Jianglang Mountain, go see: Yixiantian

During the summer vacation, I took my granddaughter and grandson on a self-driving educational tour around Fujian. The original plan was to enter Fujian from Nanjing, Jiangsu via Huangshan, Anhui, but the weather forecast predicted heavy rain in Huangshan for the next day. So, we decided to avoid Huangshan and head directly to Fujian via Jiangshan, Quzhou, Zhejiang. We drove about 490 kilometers from Shengshi Xianji Hotel in Nanjing to Yixili Hotel in Jiangshan to rest. The next day, we visited Jianglang Mountain and Nianbadu. Jianglang Mountain, formerly known as Yulang Mountain, is said to have been named after three brothers with the surname Jiang who climbed to the top and turned into three huge stones. The three stones, resembling stone bamboo shoots and heavenly pillars, are arranged in a '川' shape from north to south and are known as the 'Three Piles of Stones'. It is called the first peak of Danxia in China, with its majestic and unique scenery, picturesque landscapes, lush mountains, and flowing springs, making it a spectacular sight. Xu Xiake visited Jianglang Mountain three times and praised it highly for its 'strangeness', 'danger', and 'mystery', calling it 'the most magnificent in the world and the most beautiful in the southeast'. Climbing up the 'Eighteen Bends' stone path, sometimes turning four or five bends, sometimes one or two bends, the path is marked with 'x bend', not uniformly counting one or two bends as one bend. We reached Kaiming Zen Temple, ending the Eighteen Bends, already drenched in sweat. At the eighth bend, my granddaughter stayed with her grandmother to rest, while my seven-year-old grandson accompanied me to continue climbing. At Kaiming Temple, the road splits into two: one leading to Yixiantian, and the other to Jianglang Academy and Weiren Peak. The tour guide led the group straight to Yixiantian, but we first went left, seeing Tiger Run Spring, the ruins of Jianglang Academy, and Weiren Peak (although the introduction said this peak resembles the great pioneers of reform and opening up, I couldn't see much resemblance from various angles, but I took a photo of my grandson here for a keepsake). The entire scenic area is spacious and clean, but a sign for the scenic shuttle bus parking lot caught my attention. After much effort, I found a staff member who told me that this was the endpoint reachable by the scenic shuttle bus without climbing the Eighteen Bends. However, a section of the mountain road was damaged by heavy rain and was under repair, so the shuttle bus service was temporarily suspended, and the nearby Xunv Lake was also temporarily closed. We returned to Kaiming Temple and continued climbing towards Yixiantian. Along the way, we passed Huixian Rock, with strange rocks pressing down from above. We passed under the rocks, and the plank road was smooth. Looking far into the distance, the villages and towns around Jiangshan were scattered among the surrounding mountains, dotted in the greenery, offering an excellent view. Climbing to the gate of Yixiantian, the peaks on both sides were towering, and the stone steps in the middle were smooth, extending upwards like a heavenly ladder. The elderly were already exhausted, with sweat-soaked clothes clinging to their bodies, but my grandson was full of courage, wanting to climb up by himself to see what the mountain pass looked like. I mistakenly agreed, thinking that with so many tourists, nothing would go wrong. I kept my eyes on my grandson, but soon lost sight of him among the many tourists. I began to shout loudly, attracting the attention of several groups of college students. They comforted me and said they would help me find my grandson ahead and bring him back early. About ten minutes later, I heard my grandson calling for grandpa from the top of the mountain. My heart finally settled. My grandson returned to my side with his bottle of drink, sitting on the stone steps, his face flushed and extremely tired, but he proudly said, 'Grandpa, how about it? I represented the four of us and climbed to the top. Shouldn't grandma give me a reward?' My worry subsided, but I forgot to ask him what scenery he saw at the top. The beautiful and unique Jianglang Mountain: a national key scenic spot, a national 5A-level tourist area, and listed as a World Natural Heritage site. Climbing Yixiantian with my grandson made it even more unforgettable.