Fahai Temple, also known as Lianxing Temple, was built in the Sui and Tang Dynasties and rebuilt in the Yuan Dynasty.

Fahai of Fahai Temple is probably the monk Fahai of Jinshan Temple in the Legend of the White Snake. There was a real person in Fahai in history, a senior monk.

Fahai is commonly known as Pei Wende, and he is the son of Pei Xiu, the prime minister in the Tang Dynasty. In the third year of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (849), young boy Pei Wende replaced the prince who was suffering from a serious illness and went to Miyin Temple in Ningxiang County, Hunan Province. The master of Miyin Temple, Master Lingyou, gave him the Dharma name "Fahai."

After practicing ascetic cultivation in Fahai, he traveled to Zhenjiang's captured mountains and deserted forests to practice meditation in Xi. Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty ordered the construction of a "Jinshan Temple", which was supported by the court. Zen Master Fahai is known as the "Founding Father Pei" of Jinshan Temple.

In the forty-fourth year of Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, Emperor Kangxi named Fahai Temple "Lianxing Temple" during his southern tour. Lianxing Temple was destroyed by the Taiping Rebellion during the Xianfeng period and was rebuilt in the middle of Guangxu.

After 1949, Lianxing Temple was once transformed 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 built since 1996.

Fahai Temple has an imperial stele pavilion. It is engraved with a poem inscribed in the imperial book of Qianlong. The poem says: "A flower palace has a clear cause, and the green waters around the circle are blooming with new waves. Why is the singing and painting boats noisy? It's just that the pavilions are not subject to dust."

After visiting Fahai Temple, we crossed Ouxiang Bridge to Xuyuan.

Ouxiang Bridge was originally named Fahai Bridge. It was built in the fourth year of Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty (1525) and was later rebuilt by Huo Sheng under the command of Yangzhou Wei. What we see now is renovated in 1963. Because lotus flowers are planted everywhere under the bridge, the bridge is called Lotus Fragrance Bridge.

There are many thousand-year-old trees under the Ouxiang Bridge. This triangular maple tree is famous for its "triple connection". In order to highlight the theme of tying the knot, a group of sculptures of people from the Republic of China were erected next to the "tying branches".

Arrived at Taohuawu. According to data, the location where Xuyuan is located is also part of the former site of Taohuawu in the Qing Dynasty. The current Taohuawu is just an exhibition of bonsai and flowers.

Arrived at Xuyuan. Because his wife's surname is Xu. So when I came to Slender West Lake 20 years ago, I was deeply impressed by Xu Yuan. Visiting the old place again makes me feel a lot of emotion!

The original site of Xuyuan was Taohuawu in Hanyuan in the early Qing Dynasty. In the fourth year of the Republic of China, it was converted into the ancestral hall of Xu Baoshan, Governor of the Yangzhou Military Government and General of the Second Army of the National Revolutionary Army. At that time, it was raised and built by Xu Baoshan's former subordinates, family members and Yangzhou scholars and businessmen. The designer is Yang Bingyan, a common knowledge of Baoying County. Xuyuan covers an area of only 0.6 hectares, but the entire courtyard is exquisitely arranged, neatly arranged and very romantic.

This is the gate of Xuyuan. The word "Xu Yuan" on the forehead of the door was written by Ji Lianggong, Xu Baoshan's former friend and a famous scholar in Yangzhou.

Ji Lianggong was born in the seventh year of Xianfeng in the Qing Dynasty and was promoted in the 17th year of Guangxu. Life is noble and arrogant, and has no intention of pursuing a career. Ji Lianggong once presented a couplet to Xu Baoshan: "Celebrities have always drunk, and heroes have not read since ancient times." In the third year of the Republic of China, when Xu Garden was built to worship Xu Baoshan, Ji Lianggong once wrote a couplet saying: "What do you think of it? Cooking wine tells you about the north and south of the year; heroes are not seen, but I am still looking at the flowers in today's garden."

The word "Xu Yuan" is very interesting: the word "Xu" is Xingji, while the word "Yuan" has Xingcao, shaped like a trapped tiger in a cage. Because Xu Baoshan is a tiger in the zodiac zodiac and has a strong and fierce nature, he is nicknamed "Xu Tiger", and the writing of this word is indeed very meaningful. Ji Lianggong wrote that he died of illness that year. These two words are his last stroke.

