Immortal Meeting Bridge

Immortal Meeting Bridge is the site where immortals from all directions met. It is a double-arch stone bridge carved with implements of the Eight Immortals on both sides. These implements were called Eight Taoist Treasures and regarded as tokens of good luck and birthday blessings from the Eight Immortals. The balusters of the bridge are carved with colorful auspicious clouds, which symbolizes entering a realm of transcendent and sublimate oneself in a fantastic wonderland since a person steps onto the bridge.

Cranes Greeting Guests

 According to Map Guide of the Northern Song Dynasty, colorful auspicious clouds suddenly encircled Mount Jinyun on June 8 in 748 A.D., the 7^th year of Tianbao period in the Tang Dynasty. From the cloud came celestial music as well as dancing cranes. The mountain hailed “long live” and all the surrounding mountains followed suit. Miao Fengqian, prefecture governor of Jinyun County, reported it to the imperial court. Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, was greatly pleased when he heard of it. He exclaimed it a gathering spot of fairies and wrote the two characters of Xian Du in his high spirit. From then on, Mount Jinyun was renamed Mount Xiandu by the emperor. The sculptures of cranes greeting guests were designed by Professor Wang Zhuoyu and Professor Shen Haiju of China Academy of Art. The 12 cranes represent 12 months, which indicates that cranes greet guests by dancing all around the year.

Peak-viewing Shoal

Opposite to Dinghu Peak, there is an extensive stretch of sand shoal that covers an area of about 80,000 square meters. It is the best place to look up at the Dinghu Peak, so it was called Peak-viewing Shoal. Encircled by verdant mountains and clear rivers, it is a place endowed with fine spirits of the universe. In different seasons, it shows various views due to different weather. With luxuriant maples, aspens and pines, lush peach grove, sea of wintersweets, and flowers blooming all over the green grass, the place is as beautiful as a wonderful fairyland and becomes a favorite place for movies and TV series shooting. Many films and TV series were shot here, including The Twins, Lotus Lantern World Legend, Legendary Fighter - Yang's Heroine, Lotus Boy Nezha, The Semi-Gods and Semi-devils (directed by Zhang Jizhong), The Legendary Swordsman (directed by Yu Zheng), The Legend of the Ancient Sword, The Return of the Condor Heroes (directed by Yu Zheng), New Version of Princess Pearl, The Palace: the Lost Daughter, Monk Comes Down the Mountain, Happy Things in Tianhe Hospital, Apotheosis, Thirty Nine Steps (Movie version), High Aspiration, Night Stalker, New Version of The Legend of the Condor Heroes and Military Alliance.

Bridge of Ascending Immortals

The bridge is the only way from Peak-viewing Shoal to Dinghu Peak and Yellow Emperor Temple. It is 77 meters long with 44 arches, 0.77 meters wide and 0.8 meters high. Since the deck and posts of the bridge make a T shape, it is called T-shape Bridge. It is also named Bridge of Ascending Immortals due to the legend that Yellow Emperor refined pills and ascended to heaven here. T-shape Bridge is a typical building in ancient Jinyun. With reasonable structure and beautiful appearance, the architecture integrates well with the natural landscape. Enjoying high historic, artistic and scientific value, it is a key cultural relic under provincial protection. Professor Chen Congzhou of Tongji University, Father of Garden once said, “The bridge is simple but functional. It is representative of ancient slab bridge.”

Dinghu Peak

Dinghu Peak, commonly known as Stalagmite, is also named Solitary Peak and Peak for Alchemy. Opposite to Mount Buxv in the east and facing Lianxi River in the west, the peak is 170.8 meters high with a bottom area of 2,468 square meters and a top area of 710 square meters. It, full of masculinity, rises abruptly out of the ground. The spectacular view of the column peak is a result of exogenous geological process on the rhyolite platform that was heaped due to volcanic eruption some 160 million years ago. It is praised as No.1 Peak in the world. Legend has it that Yellow Emperor ever practiced alchemy with a tripod on the top of the peak and later ascended to heaven driving a dragon. The tripod was sunken to form a small lake on the top with clear water that never dried all year around. Thus, it is named Dinghu Lake, i.e. Lake in a tripod. The peak just named after Dinghu.

