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Da Yu Mausoleum and Yu Wang Temple |
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Located in Zhejiang Province, east China, Shaoxing is a historic town. As early as in the Spring and Autumn Period over 2,500 years ago, it was the capital of the State of Yue. It has long been well known for many cultural relics and wonderful historic sites, which are attracting increasing numbers of historians and tourists. Among those sites are Da Yu Mausoleum and Yu Wang Temple.
Six kilometers southeast of Shaoxing, there stands an ancient complex composed of a tomb, temple and memorial hall built to commemorate Da Yu (Yu the Great). It is named Da Yu Mausoleum after the ancient Chinese hero who conquered a disastrous flood.
Yu, was supposedly lived in the 21st century BC, is the earliest recorded historic figure
associated with Shaoxing. In his time, a great flood was said to have inundated the central plains.
After his father failed to control the floods through dikes built to contain the waters, Yu was ordered by King Shun to succeed his father. Yu, instead of following his father and building dikes, made local dukes and commoners cut channels and build other projects to drain the flood waters away to the sea. He was said to be so dedicated to the work that during his eight years away from home he passed by his home three times but did not stop. After eight years of hard work, the floods were finally brought under control.
According to records, Yu came to Shaoxing twice in his lifetime. The first time was when he came for flood control. He met with the dukes of the flooded areas at a mountain named Maoshan in Shaoxing to discuss local problems. After the meeting Maoshan was renamed Mount Guiji, meaning "meeting to talk over important matters." Yu came to Shaoxing the second time on an inspection tour after he founded the legendary Xia Dynasty (the first in Chinese history, ruling between 21st and 16th centuries BC) and became the first king of the dynasty. He died in Shaoxing and was buried at the foot of Guiji.
Da Yu Mausoleum faces west, with a stone archway at the entrance. A 30-meter paved path starting at the entrance leads to a pavilion where there is a large stone tablet carved with three characters, reading "Da Yu Mausoleum." The Yu Wang Temple northwest of the tomb is a magnificent building. On the central axis from south to north is the meridian gate, Memorial Hall and the Main Hall, standing higher along the line of the mountain. Stone steps lead into the beautifully decorated Mail Hall with carved beams and painted rafters. A five-meter statue of Da Yu stands in the center of the hall.
Written by our column writer Ye Qinfa.
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