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The Pavilion on the Bank of Farewell Song and Dance (踏歌岸閣)
The Pavilion on the Bank of Farewell Song and Dance is the main feature of the Peach Blossom Pool scenic area. In memory of the deep friendship between Li Bai and his friend Wang Lun, the two-story pavilion is located by the East Courtyard Ferry where the two cherished friends waved goodbye to each other. It got its name from the famous line in the poem “To Wang Lun”--“on hearing the farewell song and dance on the bank" (忽聞岸上踏歌聲).
The pavilion is the transportation hub of Nanyang Ancient Town. On the first floor of the brick and wood pavilion, a path lies in the middle. To the east it leads to the Ancient Street of Zhaicun Village, and to the west, the bank of the Peach Blossom Pool. When visitors pass through the arched doorway and several stone steps, they will see a thick wall stands in front of them with only a small gate leading to the pond. After passing the gate, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of the fascinating water landscape. On one side of the second floor of the pavilion, the railings are for tourists to lean on and enjoy a beautiful vista of the pool in distance, while on the other side that faces the street, stands a wooden screen, on which the painting of Farewell Song and Dance re-creates the farewell scene of Li Bai and Wang Lun.
The Pavilion was built during the Jiaqing years of the Ming Dynasty, rebuilt in the thirteenth year of Qianlong’s reign during the Qing Dynasty and renewed in the late Qing Dynasty. Zhai Rong, a renowned calligrapher of the Ming Dynasty, inscribed the original pavilion with the name “the Pavilion on the Bank of Farewell Song and Dance,” but the inscription was later destroyed. The wood board that now hangs beneath the eaves of the pavilion was dedicated in 1983 to Zhang Kaifan, a past chairperson of Anhui CPPCC and also a prestigious calligrapher. In July 1986, the pavilion was listed as a precious cultural relic protected by the provincial government of Anhui.
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