Bright Moon Island in China
By admin on 2014-12-26

The former name of Bright Moon Island is Sishui Island, which is located in the center of Nenjiang River 7 km northwest to the urban area of Qiqihar City. It's a naturally-formed river center island surrounded by water on four sides, with the total area of 766 ha. In the 15 th year of the Republic of China (1926), the civil organization Wanshan Council built Wanshan Temple on the island (former name Zhongling Guyuan), which consists of 4 diamond archaizing buildings; Jade Emperor Pavilion (Yuhuangge) is a Chinese hip-and-gable double-storey dodecagon upturned eaves building, there is the statue of Jade Emperor on the upper storey and the statues of Ci Hang and Lv Dongbin on the lower storey.

Baiyang Pavilion is a hexangular pavilion, with the statue of Buddha Maitreya inside, with statues of Wenchang the Great Emperor and Zhenwu the Great Emperor on left and right side respectively with the Four Heavenly Kings standing beside them; Sanxing Pavilion is symmetric with Baiyang Pavilion, with the statues of happiness, wealth, longevity and star inside and with the Four Guardian Warriors respectively beside them; Sanqing Pavilion is against Jade Emperor Pavilion, which is a two-storeyed pavilion, with five statues of the gods of gold, wood, water, fire and earth on the upper storey and the main statues of Supreme Lord Laozi, Primus and Tongtian Jiaozhu, the statue of Randeng Taoist on the left and the Jieyin Taoist on the right, and the twelve disciples respectively standing on both sides. The Municipal Government designated Bright Moon Island as the tourist area in 1980, and repaired the Wanshan Temple. The former Sanqing Pavilion was changed into Jade Emperor Pavilion, where the statues of Jade Emperor, Golden Stella Taibai and Heavenly King Li were oblated; the former Baiyang Pavilion was changed into Ruyi Pavilion, where the statue of five children playing with the Buddha Maitreya was oblated; the former Sanxing Pavilion was changed into Happiness and Longevity Pavilion (Fushou Pavilion), where the statue of God of Longevity was oblated; the former Jade Emperor Pavilion was altered into the unique sculpt dodecagon 2-storeyed pavilion-River-watching Pavilion.

In September of the same year, the Wanshan Temple was ranked to be Municipal-level Cultural Relic Protection Unit. The Governor Chen Lei of Heilongjiang Province visited the island in July 1983, and cheerly inscribed the name Bright Moon Island, which became sisters with the Sun Island of Harbin. 12 archaizing buildings were newly-built in 1984 including Octagonal Cloud Whisking Pavilion, Quadrangular Fragrant Grass Pavilion, Hexagonal Moon-Watching Pavilion, Bright Moon Island Decorative Gateway, Mini Railway Station, Yingbin Building, Moon Palace Restaurant and Bright Moon Villa Hotel, etc. Nearly 50,000 m 2 cement road was newly built to connect different pavilions. The Municipal Government transferred and rebuilt the provincial-level cultural relic protection unit Martial's Mansion to Bright Moon Island Landscape Area in 1999, which was a triple yard and four units archaizing building, covering 4000 m 2 . The blue bricks and green tiles and bright red pillars looked majestic and spectacular. Bright Moon Island is endowed with a unique geographical environment, with different sceneries in four different seasons. The green water, blue sly, dense forests, fragrant grass, ancient temple, sand hills, oasis, jade pavilions, birds and flowers on the island are setting off with each other. The island has very abundant animal and plant resources. The animals on island including pheasant, swan, owl, hare and grass snake, etc.

The wild plants on island including malus baccata, large-fruited Chinese hawthorn, mulberry, elm and Chinese scholartree and so on. The age of the eldest hawthorn tree is above 300 years and the age of the Chinese scholartree rare in northeast is above 100 years as well. There are 31 varieties of 560,000 trees plus the pine trees, poplar trees, willow trees and sugar maple trees planted in the recent years. There are more than 20 traditional Chinese herbal medicines on the island as well. Now, the first scene visible is the bathing ground with clear water and fine sands after embarking the island by taking ferry, and then the distant view of the undulating landform, the bushiness, the meandering grassland and the blooming flowers. The temples and pavilions, carved beams and painted rafters, colorful rafters and upturned eaves, and the resplendent and magnificent human sights are more than the eye could take in. The visitors could look round to the scenery of the entire island by taking the mini train; the visitors could view the custom and situation of the people living on banks of Nenjiang River, the oasis and billows and dense forests by taking the yacht.