Hua Hill
Encyclopedia
Yellow River
The Yellow River or Huang He, formerly known as the Hwang Ho, is the second-longest river in China and the sixth-longest in the world at the estimated length of . Originating in the Bayan Har Mountains in Qinghai Province in western China, it flows through nine provinces of China and empties into...
valley, located at the northeastern edge of the city of Jinan
Jinan
Jinan is the capital of Shandong province in Eastern China. The area of present-day Jinan has played an important role in the history of the region from the earliest beginnings of civilisation and has evolved into a major national administrative, economic, and transportation hub...
, Shandong
Shandong
' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...
Province, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. The hill is
known for its cultural and historical significance as well as for its natural beauty. It has been an inspiration for Chinese artists for
many centuries and was the site of the Battle of An
Battle of An
The Battle of An was fought during the Spring and Autumn Period in 589 B.C.E. at Hua Hill in the area of the present-day city of Jinan, Shandong between the states of Qi and Jin...
, a major battle fought during the Spring and Autumn Period.
Name
The name Huà Shān is sometimes spoken as Huá Shān and can be translated literally as "Flowery Hill" or "Splendid Hill". The first character of the name (华) has long been used as a literary rather than political synonym for China itself. The second character of the name (山) is used for mountains and hills, irrespective of their size. The name Huà Shān (华山) as well as the near homophone Huā Shān (花山, literally "Flower Mountain") are both common names in Chinese geography. In particular, Hua Hill is not to be confused with Mount HuaMount Hua
Mount Hua or Hua Shan in Chinese is located in Shaanxi Province, about 120 kilometres east of the city of Xi'an, near the city Huayin in China. Also known as Xiyuè, Western Great Mountain, it is one of China's Five Sacred Taoist Mountains, and has a long history of religious significance...
in Shaanxi Province. Hua Hill is also known as Hua Fu Zhu Hill .
Hill
Hua Hill is one of the "Nine Solitary Hills" in the Yellow Rivervalley within and to the north of Jinan City; the other eight hills
are (names used during the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
): Woniu Hill
, Que Hill
Que Hill
Que Hill "Magpie Hill") is a small elongated hill located on the western shore of the Yellow River in the City of Jinan, Shandong Province, China. It is one of the solitary "Nine Hills" in the Yellow River valley within and to the north of Jinan City...
, Biao Hill
, Fenghuang Hill
' onMouseout='HidePop("64580")' href="/topics/Fenghuang">Fenghuang
Fenghuang
Fenghuang are mythological birds of East Asia that reign over all other birds. The males are called Feng and the females Huang. In modern times, however, such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and the Feng and Huang are blurred into a single feminine entity so that the bird can be...
is the "Chinese Phoenix"), Northern Maan Hill , Su Hill
, Kuang Hill , and Yao Hill .
The hill has an elevation of 197 meters above sea level; its
slopes are covered with large smooth rocks and bushy vegetation
growing in the clefts between them. The foot of the hill is flanked by
small villages on the eastern and western side. To the east and south,
the hill is also surrounded by a crescent-shaped row of ponds. A
flight of stone stairs has been laid up the southern flank of the hill
to the summit.
In the times before the Northern Song Dynasty, Hua Hill was
surrounded by a lake known as the "Magpie Hill Lake" , named for the nearby Magpie Hill. Since Hua Hill appeared to float on the waters of the lake like the bud of a lotus
Lotus (plant)
Lotus identifies various plant taxa:* Nelumbo, a genus of aquatic plants with showy flowers** Nelumbo nucifera, the Sacred or Indian lotus** Nelumbo lutea, the American or Yellow lotus...
flower
to contemporary observers, it was given its alternative name "Hua Fu
Zhu Shan" ("Flower Bud in the Water Hill").
Historical significance
In the year 589 BC, during the Spring and Autumn Period, Hua Hillbecame the site of the final action in the Battle of An which was
fought between the states of Qi
Qi (state)
Qi was a powerful state during the Spring and Autumn Period and Period of the Warring States in ancient China. Its capital was Linzi, now part of the modern day city of Zibo in Shandong Province....
and Jin. During the preparation for the battle, the Qi army used
the Northern Maan Hill (about 4 kilometers southwest of Hua Hill)
as a staging area. The Jin army had its positions right at Hua
Hill. The Qi army started the battle by attacking the Jin positions on
Hua Hill, but the battle ended in a victory for the State of
Jin. Eventually an alliance was formed between the two states.
