only allows one person at a time through. In the cave there is a lot of art and historical stories, including stories of the Wuyue King. And there are modern facilities for the visitor.

On the hilltop stands the Fuxing Taoism Temple. After several reconstructions, it has now linked several courtyards with Dengyun Pavilion, the highest building. From the pavilion, visitors get a wonderful view over West Lake and Hangzhou City - even the people on the Su Causeway can be seen from the pavilion if the weather is fine. If you're not in a hurry you can also enjoy dinner in the temple. Delicious food with beautiful scenery - one of the great joys of life.

As well as the temple, there's another place for visitors to look over the West Lake, where Yuhuang Feiyun got its name - a plaza close to the hilltop. Near the plaza there's a little pavilion and a stone monument, with Yu Huang Fei Yun four Chinese characters written on it. When you stand just beside the hillside and look into distance, most of the hills and part of West Lake come into view.

The beauty of Yuhuang Hill extends to the foot of the hill. On the southern side of the hill lies Bagua Field, which looks like an octagon, with a tai chi symbol in the center. The field is divided into eight parts and covers 10 hectares, and may be the largest field in Hangzhou. It is said that in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), it was a royal field where the emperor used to plant crops to encourage and promote agriculture. However, after commoners discovered the emperor was not working but relaxing in his field, he stopped "planting on his own" but still kept the field. To recall the way it once looked, the Hangzhou government has planted a variety of crops including barley, wheat, soybeans, red beans, rice, millet and glutinous rice, all of which were said to have been planted by the emperor at the time.

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