Chapter 11 Section 2 Famous Mountains in Central and South China

Wudang Mountain is located on the south bank of the Hanshui River in Shiyan City, Hubei Province. The main peak, Tianzhu Peak, is 1612 meters above sea level.Wudang Mountain has complex terrain and lush vegetation, forming a rich natural landscape. Among the 72 peaks, there are 36 rocks, 24 streams, 11 caves, 3 pools, 10 pools, 9 wells, 10 stones, 9 platforms and other scenic spots.Wudang Mountain has been a resort for Taoist activities for more than 2,000 years.Its heyday was the Ming Dynasty.In order to consolidate his political rule, Ming Chengzu Zhu Di relied on Emperor Xuanwu of Wudang Mountain. In the tenth year of Yongle (AD 1412), he ordered 300,000 military workers to build a huge Taoist building system in Wudang Mountain.It took 10 years to build 32 groups of large buildings, with a total of more than 20,000 rooms. Due to the situation of the mountain, they are distributed on both sides of a 140-mile-long "Shinto" from the foot of the mountain to Jinding. It embodies Taoism's advocacy of nature, the pursuit of the mysterious realm of immortals and the idea of ​​the unity of man and nature (Figure 13).Therefore, great emphasis was placed on nature during construction, requiring that "the mountain itself cannot be modified at all" by artificial construction, creating a typical Chinese Taoist mountain landscape with a high degree of integration of natural landscape and humanistic landscape.Such a huge project scale can be said to be the only one in the history of famous mountain development in China.After more than 500 years of changes, many buildings have been destroyed. The main temples preserved today include the Golden Palace of Tianzhu Peak and the Taihe, Nanyan, Zixiao, Wulong, Yuzhen, and Wulong temples built along the mountain. There are six palaces such as Xu, Fuzhen, Yuanhe Erguan, Mozhenjingjing, Xuanyuemen and other buildings.There are also a large number of Ming Dynasty bronze god statues, offering vessels and scriptures and other cultural relics with exquisite shapes and high artistic value.

Wudang Mountain is also famous at home and abroad for the traditional Taoist Wudang martial arts, which is as famous as Shaolin Buddhist Shaolin martial arts in Shaolin Temple. Longzhong is located 13 kilometers southwest of Xiangfan City, Hubei. Surrounded by mountains, it is said to be the former residence of Zhuge Liang. From the age of 17 to 27, Zhuge Liang worked hard, studied hard, and made friends with famous people in Longzhong.The famous "Three Visits to Thatched Cottage" and "Longzhong Countermeasures" took place here.

Longzhong has a beautiful natural environment, green mountains, and clear springs. "The mountains are not high but beautiful, the water is not deep but clear, the land is not wide but flat, and the forests are not big but dense."Since the Western Jin Dynasty, some important relics of Zhuge Liang, such as Wuhou Temple, Sangu Gate, Sangu Hall, Gubai Pavilion, Baoxi Pavilion, Gonggengtian, Xiaohong Bridge, and Star Observation Tower, have been built successively, gradually forming the "Ten Scenes of Longzhong" ".The Duobao Pagoda of Guangde Temple and the ruins of the ancient battlefields of the Three Kingdoms, such as Guan Yu's flooded Seventh Army, complement Longzhong.

Dahong Mountain, known as Lvlin Mountain in ancient times, is located in Suizhou, Zhongxiang and Jingshan in Hubei, within the territory of two cities and one county.The main peak is 1055 meters above sea level, known as "the first peak in the sky in northern Chu".Dahong Mountain has luxuriant vegetation and emerald peaks, stretching for hundreds of miles.There are towering ancient trees here, including patches of nanmu and ginkgo.There are more than 100 karst caves in various forms, streams, pools, and waterfalls all over the place, including Bailongchi, the "Yaochi Lake in Central Hubei" at an altitude of 850 meters, and the four-fold waterfall at Liumenkou, which is rare in central China, with a drop of more than 100 meters.

Dahongshan has a long history, with Neolithic cultural sites such as "Qujialing" and "Lengpoya", as well as well-preserved Suizhou Zenghouyi tomb, chime bells and other cultural relics. Jiugong Mountain is located in Tongshan County, Hubei Province. The main peak, Laoyajian, is 1,657 meters above sea level and is the highest peak in eastern Hubei.Jiugong Mountain has many peaks and luxuriant vegetation. It is full of primary secondary forests, numerous karst caves, beautiful valleys, secluded streams and waterfalls.Among them, the drop of Dayatou Waterfall is more than 400 meters.

Jiugong Mountain is rich in cultural landscape, and there are many historic sites such as Jiuwang Temple, Zhenmu Hall, Shicheng Gate, and Tiantian Gate.Li Zicheng, the leader of the peasant uprising at the end of Ming Dynasty, was martyred here, and the tomb of King Chuang was built. Nanyue, there were two places in history. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty visited Tianzhu Mountain in the fifth year of Yuanfeng (106 BC), and he was named Nanyue, which is Tianzhu Mountain in Qianshan County, Anhui today. 700 years later, Emperor Wen of the Sui Dynasty changed the title of Mount Heng in Hunan to Nanyue until now.Both Nanyue Mountains are majestic and magnificent, and they are worthy of being famous mountains in the world.

