Both a scenic spot and a memorial, the Rain Flower Terrace (Yǔhuā Tái, 雨花台) sees visitors for its wooded hilltop green beauty and political significance as a memorial to Nanjing's martyrs.
When China was torn by warring kingdoms during the Six Dynasties Period, Buddhist monk Yun Guang read scriptures on the hill in the name of peace. The eloquence of his reading was said to have moved Heaven, causing a rain of flowers which became colorful stones. The area has long been known for its colorful agate stones (yǔhuā shí, 雨花石). The Rain Flower Pebble Art Festival (Yǔhuā Shí Guójì Wénhuà Lǚyóu Jié, 雨花石国际文化旅游节) is held at the park at the end of September every year.
Later, the park came to house memorials to political prisoners executed by the Kuomintang in the 1930s and 1940s. In the early 1950s, the newly established Communist government built several memorials, tombs and statues to commemorate the fallen; mourners and political figures pay their respects to this day.
The site also gives its name to Nanjing's most famous tea, Yuhua Tea (Yǔhuā Chá, 雨花茶).
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