Bao Park - Hefei Health Theme Park
On our second day in Hefei (Thursday, February 6th), we visited Bao Park - Hefei Health Theme Park, a place where our elderly family members once worked, studied, and lived. After leaving Nanqili, the Tiesiju Agency Compound, and the East Campus of the University of Science and Technology of China, and enjoying lunch at the unforgettable Lu Family Kitchen, a local restaurant hidden in the old streets, we went to Bao Park, located at 72 Wuhu Road, Baohe District.
Bao Park is a National AAAA-level tourist attraction and health theme park. It stretches from Ma'anshan Road in the east to Huizhou Avenue in the west, borders Wuhu Road in the south, and faces the ring road in the north. It mainly consists of the Bao Gong Ancestral Temple, Bao Gong Tomb, Qingfeng Pavilion, and Fuzhuang.
Bao Park is conveniently located and boasts a beautiful environment. The southeast corner of the park features a fitness area equipped with complete fitness facilities for residents' daily exercise. The 1,400-meter main road along the south bank of the Bao River also serves as a health trail. Along the way, various signs and markers promote "Three Reductions and Three Healths," mental health, moderate exercise, tobacco control, and disease prevention, fostering a healthy park culture and disseminating health knowledge. This provides citizens with a natural and relevant health education experience while they enjoy the park.
Figures 1-2: Qingfeng Pavilion in Bao Park;
As a landmark building in Bao Park, Qingfeng Pavilion attracts citizens to climb and enjoy the distant view with its simple and elegant design and magnificent appearance. Ascending to the top of the pavilion, one can enjoy a panoramic view of Hefei's cityscape and the entire Bao Park.
Figures 3-9: Bao Gong Ancestral Temple in Bao Park;
The Bao Xiaosu Ancestral Temple is a shrine dedicated to Bao Zheng, a famous upright official of the Northern Song Dynasty. It has a history of nearly a thousand years since its initial construction. The existing Bao Gong Ancestral Temple was restored by Li Hongzhang in 1882, with funding from his silver donations. After liberation, it underwent several renovations by the government and was designated as a "Key Cultural Relic Protection Unit" of Anhui Province in 1961.
The Bao Gong Ancestral Temple houses a large number of precious cultural relics and historical materials related to Bao Zheng and his family. The temple currently includes a classical courtyard-style main hall, east and west side rooms, as well as Lianquan Well, Liufang Pavilion, the Bao Gong Story Wax Museum, and Huilan Xuan.
Figure 7: Liufang Pavilion in Bao Gong Ancestral Temple;
Liufang Pavilion was where Bao Zheng studied, rested, and played as a child. Later generations built the pavilion to admire Bao Zheng's noble character and praise his lasting fame. The three characters "Liufang Pavilion" were written by calligrapher Ge Jieping.
Figure 8: Huilan Xuan in Bao Gong Ancestral Temple;
Huilan Xuan uses various techniques such as Ou sculpture, inscriptions, calligraphy and painting, embroidery, and colored gold wood carving to depict Bao Zheng's life in detail, truly recreating his historical image, and showcasing the lineage of Bao Zheng's paternal ancestor Shen Baoxu and his family.
Figure 9: Lianquan Well in Bao Gong Ancestral Temple;
Lianquan Well, originally named Bao Gong Well, was renamed during the Guangxu reign. Li Guoheng's "Xiang Huadun Jing Ting Ji" records that a governor suffered from a severe headache after drinking water from this well. It was later discovered that he was a corrupt official. Therefore, the well was renamed Lianquan Well, meaning "the well of integrity," to express admiration for honest officials and disgust for corrupt officials.
Figures 10-19: Various scenes in Bao Park;
Figure 20: Entrance to Bao Park.