Fahai Temple, also known as Lianxing Temple, was first built during the Sui and Tang dynasties and was renovated during the Yuan dynasty.

The Fahai of Fahai Temple is probably the Fahai monk of Jinshan Temple in the White Snake Legend. In history, there was indeed a person named Fahai, who was a high monk.

Fahai, commonly known as Pei Wende, was the son of Pei Xiu, a famous Tang dynasty prime minister. In the third year of the Dazhong reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty (849), the young Pei Wende replaced the prince who was suffering from a serious illness and became a monk at the Miyin Temple in Ningxiang County, Hunan Province. The abbot of Miyin Temple, Master Lingyou, gave him the Dharma name "Fahai".

After practicing asceticism in Fahai, Yunyou went to Zhenjiang's captured mountains and forests to reside in Xixiu Zen. Emperor Xuanzong of Tang ordered the construction of the "Jinshan Temple", which was supported by the court. Master Fahai is known as the "founder Pei Zu" of Jinshan Temple.

In the 44th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, during his southern tour, Emperor Kangxi named Fahai Temple "Lianxing Temple". During the Xianfeng period, Lianxing Temple was destroyed by the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom's military fire, and was rebuilt in the middle of the Guangxu period.

After 1949, Lianxing Temple was temporarily converted into a vegetarian restaurant. During the Cultural Revolution, monks were dispersed and Buddha statues and plaques were destroyed. What we see now is that it has been renovated and newly built since 1996.

Fahai Temple has an Imperial Stele Pavilion. There is a poem inscribed with the imperial letter of Emperor Qianlong, which goes: "A flower in the palace is pure and clean, surrounded by green water and rippling waves. Why bother with singing, painting, and boating? It is precisely the pavilions that are not exposed to dust

After visiting Fahai Temple, cross the Lotus Fragrance Bridge and head towards Xuyuan.

The original name of Ouxiang Bridge was Fahai Bridge. Founded in the fourth year of the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty (1525), it was later rebuilt by Huo Sheng under the command of the Yangzhou Garrison. What we see now was renovated in 1963. Because lotus flowers are planted all over the bridge, it was renamed Lotus Fragrance Bridge.

There are many thousand year old trees under the Lotus Fragrance Bridge. This triangular maple tree is famous for its "three knots" in one tree. In order to highlight the theme of getting married, a group of sculptures of Republican figures were erected next to the "Lianlian Branch".

Arriving at Taohuawu. According to the information, the location where Xu Yuan is located is also a part of the former site of Taohuawu in the Qing Dynasty. The current Taohuawu is only an exhibition of bonsai and flowers.

Arriving at Xu Garden. Because my wife's surname is Xu. So when I came to Shouxi Lake twenty years ago, I had a deep impression of Xu Yuan. Revisiting the old place brings a sense of emotion!

The original site of Xuyuan was the Taohuawu in Hanyuan during the early Qing Dynasty. In the fourth year of the Republic of China, it was rebuilt as the ancestral hall of Xu Baoshan, the commander-in-chief of the Yangzhou Military Government and the commander of the Second Army of the National Revolutionary Army. At that time, it was built with funds raised by Xu Baoshan's former followers, family members, and Yangzhou merchants. The designer is Yang Bingyan, a fellow magistrate of Baoying County. Xu Garden covers an area of only 0.6 hectares, but the entire courtyard is intricately arranged, staggered and full of charm.

This is the gate of Xu Yuan. The two characters "Xu Yuan" on the door were written by Ji Lianggong, a famous Yangzhou scholar and former friend of Xu Baoshan.

Ji Lianggong was born in the seventh year of the Xianfeng reign of the Qing Dynasty and passed the imperial examination in the seventeenth year of the Guangxu reign. He lived a noble and arrogant life, with no intention of pursuing a career. Ji Lianggong once presented a couplet to Xu Baoshan, saying, "All famous scholars have drunk wine, and heroes have never studied since ancient times." In the third year of the Republic of China, when Xu Garden was built to worship Xu Baoshan, Ji Lianggong wrote a couplet saying, "How do you feel about it? Boiling wine talked about the north and south of the past; heroes are gone, but we still see flowers in the garden today

The two characters "Xu Yuan" in the title are very interesting: "Xu" is written in regular script, while "Yuan" has cursive script, resembling a tiger trapped in a cage. Because Xu Baoshan is born in the Year of the Tiger and has a strong and fierce temperament, he is nicknamed "Xu Tiger". The writing of this character is indeed very meaningful. Ji Lianggong passed away due to illness when he inscribed the words, and these two characters were his last.

