1. Chang Qiao Bu Yue (moon view from the bridge):
Shiqi Bridge over the Shiqi River in the town connected the South Chang Street and North Chang Street. At midnight of every 15th of the 11th month in a lunar year, when the moon rose to the meridian passage, people stepped onto the bridge, looked down from the stone fence on the top and saw the wonderful view of a half moon on each side of the bridge. This rare scene could be seen once a year and every time it only lasted very shortly.
2. Ming Yin Qiu Se (autumn scenery of Mingyin):
There was a Minyin Temple at the foot of Mingyin Hill in the north of the town (the location of present Qiolin Primary School). It was funded by Master Fei Du in Song and Yuan Dynasties. In Tongzhi Period of the Qing Dynasty, several meditation rooms were built. There was a yard at the back of the temple with crenellated walls, carved windows, flowers and trees. On the hillside out of the temple, maples and Chinese catalpas grew prosperously. After the solar term of "Shuang Jiang (hoar frost descending)", most flowers would wither but leaves of those trees would turn into beautiful red. People would indulge in its beauty when walking among the trees.
3. Shuang Feng Ju Pu (chrysanthemum garden and rockwork):
It is said that there was a Rao's Garden at the south end of the town, in Daoguang Period of the Qing Dynasty. There was a pair of tall rockwork peaks in the garden. The owner of the garden planted all kinds of chrysanthemum under the peaks. Every year in September, the flowers bloomed out in a splendid way. So scholars and literators would get together in the Zhengjiao Temple, worshiped the figure of Tao Yuanming, drank wines, appreciated flowers and made improvisational poems. Many of their excellent works came down as romantic affairs.
4. Li Yuan Ting Ying (hearing oriole in pear garden):
The legend has it that a scholar of the Imperial Academy built a pear garden in the west of the town. In the season when pear blossoms flourished, many birds came and twittered in the garden, especially orioles. Every day when first sun rayed in the morning, orioles started to sing. Their sounds were like balderdash of babies at the first and later on became louder to music-like tune. People who liked appreciating flowers and birds would come early in the morning to enjoy the scene of orioles picking branches and hovering among flowers while singing happily.
5. Bai Zi Qiao Ge (woodcutters singing at Baizi Hill):
There was a hill called Baizi in the southwest of the town, which was densely covered by trees. Dozens woodcutters worked on the hill and when night fell, they came down carrying their firewood, while singing folk songs loudly. On hearing it, people felt refreshed, forgetting about seeking fame and wealth. A famous poet He Zhu of the Song Dynasty once wrote a poem named Climbing onto the Baizi Hill to eulogize such a scene.
6. Wen Ge Zhong Sheng (toll of Wen Ge):
At the turning of Shiqi River in the east of the town, there was an old temple called Wenchang Ge. According to records, this building was established by Shen Shixin, a student of the county school in Wanli Period of the Ming Dynasty. The building was tall and of classical elegance in structure. There was a big bell in it and the monks stroke it in both mornings and evenings. The toll of the bell was loud and clear, with resonance. And there was even an exaggerated legend, saying that the bell was stroke once on the 1st day and the sound could still be heard on the 15th day.
7. Liu An Qiu Meng (willow sprouting along the river):
Whenever hot summer comes, thousands of willows along the two banks of Shiqi River will be sprouting. The soft branches and leaves of the willows kiss the water surface, making a pleasant scene. People would like to invite their good friends to go boating under the shade of the willows and enjoy the beautiful scenery at that time.
8. Mao An Gu Gui (old tree in nunnery):
There was a Gugui Nunnery in the north of the town, where an old Chinese juniper grew. It was as tall as 10 meters, half dried and half living. Every year, the two halves exchange, in leafy profusion. There was also an old well in the nunnery. This place used to attract a lot of worshippers and every 1st and 15th days of a month, pious men and women would come to offer incense. Unfortunately, the nunnery and the tree both were destroyed during the war of Hongyang and when after rehabilitation, the Japanese invaders ruined it again.
9. Yan Ling Chui Diao (fishing at Yanling):
There was a Yanchou Nunnery at the Tortoise Pond in the west of the town. It is close to the Shiqi River where there were many fishes. Every year when the spring met the summer, there were always people came to fishing, some leaning against the willows and some sitting on a boat, presenting a poetic scene.
10. Zhu Shi Yu Huo (lights on fishing boats of Zhushi):
There was a Zhushi Bridge over the river in the east of the town. The inlet under the bridge was a berthing for fishing boats. When the evening lights were lit, sparks of lights on the boats, together with the tiny waves, which stretched along a few miles, could be seen from the bridge. Music from the sleepless downtown and sounds of wooden fish from the magnificent Dongyu Temple mingled to bring people into a dreamland.
11. Cang Lang Zhuo Zu (feet washing at Canglang):
On the side of the Shiqi River in the east of the town, there was a pavilion named Canglang. The Shiqi River turned around here to flow into the big river. Near the pavilion, there were beautiful willows and exotic stones. In summer, people liked to enjoy the cool and took a nap in the pavilion. They washed their faces and feet on the stones to feel cool and cozy.
12. Zi Sha Fan Zhao (evening glow at Zisha):
On the right side below the Shiqi Bridge, there was a Zisha Mound, standing out of the water surface. The sandstones on the mound were as mauve as chicken blood. When the sunset came, the mound reflected the afterglow into the water. If you walked out of the Mingyin Temple, stopped near the maple forest, looked at the west sunset and the east reflection of Zisha, you would find it an extraordinary enjoyment.
Source: Pukou District Bureau of Cultural Affairs