Mount Heng is in the north of Hengyang City, on the shore of Xiangjiang River, where mountains and rivers complement each other and bring out the best in each other.The main peak, Zhurong Peak, is 1,290 meters above sea level, standing alone on the Xiangjiang Plain. When the clouds and mists settle on the mountainside, the vast Nanyue is like a red bird spreading its wings and flying over the clouds, so there is a saying that "Nanyue is like flying".Mount Heng is a mountain made of granite, but most of the mountain is covered with sandy soil, with dense vegetation, and occasionally the bedrock is exposed. Only Zhurong Peak suddenly protrudes, revealing the iron bones of the granite.Therefore, Nanyue has the temperament of being soft on the outside and strong on the inside.Some people call "the height of Zhurong Peak, the depth of Fangguang Temple, the beauty of the Sutra Library, and the wonder of Shuilian Cave" the four wonders of Nanyue.There are also "the seclusion of the mirror grinding platform, the danger of the heart-testing stone, the ancient Dayu stele, and the hero of the Nanyue Temple" called Hengshan's eight wonders.Nanyue used to be a very active place for Taoism and Buddhism, and there are many famous temples, such as Fuyan Temple, Zhusheng Temple, Nantai Temple, Fangguang Temple, Huangting Temple and so on.Since the Tang and Song Dynasties, literati and celebrities have been visiting the mountains, leaving many cultural relics.

The ancient Nanyue Tianzhu Mountain is also known as Huoshan Mountain and Wanshan Mountain.It has a recorded history of more than 3000 years.During the reign of King Wu of Zhou, Zhou Dafu named Wan the state here, so the mountain is called Wanshan and the water is called Wanshui. Later, Anhui Province was abbreviated as Wan also originated from here.At the foot of Tianzhu Mountain, there are beautiful mountains and rivers, and there are many historical sites.Especially the Shizhong River is the best, with flowing springs in the valley and ancient temples in secluded forests. The environment is very elegant and elegant, which has deeply attracted literati of all ages.There are more than 280 cliff carvings on both sides of the creek from the Tang and Song Dynasties to the Republic of China, and there are all dynasties, especially in the Song Dynasty.Huang Tingjian often studied here, and Wang Anshi had such a deep affection for it that he and his brother Wang Anguo took a night tour with a fire on September 16th in the third year of Huangyou (1051 AD) and carved a stone to commemorate it.

The southern slope of Tianzhu Mountain is gentle and beautiful, while the northern slope is steep and steep. The huge spherical granite blocks in the mountains form a unique landscape. The Matsu Temple is in the environment of these magical boulders.The wonders of Tianzhu Mountain are still above 1,000 meters above sea level. The original vegetation here has not been damaged, the ancient pines and strange peaks, the peaks, rocks, and blocks are large, which is amazing!However, the most majestic is Tianzhu Peak. This peak is different, tall and straight, full of stone bones, clean from dust, rising on the top of the mountains, elusive and unattainable. The saying of "don't look at the peak" is worthy of being called "a pillar in the south sky" (Figure 14).

Wulingyuan is located in the eastern part of the Wuling Mountains in western Hunan. It is a museum of strange peaks on the earth. There are more than 3,000 strange peaks. Pagodas, such as pillars, such as buildings, such as cities, such as various objects.Some are isolated, some are clustered, some are quiet, some are elegant and clean, some are ferocious and sinister... The foundation of this kind of landform is quartz sandstone interbedded with thin shale strata.In the process of crustal uplift, external force weathering expands along vertical joints and fissures, and after collapse, water erosion and transportation, an upright peak forest is formed. The rock strata are roughly horizontal and the bedding is clear, giving people a strong sense of rhythm.