During part of the 20th century, a small fortified army base was
located at the hill. Although the base has been abandoned, some
fortifications in the form of bunkers and tunnels at the foot of the
hill remain.
Cultural significance
The natural beauty of Hua Hill has inspired the works of both writersand painters.
During the period of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the writer and
geographer Li Daoyuan
Li Daoyuan
Li Daoyuan was a Chinese geographer during thetimes of the Northern Wei Dynasty. He is known as the author ofthe Commentary to the River Classic ....
, described Hua Hill in his "Commentary on the Waterways Classic
Shui Jing Zhu
Shui Jing Zhu is a work on the ancient geography of China. It is an annotated and much expanded version of an older text, the Shui Jing , which has been lost.The annotated version was compiled by Li Daoyuan Shui Jing Zhu is a work on the ancient geography of China. It is an annotated and much...
" : "Without a mountain range
to support it, the peak alone stands gracefully and loftily. Its
verdant cliff rises into the blue, tinting the moon with its green."
.
The Tang-Dynasty
Tang Dynasty
The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...
poet Li Bai
Li Bai
Li Bai , also known in the West by various other transliterations, especially Li Po, was a major Chinese poet of the Tang dynasty poetry period. He has been regarded as one of the greatest poets in China's Tang period, which is often called China's "golden age" of poetry. Around a thousand existing...
wrote about Hua
Hill:
| ， 。 ， 。 |
, . , . |
In ancient times I traveled to the Capital of Qi, climbed the Huabuzhu peak. This mountain is delicately beautiful, the emerald-green [hill] is pure like a lotus leaf. |
The best known pictorial depiction of Hua Hill is a painting
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
from
the Yuan-Dynasty era
Yuan Dynasty
The Yuan Dynasty , or Great Yuan Empire was a ruling dynasty founded by the Mongol leader Kublai Khan, who ruled most of present-day China, all of modern Mongolia and its surrounding areas, lasting officially from 1271 to 1368. It is considered both as a division of the Mongol Empire and as an...
entitled "Autumn Colors at Que and Hua Hills" by the painter and calligrapher
Calligraphy
Calligraphy is a type of visual art. It is often called the art of fancy lettering . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner"...
Zhao Mengfu
Zhao Mengfu
Zhao Mengfu courtesy name Ziang , pseudonyms Songxue , Oubo , and Shuijing-gong Dao-ren , was a prince and descendant of the Song Dynasty, and a Chinese scholar, painter and calligrapher during the Yuan Dynasty.He was recommended by the Censor-in-chief Cheng Jufu to pay an audience...
(now in the collection of the National Palace Museum
National Palace Museum
The National Palace Museum is an art museum in Taipei. It is the national museum of the Republic of China, and has a permanent collection of over 677,687 pieces of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks, making it one of the largest in the world. The collection encompasses over 8,000 years of...
in Taipeh).
In the text accompanying his painting, Zhao Mengfu revers to Hua Hill as "the most famous
mountain in the area, having been known from antiquity and unique for its sharp peak" .
Various rock faces on the mountain slope have been adorned with
calligraphic inscriptions.
Temples
The Huayang Palace is a primarily Taoist temple located at the southernfoot of the hill on gently sloping terrain. Its founding during the
Jin Dynasty (in the year 1220) is attributed to Chen Zhiyuan, a
disciple of the Quanzhen Taoist Qiu Chuji
Qiu Chuji
Qiu Chuji was a Daoist disciple of Wang Chongyang. He was the most famous among the Seven True Daoists of the North...
, who in turn was the
foremost disciple of Wang Chongyang
Wang Chongyang
Wang Chongyang [Chinese calendar: 宋徽宗政和二年十二月廿二 – 金世宗大定十年正月初四] was a Chinese Taoist and one of the founders of the Quanzhen School in the twelfth century during the Song Dynasty. He was one of the Five Northern Patriarchs of Quanzhen...
, the founder of Quanzhen
Taoism
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
. The original purpose of the building was to serve as a
Taoist temple dedicated to the "Five Color Gods" representing east , west
, north ,
south , and center . Over time, the temple has also come to include sites of
worship for Buddhism
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
and Confucianism
Confucianism
Confucianism is a Chinese ethical and philosophical system developed from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Confucius . Confucianism originated as an "ethical-sociopolitical teaching" during the Spring and Autumn Period, but later developed metaphysical and cosmological elements in the Han...