This is the main building of Xuyuan-Tingli Hall. This was originally Xu Baoshan's banquet hall. In 1951,"Xu Garden" was completely renovated and changed to "Tingli Hall".

Tingli Hall has a three-room area and a single eaves resting on the top of the mountain. There are corridors all around. There are two couplets hanging on the front porch column. The couplet in the middle is: "Green seal, moss mark, and crane seal; red flow, flower rhyme, love oriole spring" Signed: Lu Runxiang.

The one on the outside is: "The green shore of the river waves is dyed; the mountains are welcoming and beautiful."

There is a horizontal plaque in the hall "Listening Orioles Hall", and the couplets in the middle hall are:

"Fighting wine and citrus, fireworks come to the winning partner in March; lakes and mountains, and the scenery at four o'clock are waiting for tourists."

Signed: Li Shenghe.

There is a stele pavilion in front of the Tingli Hall. There is the "Xuyuan Stele" erected in 1917 in the pavilion. The inscription records Xu Baoshan's achievements and the beginning and end of the garden. This stele was written by Wu Entang and written in calligraphy by Wang Guilin.

This is the iron wok in front of the stele pavilion. There are two iron wok in total, about seven feet in diameter and two inches thick. It is said that it is a water-holding divine vessel during the Xiaoliang period of the Northern and Southern Dynasties. It is more than 1,400 years old.

These two iron pots were originally collected in Guanyin Nunnery in Dahong Bridge. Moved here in 1921. Next to the iron wok is also the stone tablet "Xu Yuan Iron Wok Ji" erected in 1924. The inscription was written by Jiao Rulin and written by famous calligrapher and painter Chen Hanguang.

This is the auxiliary hall of Xuyuan-"Chuncao Pond Yin Xie". This hall was changed from the east living room of the original ancestral hall. The poetic name of the museum comes from Xie Lingyun's "Climbing the Pond and Upstairs":"Spring grass grows in the pond, and willows in the garden turn into singing birds."

The couplet on the front porch column reads: "The ancient charm of the green mountains is floating on the pen; the green waves and spring waves fill the front slope."

After visiting Xuyuan, we walked through Chunbo Bridge and arrived at the "Little Jinshan Mountain" on the other side.

Jinshan is originally a small island in the Yangtze River northwest of Zhenjiang. The Jinshan Temple on the island is famous all over the world because of the story of "Water Covering the Golden Mountain" in the "Legend of the White Snake". Later, Jinshan was connected with the land, and tourists could directly reach it.

Xiaojinshan is an artificial island in Slender West Lake. In the 22nd year of Qianlong, the emperor prepared to patrol Yangzhou in the south. In order to flatter the emperor, Yangzhou taxi merchants dug a waterway and opened up the waterway from Slender West Lake to Shugang for dragon boat patrols. The excavated earth and rocks were piled up in the lake to become an artificial island-Meiling. Many scenic spots have been built on Meiling, and "Meiling Spring Deep" has become a scenic spot. This is the origin of Xiaojinshan. It is said that the cost at that time was 200,000 taels of silver! It can be seen how strong the financial resources of Yangzhou salt merchants are!

Many scenic spots in Xiaojinshan were destroyed by the war of the Taiping Rebellion. It was later rebuilt again during the Guangxu period.

This is the courtyard gate of Xiaojinshan. This is the former site of Xiaojinshan Lake Heart Rhythm Temple during the Republic of China. The three seal characters "Xiaojinshan" on the forehead of the door were written by Sang Yu, a famous artist in Yangzhou printing circles.

The pair of stone lions in front of the door are relics of the Ming Dynasty. It was originally placed in Beilai Temple and moved here in 1961.

After entering the door, we arrived at the Guan Di Hall.

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

Why does Xiaojinshan have Guandi Hall?

It is said that when earth was piled up in the lake to build mountains, it collapsed repeatedly, and the foreman was helpless. One night in a dream, I saw Guan Di leading his soldiers to drill plum blossoms piles, driving the wooden piles in groups in the center of the river, and then piling up soil to form mountains. The foreman suddenly woke up and immediately followed the example of piling, and indeed succeeded. Later, when Qianlong heard this, he was very happy and rewarded him greatly. In order to commemorate the grace of King Guan, this Guan Di Hall was built.

