Huabiao Mountain

Huabiao Mountain

Huabiao Mountain is one of the famous mountains in Liaoning Province. It has long been known as the “First Mountain Southeast of Shengjing (present-day Shenyang).” The entire mountain consists of Hengshan, Tianchuan Mountain, Club Peak, Stone Figure Peak, Red Sand Ridge, and Diecui Mountain, and is connected to Taiping Mountain and Shamao Mountain.

Before the Yuan and Ming dynasties, this mountain was called “Hengshan,” and it was referred to as Huabiao Mountain during both the Yuan and Ming eras, with the name continuing to this day. Huabiao Mountain got its name from the legend of Ding Lingwei transforming into a crane. According to the tale, after Ding Lingwei returned from his transformation and secluded himself in a divine cave on the mountain to seek enlightenment for a thousand years, traces of his presence remain to this day, including the divine cave, Heavenly Spring, and inscribed poems on the Huabiao pillar.

Huabiao Mountain boasts a vast and undulating body of rock that stretches for dozens of miles. The mountain is densely forested with lush vegetation, featuring a mix of coniferous and broadleaf trees that cover the entire landscape in rich greenery, forming a primeval secondary forest. Part of the Changbai Mountain range and a branch of the Chicken Claw Mountain, ancient records indicate that in prehistoric times, the whole mountain was covered with towering ancient trees and surrounded by vast wild waters. The eastern foothills are crisscrossed with ravines arranged naturally and orderly, with ridgelines forming a striking, steep, and rugged yet beautiful landscape. The western slopes are gentler, densely wooded with over fifty species of coniferous and broadleaf trees, hundreds of medicinal plants, and more than thirty kinds of wild fruits scattered throughout the forest. Rare flowers, exotic grasses, and precious mountain vegetables grow along the hillsides. Cunning rabbits hide here, wild cranes nest in ancient trees, and millennia-old pine trees and unique million-year-old rocks are tucked away within the forest — a true masterpiece of nature, embodying serenity, elegance, and beauty all in one. It fully deserves the praise of “no peak without wonder, no water without clarity, no stone without peculiarity.”

Huabiao Mountain can truly be described as a place of lush greenery, abundant wonders, and numerous historic sites and cultural relics. The divine cave, Heavenly Spring, and Huabiao pillar left behind by Ding Lingwei exude an enduring sense of integrity. There is also the Heavenly Ship tossed here by the Eight Immortals, the Wen聖 Pavilion left by Confucius during his visit to Huabiao Mountain, the Temple of the Lang God built for the deity Erlang Shen, and the chessboard stone still marked with the lingering presence of Cao Guojiu and Han Zhongli as they played their game of Go. The pioneer of Buddhism on Huabiao Mountain left behind Buddhist sites such as Lingyan Temple (now called Shuangquan Temple), Dawa Temple, Tiewa Temple, and a nunnery, all of which have witnessed a thousand years of change alongside Penholder Peak.

Huabiao Mountain shares the same deep cultural heritage as the nearby Taizi River. With a long history of ethnic cultural accumulation, stunning natural landscapes, and the scenic enhancement of the Canwo Reservoir, it forms a vibrant and colorful mountain-water painting. Over centuries of history, poets and artists have composed verses and painted landscapes inspired by Huabiao Mountain, adding to its enchanting allure. The mountain's rocky corridors and chessboard stones each carry mysterious legends and extraordinary origins.