Qi Xing Yan Scenic Spot in Zhaoqing[Introduction]-[Age-old Poem Corridor]-[Palace Shuiyue Palace]-[Yuping Rock and Langfeng Rock]-[Apo Rock]-[Wetland Park][Introduction]Good morning, distinguished guests. We are going to see lakes and mainly rocks today. Allow me to give you a general introduction first.Seven-star Rocks scenic spot enjoys a sightseeing history of more than 1000 years. It lies to the north of Zhaoqing city about three kilometers away. In 1982, Seven-star Rocks together with Dinghu Mountain were put under the same name of “Xinghu”Scenic Area. This scenic area enjoys many well recognized titles in the travel industry. Say, it was listed among the first designated State-level Key Tourist Attractions. In the years of 1999 and 2000, Xinghu Scenic Area was ranked as “State-level Key Tourist Attraction”, “Top Ten State Demonstration Site of Civilization” and “State-level 4A Resort” respectively.The lake in front of us is composed of five lakes, hence the origin of its name, a star-shaped lake. Xinghu (let me put it into Chinese) occupies an area of 64.9 thousand square meters. This lake has a history of over 350 years. It was first documented in Ming Dynasty.Seven-star Rocks are made up of seven rocks. It covers an area of 8.227 square kilometers.These seven rocks line into two belts. The belt in the south includes five rocks. These five are named after their shapes. If you look from west to east, you will see Shizhangyan (Palm Rock), Chanchuyan (Toad Rock), Tianzhuyan (Sky-pointing Rock), Shishiyan (Stone Chamber Rock) and Yuping Langfengyan (Jade Screen Langfeng Rock). The belt in the north includes other two rocks. They are named as He Qiang and Apo. I will tell you the stories about their origin later.Now we are standing in front of Sky-pointing Rock. It rises up to 114 meters. Doyou see a pavilion at its peak? It is the highest construction in Seven-star Rocks. Shall we call it Star-reaching Pavilion (Zhaixingting)? Yes, great. Now will you look at Tianzhuge, a building half way down the mountain? It is a place which serves meals and provides beds.After giving you an overall introduction, I will lead you to see the details.[Age-old Poem Corridor]This Age-old Poem Corridor is known for Moya Stone Inscription (Ma Ya Shi Ke). As you can see, carved and chiseled on the smooth surface of the natural rocks are the drawings and writings, recording important events or achievements in history. These inscriptions are usually completed by the joined efforts of stonemasons and calligraphers. A Chinese late Minister of Foreign Affairs, Marshal Chen Yi visited here in February, 1962. He commented, “The lines inscribed on the rocks here have made this place famous after a thousand years”.The stone inscriptions in Seven-star Rocks Scenic Spot are mainly situated in the Longyan Cave and the Lotus Cave of Stone Chamber Rock. After Tang and Song Dynasties, a flow of poets and calligraphers left their writings on the rocks. Currently, there are more than 410 pieces of stone inscriptions. They are rendering you a unique tour in the museum of calligraphy.The one before us has the highest artistic value. It is called A Record of Stone Chamber in Duanzhou. It is the earliest in existence here with a history of over 1200 years, inscribed in Kaiyuan Period of Tang Dynasty (727 AD). This inscription is the masterpiece of Li Yi, who enjoys a good reputation in China as a calligrapher. Li Bai and Du Fu, the two renowned poets in Tang Dynasty, admired his talent. As is known, Li Yi’s fine style in calligraphy is marked as a transition from sureness of touch and clearness in earlier periods to richness and strength featuring as the glorious Tang Dynasty.Apart from Li Yi, other celebrities inscribed their works here. To name a few, Li Shen, a famous poet in Middle Tang Dynasty; Bao Zhen, an important official of Song Dynasty; Zhou Dunyi, a writer and philosopher; Yu Dayou, an eminent generalwho fought against Japanese invaders.Besides these, there is a large collection inscribed in Qing Dynasty. Please take your time to look around if you are interested in. I am not wasting your time to list them all.Given its special culture meaning, Age-old Poem Corridor was listed as one of the National Key Cultural Relics Conservation Units in 2001.[Shuiyue Palace]Shuiyue Palace was first built in Jiajing Period (1522 –1566 AD) of Ming Dynasty, but deserted later. It was reconstructed in 1985 with financial support from the government. It covers an area of 6000 square meters. As you can see, the palace is decorated by red walls and yellow tiles. It adopts the traditional Chinese courtyard style of spreading out on either side of an invisible axis.The main hall is especially dedicated to “Mo Li Zhi Tian”. This arrangement is rare in China. If you visit other temples elsewhere, you are most likely to see more than twenty God statues standing on both sides of the hall. “Tian” is the name Chinese used for God who sustains the power of the Buddha.Mo Li Zhi, a transliteration, originates from Sanskrit. Mo Li Zhi has a magic that she can make herself invisible to the God of Sun. Because of this, Mo Li Zhi was worshipped by many warriors in ancient China. The bronze statue of Mo Li Zhi Tian we see here was remoulded in 1986. It is five meters in height and six tons in weight.