Mount Buxv

Mount Buxv borders on Gaotian Terrace in the east and Dinghu Peak in the west. It is said that melodious celestial music often resounded on the top of the peak in ancient times, just like immortals were chanting Taoist scriptures when they walked in the cloud. That’s why it was named Buxv, which means melodies of Taoist scriptures chanting. Walking up a thousand steps of the Mount, one will be marveled at the grotesque rocks standing in great number on the way. Among them, the Three Wonderful Rocks are the most impressive. With an elevation of 364 meters, its peak is even on the top. There stands Buxv Pavilion. Below the pavilion are towering cliffs and grotesque stones standing upright. Overlooking Dinghu Lake nearby as well as mountains and fields in the distance while leaning against handrails of the pavilion, you may feel as if you were in a fairyland. When it is cloudy and misty, you’ll feel like walking alone as an immortal. Many eminent Taoists, including Liu Chujing of the Tang Dynasty, ever practiced inedia and ascended to heaven here. 

Three Wonderful Rocks

It is made up of three rocks stands on the hillside of Mount Buxv. The rock on the left, with a pine growing on the top, shows a spectacle of Blooming Brush, since the shape of the pine is just like a traditional Chinese character Hua. And the rock in the middle seems to be a heavenly hound, squatting on the hillside, facing the south and looking up at the sky. So it is called Heavenly Hound Watching the Moon and becomes the second spectacle. Then, the rock in the right is like an owl facing Dinghu Peak to guard the immortal pills. This is the third spectacle. In addition, viewing the three rocks as a whole, you may find a Chinese character of hill is composed. When you stand side by side with the three rocks, another Chinese character with the meaning of immortal is composed since the Chinese character of immortal is made up by a person and a hill. Just as a saying goes, Good River (Haoxi River) is always good, and the immortal capital (Xiandu) is full of immortals.

Yellow Emperor Temple

Built in Xianhe period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, it was originally called Jinyun Hall. According to the legend, it was one of Yellow Emperor’s three temporary imperial palaces. Li Longji, Emperor Xuanzong renamed it to be Yellow Emperor Temple in the 7^th year of Tianbao period in the Tang Dynasty. In Zhiping period of the Northern Song Dynasty, it was renamed Yuxu Palace by emperor of the time. With 24 buildings in total, the temple had its heyday in the Song and Yuan Dynasties. Then, it was destroyed in war in Shunzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. The current temple was rebuilt in 1998 and covers a land area of 5,700 square meters. It includes buildings like Palace Gate, Xuanyuan Hall, Jinyun Hall, Huaizu Hall, Tenglong Pavilion and Youlong Veranda, etc. Echoing with Mausoleum of Yellow Emperor in Shanxi province, Yellow Emperor Temple becomes a worshiping center of Yellow Emperor and propaganda center of Yellow Emperor Culture in southern China. The layout that there is mausoleum in the north and temple in the south has come into being. Worshipping Rite to Yellow Emperor held on the Tomb Sweeping Day and Double Ninth Festival every year has been declared a national intangible cultural heritage. Many films and TV series were shot here, including Emperor Han Wu, The Semi-gods and the Semi-devils (directed by Zhang Jizhong), Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame, The Legendary Swordsman, Young Detective Di Renjie, The Journey of Flower, Legend of Nine Tails Fox, and The Return of the Condor Heroes (new version).

Exhibition Hall of Yellow Emperor Culture

It is an important place for Chinese descendants to seek for their roots as well as a patriotism education base. It is made up of six parts. The first part is an introduction to Yellow Emperor whose surname is Xuanyuan. The second part is about Yellow Emperor and Xiandu. The third part is about history of Yellow Emperor Temple. The fourth part is the research result of Yellow Emperor Culture in Jinyun. The fifth part is about The Yellow Emperor's Internal Canon of Medicine and folk custom of Jinyun. The last part is a display of archaeological discoveries. With detailed and accurate texts as well as a large number of vivid pictures, the exhibition hall displays the essence of Yellow Emperor Culture in Jinyun and becomes the largest exhibition hall of Yellow Emperor in China. 

