subject: Solitary Beauty Peak [print this page] Solitary Beauty Peak (Duxiu Peak) stands in solitary grace at the center of the ancient Mansion of Prince Jingjiang (a noble family in the Ming Dynasty). Towering from the ground with an elevation of 216 meters, it is reputed as "Sky-Supporting Pillar in the South". During the Southern Dynasty (420-589), some 1500 years ago, Yan Yanzhi, governor of Guilin, wrote the line: "none can surpass this solitary peak in beauty." hence the name Solitary Beauty Peak.
At the foot of the peak are Dushu (Study) Rock, Taiping (Peace) Rock and Yueya (Crescent) Pond. On the eastern side of the hill there are many inscriptions from the Qing dynasty, such as "Southern Sky-supporting Pillar" and "Purple Gown and Golden Belt." A flight of 396 stone steps leads from the west foot of the hill up to the top, where you can get a panoramic view of the whole city and all the mountains surrounding it.
The Prince Jingjiang was the master of the present prince city. He was given the title by his grandfather Zhu Yuanzhang, the creator of Ming Dynasty. It took over 20 years to build his mansion and the history is longer than the Forbidden City in Beijing. In the 257 years from the construction to destruction, all together 14 regional princes in 12 generations have lived in the mansion. In Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it was served as the imperial examination hall. It was Sun Yat-sen's base camp during his north expedition. At present, it is a part of the campus of Guangxi Normal University.