[Yuping Rock and Langfeng Rock]The adjoined rocks before us are grand and screen-like, thus got the name of “Pingfeng Rock”or “Screen Rock”in ancient times. Since Ming Dynasty, people separated the two rocks and called the one in the east “Langfeng Rock” and the one in the west “Yuping Rock”.Paths on the rock were built as early as in the period of Wanli, Ming Dynasty, and they were rebuilt during the period of Qianlong, Qing Dynasty. As a result, we can see along the paths the stone inscriptions on the cliffs from Ming and Qingdynasties.Here we come to the “Shi You Ting”, or “Pavilion for Friends Gathering”in other words. From the pavilion we can get a bird-view of the green lakes and tranquil villages.The palace in front of us is called “Yu Huang Dian”, or “Palace of the Emperor of Heaven”, put it in other words. It was first constructed in 1598, in the period of Wanli, Ming Dynasty, and rebuilt with bricks and wood in 1681 in the period of Kangxi, Qing Dynasty. The roof of the palace is exquisite. The overlapping eaves and the delicate arches are worth your while to have a close look.[Apo Rock]The rock we see here is called Apo Rock. It was named after a legendary fairy. She taught the local fishermen to grow a kind of grain which would grow taller when floods came. Thus this area was enriched with both fish and grain. In order to express their thanks, the local people called the fairy “Queen of Grain”, or “Grandmother of Grain”, which are similar to the pronunciation of Apo in local dialect. If you look at the north-east side of the rock, you can see “He Hou Yan”, the three Chinese characters chiseled on the rock. The inscriptions in memory of her were left from Ming Dynasty, believe it not.Cliffs below the Apo Rock exhibit valuable Mo Ya Stone Inscriptions left by contemporary celebrities. They are of high calligraphic value. Shall we go and have a look?The water cave below the rock is over 300 meters long. It is the longest of the eight water cavities in Seven-star Rocks. If you go into the cave in summer, you will feel cool and comfortable. If you enter it on a boat, the stalactites of different shapes will render you a feast for the eyes. You can find no other better choice of the same kind in this scenic area.[Wetland Park]The water before us is a part of the East Lake, called Fairy Lake. This lake is amust when you visit the Wetland Park. The wetland area for sightseeing accounts for two square kilometers, about 2 meters deep on average.My dear guests, shall I give you a brief introduction to the concept of wetland? “Yes”, OK. A wetland is an area of swampland or turf land. It is a water area that is naturally or artificially covered, for a short or long period time, with fresh water, or salt water, or a mixture of fresh and salt water; a wetland is also a small part of the sea area. Its depth of water does not exceed six meters at low tide.As you know, wetland is considered “the Cradle of Life” and “the Kidney of the Earth”. Being one of the three ecosystems in the world (the other two are forest and ocean), wetland is a paradise for birds, reptiles and mammals and it is also the gene bank of species. In 1971, USA and other 36 countries signed the Ramsar Convention in Iran. China started to carry out items of the Convention in an all-round way after 1994. On Dec. 12th 2004, Xinghu Wetland Park, the first wetland park in China, was officially verified in the Convention.Now may I draw your attention to both sides of the lake? On the lake are more than 20 islands. The Birds Island and the Moon Island are two of them.This island before us is the biggest eco-park for red-crowned cranes in South China. As you know, red-crowned cranes are considered “the Guardian Angels in Wetland”. There are more than 2000 red-crowned cranes in the world, of which China accounts for more than 1000. This park, with 50 red-crowned cranes, ranks the 4th of this kind in China.This park is also a pleasant habitat for other rare birds.Ladies and Gentlemen, we now come to the end of our trip today. And it was my pleasure to be your tour guide. Welcome to Seven-star Rocks again and show you more magnificent places that you haven’t had the chance to see in this trip.肇庆七星岩【天柱岩】——【千年诗廊】——【水月宫】——【玉屏阆凤岩】——【阿坡岩】——【湿地公园】七星岩位于肇庆城北约3公里处，游览的历史可上溯到一千多年前。