In my 8 days in Guizhou, there's one structure apparently so iconic; i kept seeing it every now and then. And on the last day of our tour, we finally got to visit!
Entrance - see that plague with the blue background? We heard it has been around since the Qing dynasty and the colour had remained as bright and as vivid as it was first installed.
Interesting thing about the iconic structure; it's located on an isle in the middle of Nanming River and connected via an ancient bridge by the name of Fuyu.
That splash of pink in the midst of greenery! There was actually a ray of sunlight radiating from the gloomy sky but my photograph didn't do it much justice! That's the reason why sometimes seeing is better than photo-taking. Of course, feel free to blame the mediocre photography skill.
Jiaxiu Pavilion - known as one of China's top ten pavilions; its history can be traced back to Year 1598 during the Ming dynasty although its current three-layered design was rebuilt in Year 1909.
Frankly, if this were to be located in a huge temple, chances are people would not give much attention to it. However, its favourable position right in the middle of a river and surrounded by buildings and roads, made the about 20-meter tall building stick out like a beautiful flower.
Bridge leading to Cuiwei Garden!
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Surrounding tall buildings! As you can see from the picture, sakura trees lined the riverbanks and knowing how flower crazy my dad and i are; we obviously walked over for photo-taking of the pretty blossoms!
Dad beside the pavilion; the contrast of new and old.
Stepped into the pavilion for a look; a scaled down replica. When i was young, such replicas intrigued me and i always imagine myself shrinking to an appropriate size to roam the streets and check out the structures.
History of Jia Xiu Pavilion (甲秀楼) - according to the timeline, the pavilion had burnt down twice, once in 1621 and then in 1909.
Pity, access to the upper levels were restricted. :(
Exiting from the other side where i managed to capture the Chinese-character inscription; 甲秀楼. There were some inscriptions on the second level but i think it's a slightly more ancient Chinese writing which i don't understand.
Cuiwei Garden again; the garden is made up of quite a few interesting components (including a scholar academy, a temple) which people would likely miss out if they don't walk over. Visitors mostly go over because they need to use the washrooms in the premises.
Another view of the riverside.
As recommended by Huan Huan, our tour guide, this would be the best location to capture the beauty of Jia Xiu Pavilion (甲秀楼). I totally agree with her although our obsession was still with the sakura trees.
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Location
Within Guiyang City,
Guizhou, China
Area Map
As above.
Click here for the itinerary of the 8 Days Spectacular Guizhou Tour Package (GUARANTEED No Shopping Stops Throughout) by Chan Brothers.