Hey everyone! Do you only think of seeing animals and enjoying cherry blossoms when you visit Yuantong Mountain?

Then you're missing out on so many treasures!

Come follow my lead and let's unlock Yuantong Mountain's hidden gems together!

A Pilgrimage to Nine Historic Pavilions

These buildings with their upturned eaves and ornate corners

aren't just fantastic photo backdrops –

they're also treasure troves of Kunming's historical and cultural legacy. 

Today, let's step inside the Nie Er Pavilion

and the Martyrs Memorial Pavilion,

uncovering the stories behind them.

Nie Er Pavilion

Perched atop a cliff on the southern slope of Yuantong Mountain, a single-eaved, hexagonal pavilion stands serenely: the Nie Er Memorial Pavilion, built to honor the people's musician, Nie Er.

Born in Kunming and originally from Yuxi, Nie Er composed over 30 patriotic and revolutionary songs, including the official national anthem of the People's Republic of China, "March of the Volunteers," in his short 23 years.

The Nie Er Pavilion was built in 1936 through donations from figures in Yunnan's literary and art circles, including Chu Tunan, Feng Sutao, Xu Jiarui, and Zhao Shiming. It was renovated in 1955 and is a renowned historical and cultural pavilion in Kunming. The couplet inside the pavilion, loosely translated as "The guest departs after drinks, a majestic pavilion in the purple afterglow; The melody ends, the figure disappears, misty peaks in the evening haze," encapsulates the boundless mourning of his close friends.

Standing in the pavilion and gazing into the distance, you can almost hear the melodies echoing across time.

Martyrs Memorial Pavilion

Built in 1914 and located east of the Luofeng Pavilion, the Martyrs Memorial Pavilion is a single-eaved, hexagonal pavilion with a pyramidal roof, commemorating Huang Yuying, to whom Sun Yat-sen inscribed the words "Qian Kun Zheng Qi (Righteousness Between Heaven and Earth)."

Huang Yuying, from Huize, was a revolutionary during the Xinhai Revolution (1911 Revolution). After studying in Japan in his early years, he participated in planning the Kunming Double Ninth Uprising in 1911, firing the first shot of the uprising and claiming "first merit in the restoration of Yunnan." This 28-year-old martyr was honored with an epitaph personally written by Cai' E and a plaque inscribed by Sun Yat-sen himself.

After Huang Yuying's sacrifice, he was buried south of the Luofeng Pavilion on Yuantong Mountain. In 1914, a bronze statue of Huang Yuying was erected in the Martyrs Temple (now the Lianyun Hotel) on the southern foothills of the mountain. Later, the former Jinzhong Temple on the back street of the then Quanye Market was renovated into the "Huang Wuyi Ancestral Hall" dedicated to Huang Yuying. In his honor, the Kunming Dongfeng Elementary School located within the Huang Ancestral Hall was renamed "Yuying Elementary School."

Besides these two major historical pavilions, Yuantong Mountain also boasts the Observation Pavilion, Moon Stone Pavilion, Naxia Pavilion, Loyalty and Filial Piety Pavilion, Luofeng Pavilion, Morality and Education Pavilion, Huize Pavilion, and other treasure-filled pavilions waiting for you to explore.

The pavilions stand in silence, yet they carry the historical and cultural memories of Kunming. When you come to Yuantong Mountain, be sure to step into the mountain pavilions, touch the carvings on the plinths, and look up at the inscriptions between the plaques. When the melodies composed by Nie Er and the trigger pulled by Huang Yuying overlap with the sound of your footsteps, that's when you experience Kunming's most vivid history lesson.