.
In 1532, during the Ming Dynasty
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
, the palace complex was renamed
into Chong Zheng Temple . The central hall of the
complex was dedicated to two persons worshipped at the time, Feng Chou
Fu and Min Ziqian (Style name of Min Sun, one of the disciples of Confucius
Disciples of Confucius
Sima Qian has Confucius saying: The disciples who received my instructions, and could themselves comprehend them, were seventy-seven individuals. They were all scholars of extraordinary ability. The common saying is, that the disciples of the sage were three thousand, while among them there were...
).
The two side halls were dedicated to groups of 19
and 22 people famous in the period, respectively.
Later in the Ming Dynasty, the name of the complex was changed back to
Huayang Palace and dedicated to the God of the Four Seasons
.
During the Ming
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
and Qing
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
Dynasties,
temples dedicated to the god Bi Xia ' onMouseout='HidePop("81276")' href="/topics/Mount_Tai">Mount Tai
Mount Tai
Mount Tai is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an, in Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The tallest peak is the Jade Emperor Peak , which is commonly reported as tall, but is described by the PRC government as .Mount Tai is one of the...
) and the three gods of heaven, earth, and water
were added. Part of the Huayang Palace is
the Taishan Resting Palace , it was
used by the emperor as a resting place on his way to Mount Tai
Mount Tai
Mount Tai is a mountain of historical and cultural significance located north of the city of Tai'an, in Shandong province, People's Republic of China. The tallest peak is the Jade Emperor Peak , which is commonly reported as tall, but is described by the PRC government as .Mount Tai is one of the...
.
The grounds of Huayang Palace cover a rectangular area of
approximately 3 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s, which is completely enclosed by a
stone-and-brick wall. Between the temple buildings stand old pine
trees (some around 900 years old) as well as stone stelas.
In the 20th century, the Huayang Palace was used as a military storage
facility for about 50 years. It was reopened to the public in
1990. The books kept in the palace were destroyed during the
Cultural Revolution
Cultural Revolution
The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution , was a socio-political movement that took place in the People's Republic of China from 1966 through 1976...
. Some wall paintings in the temple buildings
were also plastered over and covered with slogans of the Cultural
Revolution during this time.
The present-day entrance to the complex is the gate to the inner
courtyard of the palace; the outer courtyard has not been
preserved. The gate currently standing dates back to the Ming and Qing
Dynasties; there is no record about the previous gates which are
likely to have previously occupied its place. The gate building houses
the statues of the "Four Zhi Gong Cao" , four minor deities (Year Zhi, Month Zhi, Day Zhi, and Hour
Zhi) that are thought to be positioned on the border between heaven
and earth in order to fulfill book- and gate keeping duties.
Further up on the slope of the mountain lies the smaller
Daoist
Taoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
Lü Dongbin Temple ,
dedicated to Lü Dongbin
Lü Dongbin
Lǚ Dòngbīn is a historical figure and also a deity/Immortal revered by many in the Chinese culture sphere, especially by Daoists/Taoists. Lǚ Dòngbīn is one of the most widely known of the group of deities known as the Eight Immortals and considered by some to be the de facto leader...
, one of the Eight Immortals
Eight Immortals
The Eight Immortals are a group of legendary xian in Chinese mythology. Each Immortal's power can be transferred to a power tool that can give life or destroy evil. Together, these eight tools are called "Covert Eight Immortals" . Most of them are said to have been born in the Tang Dynasty or...
.
Hua Spring
A spring, the Hua Spring , is located at thesouthern foot of the hill in front of the entrance to the Huayang
Palace. The Hua Spring mentioned in the traditions about the
events at the Battle of An: The King of Qi is said to have used the
pretense of fetching water from the Hua Spring as an excuse for
fleeing the battle field in the face of imminent defeat. Over time,
the spring has fallen dry various times. Its most recent revival was
undertaken during a renovation in the year 2000. During this work, a
pool with an area of 17.6 meters times 10 meters and depth
of 3.5 meters was excavated, bringing the outflow from the spring
up to a maximum of 40 cubic meters per hour (during the rainy season).