The pavilion was constructed in imitation of the Fanghe Pavilion on Gushan on Hangzhou's West Lake. Lin Hejing, a renowned recluse poet of the Northern Song Dynasty, famously referred to plum trees as his “wife” and cranes as his “children”, earning him the nickname "Plum as Wife, Cranes as Children". He frequently took boat rides on West Lake to visit friends. Should anyone come to Gushan to pay him a visit, a young servant would release a crane to let him know. The pavilion houses works by notable figures such as Lin Hejing, Cui Yongan, Emperor Kangxi, Dong Qichang, and Bao Zhao, etc.