Aiwan Pavilion is located on a hill of Qingfeng Gorge behind Yuelu Academy and was built during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty. Its name is according to the content of Poet Du Mu's lines “At dusk I love to stop the carriage to appreciate the beauty of the maple trees; the maple leaves are at the time even redder than flowers in February”.
The pavilion has double eaves and eight pillars that are painted golden red. Green glazed tiles cover the roof whose four angles tilt high. Around the pavilion are many maple trees that are emerald in spring, bring coolness in summer and turn to be brilliantly red in late autumn. Inside the pavilion, there is a horizontal tablet on which is engraved the poem “Qinyuanchun. Changsha”, written by Mao Zedong. The three Chinese characters-“爱晚亭” on the forehead of the pavilion are also calligraphy of Mao Zedong. |