Dongpo Pavilion, Yixing [Photo/WeChat account: wuxifabu2013]
Yangxian, a quiet tourist resort in Yixing, a small county-level city near the banks of Taihu Lake, opened a new tourist attraction, Dongpo Pavilion, on Aug 10.
The new pavilion is named after Su Dongpo, one of the most popular poets and painters of the Song Dynasty (960-1279).
Su visited Yangxian town a dozen times in his lifetime. He was fond of the wonderful natural views there and expressed his appreciation many times in his poems. Su even bought land and a house in the town, and planned to spend his declining years there, according to one of his poems.
Dongpo Pavilion is the tallest building in Yangxian Xishan town, Yixing. [Photo/WeChat account: wuxifabu2013]
Dongpo Pavilion is located on the top of Xi Mountain, south of Yangxian Lake. It is the tallest building in Yangxian Xishan town. With total investment of 8 billion yuan ($1.15 billion), the town will cover 412 hectares and is expected to become an iconic rural tourist attraction in East China.
The designer of Dongpo Pavilion, Zhu Yaguang, is a professor in the school of architecture at Southeast University. He said the pavilion, built in Song Dynasty style, is integrated into the surrounding landscape.
Its main exhibition hall not only explains the history and construction process of Dongpo Pavilion, but also displays famous Yixing purple clay teapots and tells the story of Su Dongpo's life in the city.