Mount Xiandu: 

The Nationwide Record says it is originally named Mount Jinyun with a height of about 2,000 meters and a circumference of 150,000 meters. In 423 A.D., Xie Lingyun came to seek for cultural relic of Jinyun out of his admiration for the mountain. At the time, there were eminent Taoists including Lu Xiujing and Sun Youyue living in seclusion here. It became prestigious in the Southern Dynasties. In early Tang Dynasty, it was included in the list of Top 10 Famous Taoist Mountains. It was renamed Mount Xiandu by the emperor due to the auspicious sign of colorful clouds and celestial music in the 7^th year of Tianbao period. It was the 29^th of the 36 Taoist fairylands in China and known as Xuandu Qixian Dongtian, literally meaning Superb Fairyland for Immortal Cultivating. The mountain abounds with grotesque peaks and caves. Its main peak is 477.8 meters in elevation. On the top, there is a pool whose spring has never dried all year round.

Zigzagging Lianxi River

It is also named Lianjin River or Jinxi River. Starting from Shibi Pool in Shangzhang Village, the river runs from the north to the south around the mountain. On its way, it flows through Lotus Canyon, Mount Zhutan, Dinghu Peak, Niweng Cave, Mini Red Cliff and other scenic spots until it ends at Songliuzhou in Zhoucun Village. The river features nine zigzags, nine ponds, nine bridges, nine weirs, nine shoals and nine ferries. With verdant mountains, grotesque rocks, deep valleys and caves, clear springs, scattered villages and crisscrossed field paths on both sides, it was praised as a Zigzagging Lianxi River with Ten-Mile Riverside Scenic Belt. The morning mist over Lianxi River is a marvelous spectacle.

Lingxv Cave

Located on the cliff of Mount Buxv, the cave is about 40 meters in height and 9.5 meters in width. It is a rare relic of volcanic eruption channel in the world. It is like an egg nestle while taking a close look. But it looks like an ant nest while looking in the distance.  The bubbles of rhyolite can be bigger than bamboo crates or as small as mung beans. When they are piled up, caves of various sizes and shapes are formed. Its main cave is over 4 meters deep and about 2 meters high. The walls of the cave are full of rifts. In ancient times, people thought the cave might lead to the heaven since there’s no way to climb. Thus, it was named Lingxv Cave, i.e. the cave leading to the heaven. Xu Que and Liu Chujing, eminent Taoists of the Tang Dynasty, once meditated in the cave; hence it is also named Yinzhen Cave, i.e. Taoist’s secluded cave.

Xianshui Cave

Xianshui Cave is also named Mirror Rock. It is located between the steep cliffs on the northwest side of Mount Buxv. People climbed up with ladders in ancient times, but now they can reach the cave by stone steps. The cave is about 3 meters in both height and depth, and 4 meters in width. Spring water dripped into the small pond from crevice on the top of the cave. Clear and sweet, the spring never runs out in drought season or becomes stale. It helps to prolong life while drinking frequently, so it is called Xianshui, literally meaning celestial water. Legend has it that Yellow Emperor made immortal pills with the water. Tao Hongjing, a famous Taoist of the Liang Dynasty, ever wrote Ode to Water and Immortal about the water. Zhou Jingfu, an eminent Taoist of the Tang Dynasty, ever practiced inedia here. Drinking only spring water in the cave, he lived for over one hundred years. Celebrities of past generations, including Xie Lingyun, Bai Juyi, Duan Chengshi, Pi Rixiu, Lu Guimeng, Zhao Bian, Shen Kuo, and Xu Xiake, left their traces or calligraphy here. At present, there are 38 sites of cliff inscriptions in the cave. The corridor, pavilion and tea house below the cave are newly-built.

Cave for Lingering

It is located on the northeast slope of the mountain behind Shangqian Lake. Facing the north, the cave is right opposite to the Hill of Small Tortoise; therefore, it is also known as Tortoise Watching Cave. Composed of two stone rooms, the cave can hold dozens of people. A Lingering Pavilion stands in front of the cave in ancient times. At the entrance to the cave, there is a flat rock named Stone Meditation Bed. According to the Annals of Xiandu of the Yuan Dynasty, there is a rock protruding above the river outside the cave. Tourists can climb on the rock to enjoy fantastic landscapes of Xiandu. Intoxicated by the scenic beauty, they hesitated to leave. So the rock is also called Lingering Terrace. The cave also named after the rock, that is, Lingering Cave. During his lecture in Xiandu, Zhu Xi, a renowned neo-confucianist of the Song Dynasty, wrote the poem which says, having loosened the saddle, I sat leisurely with legs stretched and forgot to go home. The sight of crystal stream and slim bamboos reminded me of my hometown. 

