Tributes to Chinese beauty and love
| If you prefer to attractions with a romantic scent and feeling, visit Xi Shi Hometown in Zhuji and Shen Garden in downtown Shaoxing. Xi Shi was one of the Four Beauties in ancient China, while Shen Garden is famous for the love story of Lu You, a renowned ancient Chinese poet. |
Xi Shi Hometown
Xi Shi, the lady who bewitched the enemy and saved her kingdom, was so beautiful that the fish were so dazzled that they forgot to swim and gradually sunk away from the surface while she was leaning over a balcony to look at them in the pond. Shaoxing offers a wonderful park, temple and museums that show this side of China that is still relatively undiscovered.
Covering an area of 1.44 sq. kilometers, the Xi Shi Hometown attraction is in Zhuji, a county-level city in Shaoxing, and comprises six functional areas. The Xi Shi Temple is in the central area. There are six other areas, namely the Entrance Area, Ancient Fishing Village, Historic and Cultural Area of Yue State, Mei Yuan Recreational Area, Wetland Protection Area, and Resort Area. In Xi Shi Hometown, you’re able to visit the major attractions such as Xishi Temple, Museum of Ancient Beauties, Fanli Ancestral Shrine, and the Folklore Museum.
Shen Garden
Shen Garden is the place where secret love found its expression. Here the poet Lu You let his feelings flow through the poem Hairpin of Gold Phoenix, for his wife Tang Wan. The beautiful gardens, ponds, and nice pavilions of the daytime, become a striking combination of lights and sounds of Chinese musical instruments and opera at night, when the garden seems to be magical!
Shen Garden is a Chinese classical garden with a tragic love story. According to history, the great poet Lu You of the Southern Song Dynasty was forced to divorce his wife, whose name was Tang Wan. Later, the two happened to meet each other in Shen Garden and Lu You composed the famous poem, “Hairpin Love” to express his sadness after the separation. When Tang Wan found the poem, she followed up with another melancholy poem and soon died in sorrow.
|
