I have finally arrived at the other side of the Anywhere Door, Mount Wuxiang
✅ The most famous attraction in Lishui District, Nanjing, should be Mount Wuxiang. Located 5 kilometers south of Lishui City, it belongs to Honglan Town. Atop the mountain is a renowned temple—Wuxiang Temple.
🌿 Wuxiang Temple was initially built during the mid-period of the Southern Dynasties, and it has gone through destruction, reconstruction, and renaming. During the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, Han Xizai, an official in the Southern Tang Dynasty (yes, the protagonist of the 'Night Revels of Han Xizai' painting), was politically frustrated. It is said that he was suspected by the last ruler, Li Yu (the eternal emperor of poetry), and thus he devoted himself to the mountains and waters. One day, while visiting the outskirts of Nanjing (the capital of the Southern Tang at that time) near Lishui's Honglan, he saw a mountain with beautiful scenery and decided to purchase land and build a platform there to live in seclusion and read. Considering the Buddhist concept of 'selflessness,' he renamed the mountain to 'Mount Wuxiang,' and the ancient temple on the mountain was also renamed 'Wuxiang Temple'.
✅ I came specifically to see Wuxiang Temple this time. The current Wuxiang Temple was rebuilt in 1992, and I remember it was already very dilapidated when I visited about seven or eight years ago. Wuxiang Temple is quite distinctive, being a circular structure, with the major halls built one level upon another.
🌿 Upon this visit, I found that Wuxiang Temple is being renovated. Climbing up the Hundred Steps Cloud Ladder to the Tianchi of Mount Wuxiang, many scenic spots and ancient relics have been restored.
🌟 Highlights:
【Han Xizai's Reading Platform】Next to the ancient Wuxiang Temple, there is a stone platform where it is said Han Xizai once built a room to read, befriending temple monks and local herbalists. The thatched pavilion and statues were built recently.
【Cliff Inscriptions Group】Located in the middle of the Hundred Steps Cloud Ladder, there are 3 sets of cliff inscriptions, totaling 33 characters in seal script.
【Immortal's Trace】Situated on the west side of the Hundred Steps Cloud Ladder, there are mortar-shaped depressions on a huge rock, with three stone troughs resembling grandmaster chairs to the west. It is said that Han Xizai encountered three old men sitting in the troughs here, who later transformed into white light and disappeared, leading Han Xizai to realize that these were the three immortals of Fortune, Prosperity, and Longevity coming to admonish him.
【Liang Gong Stone】Located near the Tianchi at the end of the Hundred Steps Cloud Ladder, it is made of volcanic rock and covers an area of about 40 square meters. It is said that the Qing dynasty literary scholar and calligrapher Zhou Lianggong once recited poetry here.
【Tianchi】Located at the summit of Mount Wuxiang, it is an ancient volcanic crater with an area of about 18 acres and a depth of 8 meters. The water of Tianchi is clear and visible to the bottom, and it never dries up throughout the year.
👍 Most recommended:
I particularly enjoy strolling by the Tianchi. Surrounded by mountains, lush and green, with fresh air and a tranquil atmosphere, the small Tianchi is like a piece of jade inlaid, with the lake and mountains blending into one—temporarily casting aside worries, without thought, without sorrow.
Zhou Bangyan, the master of the graceful style of Song Dynasty poetry, chanted in his work 'Man Ting Fang·A Summer Day on Mount Wuxiang in Lishui':
The wind ages the oriole chicks, the rain fattens the plums, the noon shade of the fine trees is clear and round. The land is low and the mountains are near, the damp clothes are like the smoke of a stove. People are quiet, and the crows and kites enjoy themselves, outside the small bridge, the new green splashes. Leaning on the railing for a long time, among the yellow reeds and bitter bamboo, ready to sail the boat on the Nine Rivers.
Year after year. Like the social swallows, drifting across the vast sea, coming to lodge in the renovated beams. And do not think beyond oneself, always near the cup in front. The haggard traveler from the south of the Yangtze, cannot bear to listen to the urgent pipes and complicated strings. By the side of the singing feast, first settle the mat and pillow, let me sleep when drunk.
Nearby hotel recommendations:
Nanjing Naked Heart Ridge Resort
Nanjing Huaji Wuxiang Mountain Residence