This is the main building of Xu Yuan - Tingli Pavilion. This was originally the feast hall of Xu Baoshan. In 1951, the "Xu Garden" was fully renovated and renamed as the "Listening to Orioles Hall".

The Tingli Pavilion has a width of three rooms and a single eaved gable roof. Set up a fence around the perimeter. There are two couplets hanging on the front porch pillar. The couplet in the middle reads: "Green seal with moss marks, crane seal script; Red flow with floral charm, love for warbler spring." Signed: Lu Runxiang.

On the outside is: 'The green shore of Jiangbo Jiao is dyed; the mountain scenery welcomes people and is delicious to eat.'.

The horizontal plaque inside the hall reads' Listening to Orioles Hall ', and the couplet in the middle hall reads:

Fighting wine and oranges, fireworks in March to win couples; lakes and mountains are beautiful, and scenery awaits visitors at all times.

Signature: Li Shenghe.

In front of Tingli Pavilion, there is a stele pavilion. There is a "Xu Yuan Stele" erected in 1917 inside the pavilion. The inscription narrates the achievements of Xu Baoshan and the beginning and end of the garden construction. This monument was written by Wu Entang and handwritten by Wang Guilin.

This is the iron pot in front of the Stele Pavilion. There are two iron pots in total, with a diameter of about seven feet and a thickness of about two inches. It is said to be a water control artifact from the Xiaoliang period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, dating back over 1400 years.

These two iron pots were originally stored in Guanyin Temple in Hongqiao. Moved here in 1921. There is also a stone tablet next to the iron pot, which was erected in 1924 and bears the inscription 'Xu Yuan Iron Pot Record'. The inscription was written by Jiao Rulin and handwritten by the renowned calligrapher and painter Chen Hanguang.

This is the sub hall of Xu Yuan - "Spring Grass Pond Chanting Pavilion", which was converted from the original east living room of the ancestral hall. The poetic name of the museum comes from Xie Lingyun's "Ascending the Pond and Going Up the stairs": "Spring grass grows in the pond, and the willows in the garden turn into singing birds.

The couplet on the front porch pillar reads: "The brush falls on the green mountains, drifting with ancient charm; the green waves and spring waves fill the front pond

After visiting Xuyuan, I walked across Chunbo Bridge and arrived at the "Little Golden Mountain" on the other side.

Jinshan was originally a small island located in the northwest of Zhenjiang, in the Yangtze River. The Jinshan Temple on the island is famous throughout the world for the phrase "water floods Jinshan" in the "Legend of the White Snake". Later, Jinshan was connected to the land, allowing visitors to directly access it.

Xiaojin Mountain is an artificial island located in Shouxi Lake. In the 22nd year of the Qianlong reign, the emperor prepared to conduct a southern tour of Yangzhou. In order to flatter the emperor, Yangzhou taxi merchants dug waterways to open the waterway from Slender West Lake to Shugang for Loong Boat cruise. The excavated soil and rocks piled up in the lake, forming an artificial island - Meiling. Many scenic spots have been built on Meiling, and "Meiling Spring Deep" has become a popular attraction. This is the origin of Xiao Jinshan. It is said that the cost at that time was 200000 taels of silver! It can be seen how strong the financial resources of Yangzhou salt merchants are!

Many scenic spots in Xiaojin Mountain were destroyed in the war of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. Later, it was rebuilt again during the Guangxu period.

This is the gate of Xiaojin Mountain Courtyard. This is the former site of the Heart Rhythm Temple gate in Xiaojinshan Lake during the Republic of China era. The three seal characters "Xiao Jinshan" on the forehead were written by the renowned Yangzhou seal artist Sang Yu.

The pair of stone lions in front of the door are relics from the Ming Dynasty. Originally placed in Beilai Temple, it was moved here in 1961.

After entering, we arrived at the Guandi Palace.

In front of Guandi Hall, there is a boat shaped stone placed on the the Taihu Lake Lake stone. The strange stone is in the shape of a natural bonsai, measuring 262cm in length and 88cm in width. It is said that this is a relic of the "Flower Stone Gang" from the Northern Song Dynasty, which was moved from the "Huyuan" in Dongquanmen in 1953.

Why is Xiaojin Mountain related to the Imperial Palace?

