Autumn-Admiring Pavilion, National heritage pavilion in Yuelu District, Changsha, China

The Autumn-Admiring Pavilion is a two-tiered stone pavilion in Qingfeng Gorge on Mount Yuelu, with eight granite columns, green glazed roof tiles and a caisson ceiling above the upper level. A red stele on the second floor bears the pavilion's name in Mao Zedong's calligraphy, and a carved couplet decorates the stone.

Luo Dian, president of Yuelu Academy, founded the pavilion in 1792 as Red Leaves Pavilion. Bi Yuan, Viceroy of Huguang, renamed it after Du Mu's Tang verse about stopping the carriage to admire maple leaves at dusk. Mao Zedong and Cai Hesen met here between 1913 and 1918; Japanese forces destroyed it during the war, and Hunan rebuilt it in 1952.

The pavilion ranks among the four major pavilions of the Jiangnan region and holds a respected place in Chinese architectural history. Visitors come to see how such structures were designed to celebrate natural beauty and seasonal changes.

The structure sits at 58 Denggao Road in Changsha and can be explored in roughly 30 to 60 minutes depending on your interest in its architectural details. Wear comfortable shoes as reaching both levels involves climbing stairs.

The red stele on the upper level carries the pavilion's name in Mao Zedong's own calligraphy, written when the pavilion was rebuilt in 1952. Carved beside it is a couplet: "Mountain paths at dusk spread red, five hundred young peach trees newly planted; gorge clouds drip deep green, a pair of tame cranes wait to be caged."