The three rooms of Guandi Hall are wide, with single eaves resting on the top of the mountain, and a corridor is set in front of the hall. There is a couplet hanging on the porch column: "The fingers of the finger are empty, but the jade bureau has been left and taken away; if the fist is not big, the gold mountain is willing to cross the river."

The first couplet refers to the story of Su Dongpo and Fo Yin playing Go in Jinshan, using the jade belt as the bet. This couplet is steady and interesting.

Although the courtyard of Guandi Hall is not large, it is very stylish.

On the east side there is a "piano room" built next to the lake, which is divided into front and back.

There is a couplet hanging on the pillar at the entrance: "A river loops around the willows, and a painted boat travels back and forth to the lotus roots and flowers in the sky."

A plaque of "Qin Room" hangs on the forehead of the door leading to the back hall. The word "Qin Room" is inscribed by Tan Dajing, a famous seal script in modern times. A long postscript is attached at the back. It was written by Bao Qichang, a calligrapher in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China. The postscript reads: "Shen Yue's" Song Shu·A Biography of Xu Zhanzhi "says: 'Guangling used to be high-rise buildings, but Zhanzhi also renovated the wind pavilion, blowing platform, piano room, and moon view. Fruit and bamboo are luxuriant, and anthers are lined up.' Wu Yan inspected its ruins and found that this mountain was the site. Today, the amount will be replenished. Although it is not an old friend of Xu, it is still the true story of the four scenes."

In the second entrance hall at the back, the front middle hall is a panoramic view of the thin West Lake, with couplets on both sides: "Borrowing a corner of the West Lake, I can praise it for its thinness; if you move a little bit of gold, why don't you regret it being small?" Very artistic!

Out of Guandi Hall, head west along the lake, and arrive at the "Cottage on the Lake".

Hushang Cottage was built during the Jiaqing Period of the Qing Dynasty. The Cottage is three rooms wide and hangs on the top of the mountain. There is a front porch in front of the hall, and couplets are hung on the porch columns: "The lotus grows green waves, the osmanthus grows high on the high mountains; the dew falls among the tung trees, and the willows come from the wind." It was written by Qin Ziqing, a poet of Yangzhou.

A horizontal plaque is hung on the hall, which is the "Huatang" handwritten by Yi Bingshou, the prefect of Yangzhou during the Jiaqing period.

There is a pavilion on the hillside behind the thatched cottage. There is a plaque on the pavilion titled "Cold Bamboo and Wind Pine", which was inscribed by Ruan Yuan, a poet of the Qing Dynasty. The couplet on the pavilion pillars "The autumn river presses the green mountains, the thin sun holds the pine trees cold" was written by Zheng Banqiao and written by Liu Zeng.

There is a bonsai with wooden piles under the pavilion, called "Dead Wood in Spring". This scene consists of dead ginkgo trees, dead branches and climbing vines of the Tang Dynasty, surrounded by stone railings. There are carved stones in front of the bonsai. There is a passage engraved on it: "The ancient tree is spring. It was originally a ginkgo tree in the Tang Dynasty. It was cut off by lightning. Later, he planted a towering sky and climbed up. At the end of spring and early summer, the flowers and leaves are luxuriant, like dead trees in spring."

Near the northwest of the "Cottage on the Lake", there is a "Green Shading Pavilion" built next to the lake. There are stone railings on the platform in front of the Green Shades Pavilion facing the lake. Tourists here, leaning on the railing and looking into the distance, can be said to be happy. From here, you can see the "Qingxian Shuixuan" on the north bank, which is more like a picture.

The "Green Shades Pavilion" has three rooms wide and is surrounded by corridors on three sides. In the south, there is a fan, and two mountains have square windows. The three words "Green Shading Hall" are hung on a horizontal plaque under the eaves, inscribed by Liu Haisu. On the front porch column is a couplet by Chen Chongqing: "There are green shades and few red sun on all sides; at the third of the night, painting boats wear lotus roots", written by Xia Yiqiao, wife of Liu Haisu.

