| History |  |
Lake Tai Stones are also called Tax Refund Stones. All the many pieces on the island were extracted from the Lake Tai area south of the Yangtze River to embellish the Imperial "Geng Yue Garden" in Bian liang (present day Kai feng in Henan province). Construction commenced in 1117 during the reign of the Northern Song Dynasty Emperor Hui Zong (Zhao Ji). When the stones were removed to Beihai a huge number of laborers were required. At that time, the emperor stipulated that those taking part in the streneous labor of transporting the stones would be forgiven their taxes. So, these pieces of stones are called "Zhe Liang Stones", or "tax refund stones". |
