Ouyang Xiu (欧阳修) was a politician and a litterateur in the Northern Song Dynasty and was one of the “Eight Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties”. Not only did he lead the innovative poetry movement of the Northern Song Dynasty, but he also enjoyed a high reputation in politics.
【Stele of Youmei Hall】
In the second year of Jiayou Period of the Northern Song Dynasty (1057), Mei Zhi became the governor of Hangzhou. Emperor Renzong of the Song wrote him a poem to see him off. The literal meaning of the poem says, "The land (Hangzhou) has beautiful lakes and mountains, which is No. 1 in the Southeast". After arriving in Hangzhou, he built a hall on Wushan Hill to repay the emperor's kindness, and named it "Youmei (have beautiful lakes and mountains)". Later, he invited Ouyang Xiu to write an article named "The Story of Youmei Hall" to commemorate it, and Cai Xiang (a famous calligrapher in the Northern Song Dynasty) inscribed it on the monument. The original stele was destroyed in the war, and was re-established in 2007 on the site of Youmei Hall.
Address: Wushan Scenic Area, Wushan Square, Hefang Street, Shangcheng District (上城区河坊街吴山广场吴山景区)