Nanmingshan Mountain, Lishui: Known as "Grander than Kuocang Mountain"

Nanmingshan Mountain is located 2 km south of Lishui City, Zhejiang Province, separated from the city by the Ou River. Temples and pavilions are nestled among the trees, and ancient relics are hidden among the red cliffs. It is known as "Grander than Kuocang Mountain." Although Lishui City is surrounded by mountains, Nanmingshan Mountain is not very high, and most visitors can reach the summit within half an hour. There is a small lake at the foot of the mountain, but the scenery is average. I heard that the koi there are worth feeding for children. Not far from the lake, there is a cliff surrounded by beautiful green bamboos. After a light rain, a small spring trickles down. During the Song Dynasty, the Luxue Pavilion was built facing the cliff. A little further up is the Shuangqi Pavilion, commonly known as the Banshan Pavilion. These pavilions, once lost to history, have now been rebuilt. Nanmingshan Mountain's cliff carvings are world-renowned and were listed as a seventh batch of National Key Cultural Relics Protection Units in 2013. Among them, the handwriting of Ge Hong, Shen Kuo, and Mi Fu are the most precious. The cliff carvings are mainly located in Shiliang, Gaoyang Cave, and Yunge Cliff. There are 20 inscriptions by famous people carved on Shiliang. Gaoyang Cave has 15 cliff carvings, mostly relics of the Song Dynasty. Yunge Cliff has 12 inscriptions, among which the two characters "Ling Chong," with vigorous calligraphy, are said to have been written by Ge Hong of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, while the three characters "Nanmingshan" were inscribed by Mi Fu, a great calligrapher and painter of the Northern Song Dynasty. Shiliang is about 33m long and 5–7m high, suspended in the air, with old trees and vines. It is one of the three major stone beams in Zhejiang Province. The ancients compared it to half a cloud, a hanging rainbow, a fairy bridge, and a jade beam. Shiliang echoes the ancient bridge across the Inky Moon Pool. The ancient bridge is entirely made of stone, with blocks of stone as the base and strips of stone paving the surface, simple and heavy. The bridge is covered with moss, showing the vicissitudes of history. It is now closed and can only be viewed from the side. Continue climbing to reach Renshou Temple. Renshou Temple, originally named Da'an Temple, was first built during the Zhonghe period of the Tang Dynasty and renamed Renshou Temple in the third year of the Qiande period of the Song Dynasty. The carved stone statue of Maitreya Buddha in the Hall of Heavenly Kings is 1.7m high and lifelike. The golden Buddha in the Mahavira Hall is resplendent. Green bamboos, tall camphor trees, metasequoias, and zelkova trees surround the main hall. The camphor and zelkova trees are hundreds of years old, and the metasequoias require two people to embrace. Further up, there are several forks in the road leading to different viewing pavilions. Standing in the viewing pavilion, you can overlook the entire city of Lishui. 📍Address: Nanmingshan Mountain, Liandu District, Lishui City, Zhejiang Province [1:00]Opening hours: 7:00 am–6:30 pm [MapleLeaf]Ticket price: Free