It is said that when the mountains were piled up in the lake, they repeatedly collapsed and the foreman was helpless. One night in my dream, I saw Emperor Guan leading his soldiers to pile plum blossom stakes, grouping wooden stakes and piling them into a mountain in the middle of the river. The foreman suddenly realized and immediately imitated pile driving, and indeed succeeded in one fell swoop. Later, when Emperor Qianlong heard about it, his dragon face was delighted and rewarded him greatly. In order to commemorate the kindness of Prince Guan, this Guan Emperor Palace was built.

The Guandi Hall has three spacious rooms, a single eaved gable roof, and a corridor in front of the hall. There is a couplet hanging on the corridor pillar: "The fingers are all empty, may the jade bureau have been left and taken away; if the fist is not big, Jinshan is willing to cross the river

Shanglian refers to the story of Su Dongpo and Foyin playing Go in Jinshan, with jade ribbons as the bet. This couplet is stable in combat and very interesting.

Although the courtyard of the Guandi Palace is not large, it has a great style.

On the east side, there is a "qin room" built by the lake, which is divided into front and back entrances.

There is a couplet hanging on the entrance pillar: "A water flows around the willow trees, and a painted boat flows through the lotus flower sky.

On the door leading to the back hall hangs a plaque reading "Qinshi", which was inscribed by the modern seal script master Tan Dajing. Please attach a long postscript at the end. It was written by the calligrapher Bao Qichang during the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. The postscript reads: "Shen Yue's" Biography of Xu Zhan in the Book of Song "states:" Guangling used to have high-rise buildings, but Zhan added and renovated the Wind Pavilion, Wind Platform, Qin Room, and Moon Observation Hall. The fruit and bamboo trees were lush, and the anthers were arranged in rows. "Wu Fu's second examination of the site revealed this mountain, which is now marked as Si E. Although it is not the old building of the Xu family, there are still four scenic spots preserved

The second entrance hall at the back, with a panoramic view of the slim West Lake in the front nave, and couplets on both sides: "Borrowing a corner of West Lake, one can praise its thinness; moving a little bit of Jinshan, why not cherish its small size. Very artistic conception!

Leaving the Imperial Palace, heading west along the lake, we arrived at the 'Thatched Cottage on the Lake'.

The Hu Shang Cao Tang was first built during the Jiaqing period of the Qing Dynasty. The thatched cottage is three bays wide and hangs from the mountaintop. A front porch is set up in front of the hall, with couplets hanging on the pillars: "Lotus emerges from green waves, Gui grows on high mountains; among the paulownia trees, dew falls, willows come in the wind", written by the poet Qin Ziqing of Yangzhou.

The horizontal plaque hanging on the hall was handwritten by Yi Bingshou, the governor of Yangzhou during the Jiaqing period, and reads' On the Lake, Mi Tang '.

On the hillside behind the thatched cottage, there is a pavilion with a plaque that reads "Cold Bamboo Wind Pine", inscribed by the Qing Dynasty poet Ruan Yuan. The couplet on the pavilion pillar reads' In autumn, the mountains are lush with greenery; in the sun, the sun is thin and embraces the pine trees, cold. 'It was written by Zheng Banqiao and written by Liu Zengfu.

There is a wooden stake bonsai under the pavilion, called 'Spring with withered wood'. This scene is composed of dried ginkgo trees, dead branches, and towering vines from the Tang Dynasty, surrounded by stone railings. There are carved stones standing in front of the bonsai. There is a passage engraved on it: "Ancient Wood in Spring, originally a ginkgo tree from the Tang Dynasty, was broken by lightning. Later planted in the sky, climbing up. In late spring and early summer, the flowers are red and the leaves are lush, like withered trees in spring

Near the northwest of the 'Hu Shang Cao Tang', there is a 'Green Shade Pavilion' built by the lake. The platform facing the lake in front of the Green Shadow Pavilion has stone railings. Tourists here, leaning against the railing and gazing into the distance, can be described as joyful. Here, you can see the "Chengxian Water Pavilion" on the north bank, which looks more like a painting.

The "Green Shade Pavilion" has a width of three rooms, surrounded by corridors on three sides, with a grille to the south and square windows on each of the two mountains. The horizontal plaque hanging under the eaves reads "Green Shade Pavilion", inscribed by Liu Haisu. There is a couplet by Chen Chongqing hanging on the front porch pillar: "Green shade on all sides with little red sun; painting a boat through lotus flowers on the third night", written by Liu Haisu's wife Xia Yiqiao.

