A Walk through the Historic Relics of Shengcheng District in Early Autumn

01 Baita Park

Hangzhou Baita (White Pagoda) Park is a testament to the West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou, a point along the Grand Canal Cultural Landscape and the starting station of the first railway in Hangzhou 108 years ago. The core part of the park, the White Pagoda, faces Liuhe Pagoda (Pagoda of Six Harmonies) from afar. The White Pagoda is a nine-story, 15-meter-tall octagonal pagoda with an elegant and towering appearance. The pagoda base was engraved with peaks, waves, and other patterns, which symbolize "nine mountains and eight seas (the whole word)", and on the base, there is a Xumizuo (also known as Xumi altar). The waist of the Xumizuo is inscribed with Buddhist scriptures. Further up, the pagoda is divided into nine levels, each consisting of a pagoda body, a pagoda cornice, and a platform. On each pagoda body, one can find stories of Buddha and Bodhisattva and Sutra illustrations, where figures and images are life-like and vivid.

02 The Relic Park of Eight-Diagram Field

The Relic Park of Eight-Diagram Field is where the farming land of the Southern Song imperial family once was. It is over 90 mu (1 mu is roughly equal to 666 sq m) and is located at the southern foot of Jade Emperor Hill in Hangzhou. The farming culture demonstration area collectively showcases the long history of farming culture in China as a major traditional agricultural country. It integrates historical and cultural education with agricultural science popularization and education while incorporating interactive activities in specific links such as farming and water wheeling to achieve an organic combination of recreation and scientific popularization.

03 Hangzhou Confucian Temple · Stele Forest

The stele forest in Hangzhou Confucian Temple used to be the imperial academy of the Southern Song Dynasty and a place to worship Confucius. Covering an area of 1.32 hectares and a construction area of 5,581 square meters, it is divided into the western area, the Confucian Temple, and the eastern area, the Stele Forest. Over 400 cubic meters of stone steles from the Tang Dynasty and the Republic of China era stand in the stone forest, including "Southern Song Imperial Academy Stone Inscriptions" personally written by Emperor Gaozong of Song and "Qian Yuanguan Grave Stone Engraved Constellation Map from the Five Dynasties". It is an integrated "stone book library" of history, science, and art in Hangzhou.

04 Heavenly Wind over Wu Hill (Chenghuang Tower)

Chenghuang (City God) Tower, standing majestically on top of Wu Hill, is a landmark structure of Hangzhou and was inscribed on the list of "Famous Historical and Cultural Structures in China" in 2009. Chenghuang Tower has seven stories with a height of 41.3 meters. The overall structure adopts the Southern Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty architectural styles. The tower is a vantage point from which to view Hangzhou. Leaning over the railings and looking into the distance, you can see West Lake to the west, the cityscape to the north, the Qiantang River to the east, and the mountains to the south.

05 Southern Song Dynasty Relic Exhibition Museum

The Southern Song Dynasty Relic Exhibition Museum is one of the models for a reasonable treatment of the relationship between relic protection, Exhibition, and urban construction. The museum's prologue hall presents the general situation of the city of Lin'an and the imperial city of the Southern Song Dynasty. Touch interactive screens are used to enhance the demonstration effects through videos and interactive games like scene restoration. The relic exhibition section deals with the archaeological finds and conservation of Yan'guan Lane. At the exit, there are introductions to cultural relics and historical sites nearby. In addition to presenting the four archaeological studies of the imperial street, the underground corridor also displays some representative utensils from the Song and Yuan dynasties unearthed from Yan'guan Lane.