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Lanting (Orchid Pavilion) is located at the foot of Lanzhu Hill, 12.5 km southwest of Shaoxing City. During the Spring and Autumn Period (770 BC - 476 BC), Goujian, the king of the Yue State, planted orchids here and during the Han (206 BC - 220 AD), a post pavilion was built. Hence the name.
Lanting (Orchid Pavilion) is famous for "The Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Anthology" (the opening words to A Collection of Works Written in Lanting), written by Wang Xishi, the well-known calligrapher of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, in 353 AD. The anthology is regarded one of the most treasured pieces of calligraphy in existence.
The garden is covered with luxuriant trees, crystal-clear streams and dense bamboo groves. There are also several relics on view, such as the Qushui Liushang Pavilion, Goose Pond Pavilion, the Youjun Ancestral Hall, the Lanting Tablet and the Ink Pool.
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