The horizontal plaque hanging on the front of the hall reads "Green Gui Luo Lian", inscribed by Chen Chongqing of the Qing Dynasty. There is a postscript that goes: "This place was formerly known as the Green Shadow Pavilion, with two parts of bamboo and three parts of water, creating a beautiful scenery. Taking a line from Kangle poetry, we change the title to this one." Among them, "Green Gui" refers to the emerald green bamboo; 'Falling into a ripple' describes the undulating waves of water.

There are also couplets on both sides of the pillars: "Still open the pavilion from the water and bamboo, not letting go of the ten mile spring breeze and half moon; occasionally swing the boat towards the lake and mountains, to appreciate the misty rain of the Red Bridge and the clear clouds of the White Pagoda." This couplet was written by the late Qing dynasty literati Xu Zhaoyu and Zhang Xinzhi. The words and phrases are respectively derived from Tang Du Mu's "Farewell", "The spring breeze is ten miles away from Yangzhou Road, and rolling up the pearl curtain is not as good as it is", and Tang Xu Ning's "Remembering Yangzhou", "Three parts of the world are bright moon nights, and two parts are scoundrels, Yangzhou is Yangzhou". The "Red Bridge Smoke and Rain" and "White Tower Clear Clouds" in the couplet come from the "Hongqiao Range Rover", "Four Bridges Smoke and Rain" and "White Tower Clear Clouds" in the 24 Scenic Spots of Yangzhou.

This is the "Moon View", and the couplet on the front porch pillar reads: "Lotus blooms on green waves, Guisheng grows on high mountains; paulownia trees are exposed, willows come in the wind.

Further north, you will arrive at Yuban Bridge. Guoyu Ban Bridge is a scenic spot on the opposite bank, including Chengxian Water Pavilion and Qianlong Tea House.

We won't go to the north bank, we'll return to the Green Shade Pavilion, and then head west, there's a long embankment. At the end of the long embankment, there is a square pavilion called "Blowing Platform". Because Qianlong once fished here, it is also known as the 'Fishing Platform'. The wind platform is a double eaved square pavilion with black tiles and yellow walls, and is separated by wooden carvings on the east side. There is a horizontal plaque hanging under the eaves, with the three characters "Diaoyutai" inscribed by Liu Haisu. There are couplets hanging on both sides, which are a collection of Tang Dynasty poems by Xu Hong and Du Fu. The couplets read: "The mighty song goes to Lanzhu, fishing for the autumn wind", handwritten by Qi Gong.

There is a horizontal plaque hanging in the hall that reads' Blowing Platform ', inscribed by Sha Menghai.

There are circular entrances on all three sides facing the lake. From the west side of the circular cave entrance, one can see the scenery of "Wuting Bridge", while from the south side of the circular cave, one can see the "White Pagoda". Looking north, you can see the "Clear and Fresh Water Pavilion" on the north bank. Several circular caves look just like paintings, and their borrowing techniques are admirable.

From Xiaojin Mountain, I returned to Xuyuan and then walked south along the lake. This row of willow trees along the bank is the "Changdi Spring Willow" among the 24 scenic spots.

The "Changdi Chunliu" was originally built by the salt merchant Huang Weipu during the Qianlong period. It stretches from Dahongqiao in the south to Shugang in the north, with peach and willow trees planted along the coast. During the Xianfeng period, it was abandoned due to the wars of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom. The later Changdi Chunliu was renovated by Yang Bingyan, a magistrate of Baoying County, in the fourth year of the Republic of China, from the west bank of Dahongqiao Bridge to Xuyuan.

There is a pavilion along the long embankment, which is the "Xiaoyan Pavilion" we just saw on the cruise ship.

The Xiaoyan Pavilion is half leaning against the lake shore and half standing in the water. There is a horizontal plaque inside the pavilion that reads "Changdi Chunliu" written by the famous calligrapher Chen Chongqing of the Qing Dynasty, and there is also a horizontal plaque outside that reads "Flowing freely" as we see on a cruise ship.

There are couplets hanging on both sides of the pavilion pillars: "Good qi overflowing with fragrant clouds; Su Yun Dan Ye Chuan

The Xiaoyan Pavilion was first built in the fourth year of the Republic of China and was named the Fuliu Pavilion at that time. What we see now is that it was renovated in 1956.

Continuing forward, we arrived at the South Gate. This concludes the visit to Shouxi Lake.