People know Duke of Lai worked for the good of Badong,
But not much about his contributions to the country.
I wonder where I can find the small boat he used.
The riverside pavilion is still there, Standing lofty in the spring breeze.
人知惠公在巴东，
不知三朝社稷功；
平日孤舟已何处，
江亭依旧傍东风。
This is the poem The Autumn Wind Pavilion written by the Northern Song scholar Su Zhe (1039-1112) in praise of Kou Zhun, the builder of the Autumn Wind Pavilion and a premier of the dynasty.
According to historical records, Kou Zhun built this pavilion in 978, when he was the magistrate of Badong, at a spot 10 km upstream from the current county seat. He planted a tree beside it, which is called “Duke of Lai’s Cypress”. It was said that he frequented the place and composed many poems inside the pavilion.
Autumn Wind Pavilion
The pavilion as we see it today was reconstructed in 1816, during the Jiaqing reign of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), within the town of modern Badong. Repaired in 1866, during the Tongzhi reign, it is a two-story structure more than ten meters tall and decorated with nine coiled dragons, each with a pearl in its mouth. It affords a spectacular view of the Yangtze River flowing past.
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