Golden Dragon Cave

Located on Mount Kengdi in Xiagong, the cave is like a castle with a big upper room and a small lower room which are linked by two small holes. The rooms of the cave are open and bright. There are numerous holes on the wall of the cave, and some of them are unfathomable. Taoists considered it the gate to Xiandu Immortal Worshipping Fairyland. Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty ever dispatched an envoy to cast golden dragon and jade slips into the cave, which were excavated by a villager by accident in 1997. In ancient times, civilians always prayed for rain here; hence it was commonly known as North Sea Cave. Liu Chujing, an eminent Taoist of the Tang Dynasty, ever practiced immortal cultivation on the side of the cave and built a Taoist temple behind the cave. Emperor Xizong of the Tang Dynasty conferred the name Xiandu Taoist Temple, which was renamed Miaoting Taoist Temple by Emperor Yingzong of the Song Dynasty

The Son Peak

   There is a small peak rock beside Dinghu Peak. Over 40 meters high, it is small and sharp just like a bamboo shoot; therefore it is commonly known as Baby Stalagmite. Meanwhile, there is a cave on the hillside of Dinghu Peak. It is like a navel of human being. The small peak rock is of the same height with the navel cave. Standing by the big stalagmite, it is just like a pretty boy nestling against his mother. Thus, it is called the Son Peak.

Pavilion for Scenery Admiring

   In front of the Dinghu Peak, there is a small pavilion where tourists will be filled with awe and admiration for the peak at the sight of the majestic Dinghu Peak. Therefore, it is called Pavilion for Scenery Admiring. Unfortunately, the ancient pavilion was destroyed in early Qing Dynasty. The current new pavilion, with double eave roof and 12 columns, was sponsored by two Taiwan compatriots, respectively, Li Yanpin and Shu Shoufu. The Chinese characters of the name on its plaque were written by Li Ying, a famous calligrapher. And the couplets inside the pavilion were written by Wu Yaqing, a well-known scholar, poet and calligrapher.

Buxv Pavilion

 There is a small pavilion on the top of Mount Buxv. It is 5 meters high with single eave pyramidal roofs at the four corners. The pavilion was built in 1979 and named after the Mount. Inscriptions on plaque of the pavilion were written by Sha Menghai, a famous calligraphy master in modern times. Inkstones and stone brushes were excavated here in the process of pavilion construction. It is said that these were the offerings sacrificed to the heaven by ancient Taoists. Since the pavilion is located on the top of Mount Buxv, tourists may feel as if they were in a wonderful and ethereal fairyland while standing in the pavilion. Overlooking the views from the top, they could enjoy the spectacular landscapes like top of Dinghu Peak, Zigzagging Lianxi River and Ten-Mile Riverside Scenic Belt.

Cliff Inscriptions on Dinghu Peak

There are totally five sites of cliff inscriptions on the crest of Dinghu Peak. On the western side of the crest are vigorous and forceful huge inscriptions of Dinghu Historic Site in regular script written by Chang Jujing, the governor of Zhejiang in the Ming Dynasty. With 3 meters in diameter of every character, the inscription here is 3.5 meters high and 13 meters wide. In the north, there is a cliff inscription on the wall which is 2 meters high. The characters of Epigraphy of Mount Dufeng were written by Ye Qingchen of the Northern Song Dynasty. In the south are several autographs on the rock wall, which were left by Mao Weizhan of the Northern Song Dynasty and others. In addition, one can also find inscriptions which respectively read Standing Towering from the Ground and Belt-like River and Bridge; Wall-flat Precipitous Peak. They were left by Professor Chen Congzhou, who was hailed as Father of Garden in ancient architecture in contemporary times.

Wheel Track of Yellow Emperor

Among the stalagmites on Mount Buxv, there is a south-northward ravine like a wheel track. According to the Annals of Xiandu of the Yuan Dynasty, Yellow Emperor once drove his dragon wagon up the mountain and left traces of his wagon wheel. Thus, the ravine was named Wheel Track of Yellow Emperor. Su Shunyuan, a calligrapher of the Song Dynasty, ever wrote a poem which says, taking his dragon wagon, the emperor reached the celestial palace. The wheel track left is too high to touch. Only petals of green lotus fall into the mortal world when the wind blows the water of Dinghu Lake.