What was the function of Handan Congtai in ancient times?

Congtai, located in the urban area of Handan, also known as Congtai, is said to have been built in the period of King Wuling of Zhao (325-299 BC) with a history of more than 2,000 years. King Wuling of Zhao was a very successful monarch in the history of Zhao. In order to make the country strong, he reformed the method of fighting, changed the car fighting into riding fighting, advocated "riding and shooting with Hu clothes", and practiced it to train military forces, which greatly improved the combat effectiveness of the army and made Zhao one of the "Seven Heroes of the Warring States". The purpose of Zhao Wuling's cluster platform is to watch songs and dances and military exercises. Historically, there were flyovers, snow caves, dressing booths and gardens in Congtai, which were unique in structure and beautifully decorated, and were famous in all countries at that time. However, in the long years of more than 2,000 years, Congtai has experienced numerous natural and man-made disasters, rebuilt and rebuilt many times, and has undergone earth-shaking changes. According to local records, it has been restored more than ten times since the middle of the Ming Dynasty (AD 1500). Among them, in the 15th year of Qing Qianlong (A.D. 1750), a palace stage was built, which was later destroyed by an earthquake in the 10th year of Daoguang (A.D. 1830). The cluster platform we are seeing now was built in Tongzhi period of Qing Dynasty (A.D. 1862- 1874), and was rebuilt later. The origin of the name "Congtai" is because many platforms were interconnected at that time. Yan Shigu explained in Hanshu: "Even gathering is not one, hence the name Congtai." The ancients described the grandeur of the cluster with the poem "The overpass connects Han if Changhong, and the snow cave is blurred like a silver sea". Li Bai, Du Fu and Bai Juyi, great poets in the Tang Dynasty, went on stage to watch poems many times.

The cluster platform is 7 meters high, 60 meters long from east to west and 22 meters wide from north to south. There are cypress trees in front of the stage and steps on the stage. On the wall at the entrance, eight characters are written: "Water flows east and purple gas comes west". The platform is 7 meters high, 59 meters long from east to west, 22 meters wide from north to south, and a section protruding to the south is 50 meters long and 10 meter wide. There is Zhao Palace in the north, also known as Wuling Hall, a gatehouse in the east, a small lake in the west, pavilions and pavilions in the lake, and a "Seven Immortals Temple" in the north, with colored sculptures of Zhao Chengying, Gongsun Chujiu, Han Biao, Lian Po, Lin Xiangru, Zhao She and Li Mu. Now there is only one, 26 meters high, with rammed earth in the middle and brick for external use. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty left here "it is rumored that good things can defeat Japan ..."

The existing ancient cluster platform was rebuilt during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, covering an area of 1 100 square meters and 28 meters high. There is a door at the bottom of the three-story blue brick platform. On the right side of the aisle, there is a big word "East flows, purple gas comes from the west". The big stone tablet on the steps of the North Gate was written by Emperor Qianlong when he visited Jiangnan Road. There are five big houses on the first floor, named "Wuling Hall", which was built in memory of King Wuling. On the forehead of the top floor, there is the word "Congtai". The existing ancient cluster platform was rebuilt during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, covering an area of 1 100 square meters and 28 meters high. There is a door at the bottom of the three-story blue brick platform. On the right side of the aisle, there is a big word "East flows, purple gas comes from the west". The big stone tablet on the steps of the North Gate was written by Emperor Qianlong when he visited Jiangnan Road. There are five big houses on the first floor, named "Wuling Hall", which was built in memory of King Wuling. On the top floor, the word "Congtai" is engraved on the forehead.

The cluster platform is 26 meters high and has doors in the north and south. Climbing from the south gate, there are eight archaic characters on the east wall, "East flows, purple gas comes from the west", and there is an inscription on Guo Moruo 196 1 Qiu Deng Congtai outside the main entrance. From the north gate, along the masonry walkway, climb over the threshold step by step and stand in front of the door. On the front, there is a metrical poem written by Emperor Qianlong of Qing Dynasty, and on the back, there is his archaic "Walking in Handan". The first floor of the cluster platform is a courtyard. The pavilion facing south in the courtyard is called Wuling Pavilion, and the Westinghouse is called Ruyixuan. There is also a "Huilan Pavilion" in the middle of the courtyard, which was added by 193 1. On the wall of the courtyard hung plaques inscribed by Yunquan and Li Shaoan, respectively, "Mei" and "Lan". On the second floor of Congtai, sitting on the south-facing arch lintel, four archaic characters of Congtai are written on it, and the scarlet letter of "North and South husband and wife, brother and sister in front of the door" is engraved in the door. This is where the eternal story of "loyalty and filial piety twice blossom" happened. Walking into the circular arch, there is a beautifully built pavilion with red columns and blue tiles, carved beams and painted buildings, and double eaves and horns. Then go up three steps, push open the red carved wooden door and enter a square pavilion the size of a house. Facing the antique stone tables and docks, it looks like the emperor who just left and the general in robes.

Looking around, the towering Taihang Mountain in the west is undulating, and the winding wall of Zhaowangcheng, the capital of Zhao State in the southwest, is faintly visible. On the northwest side, there are Zhao's arrow-casting furnace, dressing building and the site of Zhajianling. Looking down at the audience, the clear water waves, the fragrance of lotus flowers and the reflection of weeping willows. There is a lake in the west of Taiwan, and there is a hexagonal pavilion in the lake, which is called "Wangzhu Pavilion". According to legend, a long time ago, there was a small mound in the lake, and there was a small temple on the mound, which was built by Le Yi in his early years. The current "Wangzhuxie" was rebuilt more than 80 years ago. Le Yi was a general selected by Huang Jintai of Yan State. When Yan, Zhao, Han, Wei and Chu were cutting Qi, he served as commander in chief, captured more than 70 cities in Qi, and nearly died. Yan named Le Yi the King of Chang. After Yan Zhaowang's death, Yan listened to Tian Chan's trickery, called him back to Yan Dou and plotted to kill him. See through Yan Hui's plot and go straight back to Zhao, who called him "Wang Jun". "Looking at the Pavilion" was built by later generations to commemorate the achievements of this politician and strategist. According to local records, Lejiabao, 30 miles southeast of Handan, is the former residence of Le Yi.