Wulingyuan is located in the subtropical northern evergreen broad-leaved forest vegetation area. The vegetation is rich and dense, forming a green world with thousands of peaks covered with emerald green and evergreen all the year round.In the past, due to inconvenient transportation, the ecological environment was rarely damaged, and the resources of rare animals and plants were quite rich.The beauty of Wuling lies in the unmodified natural beauty, almost everything is natural. "The moss marks have always been lost in the deep valley, and the walls have been hung with pines for thousands of years." In today's world, this kind of "natural beauty" natural landscape is too rare and precious, and will become more and more precious. Wulingyuan is a relatively complete basin, surrounded by mountains, and 3,000 strange peaks all come from the bottom of the basin. Therefore, to appreciate the style of Wuling, you should appreciate its three wonders.That is, the wonder of the Golden Whip Creek at the bottom of the valley, the wonders of climbing the peak, and the wonders of the mountain top. Shaoshan is located in the northwest of Xiangtan County, Hunan Province.The peaks here are emerald and the scenery is beautiful. The main peak, Shaofeng, is 520 meters above sea level.According to legend, in the Tang and Yu Dynasties, Emperor Shun and his concubines and ministers climbed to the top of the peak to play Shao music, hence the name Shaoshan. Shaoshan Chong under Shaofeng is the former residence of Mao Zedong, where he spent his childhood and youth.There are revolutionary memorial sites such as Mao Zedong's former residence and former residence exhibition hall. Danxia Mountain is located in Renhua County, northern Guangdong. It is composed of huge thick red conglomerate with well-developed vertical joints. With the crustal uplift and weathering process, various special landform phenomena such as square mountains, strange peaks, red cliffs, caves and boulders are formed.This landform is called Danxia landform.Danxia Mountain has strange peaks and steep mountains, while the top of the mountain is relatively gentle, and the trees are lush, like a green cover.The beautiful and tortuous Jinjiang River and its tributaries circle the mountains and pass through the peaks. The mountains and rivers are interdependent and the scenery is beautiful.In the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there were monks inhabiting the caves, and the incense was more prosperous in the Ming Dynasty.Famous scenic spots include Youdong Tongtian, Elder Rising Sun, Jinyan Cave Sky, Danti Iron Chain, Rudder Stone Chaoyang, Mountain Lake Reflection, etc. Typical Danxia landforms have developed in many areas, which have become famous scenic spots.Such as Longhu Mountain and Guifeng in Jiangxi, Qiyun Mountain in southern Anhui, Baishi Mountain in Guangxi and so on. Nanling refers to the general term for a series of mountains in the north-east-southwest direction on the borders of Hunan, Jiangxi, Guangdong, and Guangxi provinces.It is 1400 kilometers from east to west and is the watershed between the Yangtze River and the Pearl River.Nanling blocks cold currents in the north and typhoons in the south, resulting in a warm climate all year round in the south of Nanling, with less frost and snow, and colder in winter in the north.It is an important geographical dividing line in our country. In the Yuechengling and Xuefeng Mountains of the Nanling Mountains bordering Xinning County in Hunan Province and Ziyuan County in Guangxi Province, there is a vast Danxia landform landscape.Originating from the Zijiang Guanliu Scenic Spot in Maoer Mountain in Ziyuan County, a river of clear water passes between Danxia Qifeng and different rocks, with a process of more than 30 kilometers.There are 42 beaches and 36 bends in Ziyuan County alone.The highest peak, Bajiaozhai (Figure 16), is 818 meters above sea level, surrounded by cliffs, and the cliff is more than 80 meters high.Looking down at the Bajiao Village from the bottom of the village, eight horns fly out from the top of the village, pointing in eight directions, and only one horn connects to a gentle and steep slope, which can be climbed to the top.The clouds and mists under the village are floating, and the top of the village is not invaded all the year round, just like the fairy mountain Qiongge in the sea of ​​clouds.Looking far and wide, you can see the continuous red cliffs of Danxia, ​​the green shade of red cliffs, and the belt of river water, which is too beautiful to behold. Dinghushan Qixingyan is located in the northeast of Zhaoqing City (the main peak of Jilong Mountain is about 1,000 meters above sea level), close to the Tropic of Cancer, in the transition zone from subtropical to tropical. It is a relatively well-preserved monsoon evergreen broad-leaved forest in the southern subtropical forest of my country. A relatively complete subtropical forest ecosystem.It is an integral part of the United Nations "Man and the Biosphere" nature reserve network and has special scientific value.Dinghu Mountain not only has five or six layers of vegetation landscape, but also has rich streams and waterfalls in the mountains and valleys.Among them, Longtan Waterfall has an inscription by Song Qingling: "Sun Yat-sen's swimming place".Hidden among the trees and flowers are the Baiyun Temple built in the Tang Dynasty and the Guangyun Temple built in the Ming Dynasty. Dinghu Mountain goes west to the north of Zhaoqing City. There is a group of seven-star rocks arranged like dippers, standing on the calm and mirror-like Xinghu Lake. The scenery of the lake and mountains is like a natural bonsai.Although the karst development of Qixingyan is less than 100 meters high, the mountain rocks are exquisite and clear, and the caves are all over it. There are still "Duanzhou Shishi Ji" written by Tang Dynasty man Li Yong in the Shishi Cave, and there are more than 270 inscriptions in successive dynasties. And the handwriting of Bao Zheng in the Northern Song Dynasty has important cultural value. Xiqiao Mountain and Luofu Mountain (Dongqiao) share the reputation of "Two Famous Mountains in Southern Guangdong".It is located in the southwest of Nanhai City, Guangdong Province, at an altitude of 344 meters. Xiqiao Mountain is an extinct volcano, which was formed by the eruption of a submarine volcano about 70,000 to 80,000 years ago.The whole mountain is steep on the outside and flat on the inside, shaped like lotus clothes, with 72 famous peaks.There are three sky lakes on the top of the mountain, that is, three volcanic lakes.There are beautiful peaks here, strange rocks scattered here and there, and there are 36 caves, with Baiyun Cave being the most, known as "Jiasheng Xiqiao".Xiqiao Mountain has well-developed rock joints, vertical and horizontal fissures, and overflowing springs, forming 28 waterfalls and more than 200 springs. As early as the Neolithic and Paleolithic ages, there were human activities in Xiqiao Mountain, leaving many relics, which are called "Xiqiao Mountain Culture".