Distinct History and Landscape Brightening the Dragon City

Mo Tingting

There is a simple 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 Liu River. The flow of the Liu River is running as slow as many years ago， nurturing generations of local people and fostering a splendid culture. Liuzhou， a noted historical and cultural city， was praised by numerous talented and popular poets in their works. Legend has it that eight dragons once appeared in the Liu River， so Liuzhou was reputed as the Dragon City. Later， it was listed as one of the A-level tourist cities and historical and cultural cities in China.

Historical culture and modern spirit interlacing

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. As early as 60，000 years ago， ancient human beings started their slash-and-burn cultivation on this land.

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

Today， as an industrial center and communication hub， Liuzhous total industrial output makes up 1/4 of that of Guangxi. Up to now， companies and factories in Liuzhou include many noted companies such as LiuGong， Huahong Pharmaceutical， LMZ， Youlian， and Liuzhou Iron & Steel Co.， Ltd. Liuzhou Iron & Steel Company is among the Top 500 companies in China and its manufacturers of indium， zinc， tin and antimony-based products got a strong foothold in the market， both at home and abroad. The city has already developed a comprehensive industrial structure dominated by the automobile， mechanical engineering and metallurgical industries， with other industries such as the chemical， cane sugar refining， paper， pharmaceutical and construction industries， contributing to its economy. Leading automotive producers like GM， Nissan， SAIC Group， DFAC， and FAW have invested and set up here.

The prehistoric culture and modern culture continuously have been inherited in this land， forming a splendid Liuzhou. Indeed， “flourishing” and “inclusive” are the two best adjectives to describe Liuzhous culture. Liuzhous people embrace not only the men of letters culture represented by Liu Zongyuan， a renowned poet in the Tang Dynasty （618-907）， but also the religious culture with symbols like 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 diverse ethnic culture. As it is， its exotic charm of ethnic custom can be summed up as “Dongs architecture， Miaos festival， Yaos dancing and Zhuangs singing”.

Nurtured with industriousness and integrity of a number of noble ancient sages and modern backbones， Liuzhous culture has featured masculinity which is directly expressed by local peoples frank， straightforward and unyielding character.

A diligent governor on the scroll of fame

Liuzhous 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）， 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 hats and clothes， paintings and pictures， inscriptions on tablets introducing Lius 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 Liuzhous 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 Zongyuans 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 ancient times.

Peerless views winning a place worldwide

Xu Xiake， an esteemed geographer and traveler 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. Either a view of a bird resting on the green peak of Yufeng Hill， or the pink world of bauhinia blakeana， or several lines of poetry left at Dalongtan Park， will enable you to stay longer on this mysterious land.

Yufeng Hill， standing on the southern shore of Liu 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. Yufeng Hill has seven winding rock roads from the foot to the Shuxin Pavilion in the hillside. Seven caves are irregularly scattered yet each connects to another. In the caves， there are huge and extraordinary sculptures of Sister 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 and Qing （1636-1912） Dynasties， which are all rare art treasures.

Dalongtan Park， 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 the winter season， the pool filled with rising water vapor and curling fog looks like a wonderland.

One said stones nourish men and women are made of water. It is only when you visit Liuzhou that you can realize the truth of this. Known as the “Capital of Rare Stones”， the city is famous for the saying： “Liuzhous rare stones captivate the world”. In the Liuzhou Museum of Rare Stones， more than 100 species of stones and over 500 valuable items are exhibited. At Liuzhous regularly-held Stone Festival， a large group of stone fans will gather here to communicate and exchange ideas， make friends and enjoy the gathering.

It is a kind of romance for lovers to listen to the rippling sound of Liu River and sitting side by side on the rock of Dalongtan Park. Sometimes， visiting this land is like being caught in a fairyland， leaving you the illusion of “a half-day in Liuzhou is a thousand years in the outside world”. If you stop for a moment and get close to the local people of Liuzhou， you may still be able to find more.

TIPS

Yufeng Hill： Yufeng Hill Park， No. 59 Yufeng Road， Liuzhou， Guangxi， China

Dalongtan Park： Longtan Road， south of  Liuzhou， Guangxi， China

Liuzhou Museum of Rare Stones： Malushan Park， Chengzhong District， Liuzhou， Guangxi， China

Liuhou Memorial Temple： No. 62 Wenhui Road， Liuhou Park， Liuzhou， Guangxi， China