In Anhui Province there was Ouyang Xiu's self-effacingly named Pavilion of the Drunk Old Gentleman, where the mind of the aforementioned gentleman was preoccupied with scenic wonders rather than the next drink. The settings of these retreats reflected the aesthetic ideals of the literati and their detached approach to life, and it was these same people, the educated elite, who set the tone for national and local administration during the Song dynasty.
至於歐陽修被貶在安徽省而築的「醉翁亭」，醉翁之意不在酒，在於山水之間，園林建築反映著文人們的生活理想或是超然心性。這群文化人不論在中央或是地方都是制度的開創者、風氣的引領人。