Name Origin

Yuan Mei's Version

It is said that the pavilion's name, "Aiwan" (Loving the Dusk), was changed by the poet Yuan Mei. The story goes that Yuan Mei visited Luo Dian (then the president of Yuelu Academy), but Luo looked down upon him and refused to meet him. Upon hearing that Yuan Mei thought the pavilion's original name, "Hongye" (Red Leaves), was too vulgar and suggested renaming it "Aiwan" based on the poetic line "Stopping the carriage to admire the maple forest at dusk" from a poem, Luo Dian thus made the change.

Bi Yuan's Version

The true namer of "Aiwan Pavilion" was Bi Yuan, the then Governor-General of Huguang. Bi Yuan shared a deep friendship with Luo Dian and often engaged in poetic exchanges with him during their visits to Yuelu Mountain. Bi Yuan ingeniously adopted the poetic essence from the late Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu's "Mountain Journey" and renamed the pavilion "Aiwan."