A horizontal plaque is hung on the front of the hall,"Green Xiaoshan Falling Ripples", inscribed by Chen Chongqing of the Qing Dynasty. There is a postscript behind it: "This place was originally named Green Shades Hall. It has two branches of bamboo and three branches of water, making it a good place. Take Kangle's poem and change the title to this amount." Among them,"green line" refers to the green bamboo;"rolling ripple" describes the ups and downs of the water waves.

There are also couplets on the columns on both sides: "Still open the pavilion from the water bamboo to avoid letting down the spring breeze of ten miles and the bright moon of two cents; occasionally release a boat to the lakes and mountains to appreciate the misty rain on the red bridge and the clear clouds on the white tower." The couplet was written by Xu Zhaoyu, a literati in the late Qing Dynasty, and written by Zhang Xinzhi. The words and expressions are derived from Tang Du Mu's "Farewell","The spring breeze is ten miles across Yangzhou Road, but it's not as good as rolling a bead curtain" and Tang Xu Ning's "Recalling Yangzhou","The world is three-part bright moon night, and two-part rogue is Yangzhou." The "Red Bridge Misty Rain" and "White Tower Clear Clouds" in the second line come from the "Hongqiao Range Rover","Four Bridge Misty Rain" and "White Tower Clear Clouds" in the 24th Scenery of Yangzhou.

This is the "Moon View", and the couplet on the front porch column reads: "The lotus grows green waves, the osmanthus grows high mountains; the dew falls among the tung trees, and the willows come from the wind."

Traveling further north, you will arrive at Yuban Bridge. Crossing the Yuban Bridge is the scenic spots such as Chengxian Water Pavilion and Qianlong Tea House on the other side.

Instead of going to the north bank, we returned to the Green Shadow Hall. Further west, there was a long embankment. At the end of the long embankment, there is a square pavilion called "Chuantai". Because Qianlong had fished here, it was also called the "Diaoyutai". The blowing platform is a four-sided pavilion with double eaves, black tiles and yellow walls, and is covered by woodcuts on the east. There is a horizontal plaque hanging under the eaves, with the three words "Diaoyutai" inscribed by Liu Haisu. On both sides are a couplet composed of poems from Xu Hong and Du Fu of the Tang Dynasty: "The great song goes to Lanzhu, fishing and waiting for the autumn wind", written by Qi Gong in calligraphy.

There is a horizontal plaque "Blowing Platform" hung in the hall, inscribed by Sha Menghai.

Round doors are opened on three sides of the lake. Looking from the round hole on the west side, you can see the "Wuting Bridge". Looking from the round hole in the south, you can see the "White Tower". Looking north, you can see the "Chengxian Water Pavilion" on the north bank. When you look at the several round holes, they are just like pictures, and their method of borrowing scenery is admirable.

I returned to Xuyuan from Xiaojinshan, and then walked south along the lake. This willow bank is the "Long Dike Spring Willow" in the 24 Scenery.

The "Changdi Spring Willow" was originally built by Huang Weipu, a salt merchant during the Qianlong period. It starts from Dahongqiao in the south and reaches Shugang in the north. Peach willows are planted all over the coast. During the Xianfeng period, it was abandoned due to the war of the Taiping Rebellion. Later, the Changdi Chunliu only ran from the west bank of Dahong Bridge to Xuyuan. It was renovated in the fourth year of the Republic of China by Yang Bingyan, a Tongzhi of Baoying County.

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

The "Xiaoyan Pavilion" is half leaning against the lake bank and half standing in the water. There is a horizontal plaque inside the pavilion,"Long Spring Willow" written by Chen Chongqing, a famous calligrapher of the Qing Dynasty. There is also a horizontal plaque outside, which is the "Freedom in the Middle Stream" we see on a cruise ship.

Couplets are hung on the pillars of the pavilion on both sides: "Good atmosphere overflows the fragrant land; the clouds are clear of the wild rivers."

The "Xiaoyan Pavilion" was built in the fourth year of the Republic of China and was called the "Willow Pavilion" at that time. As we see it now, it was rebuilt in 1956.

Continuing forward, we reached the south gate. This ends the Slender West Lake tour.