Guanyin Peak

Guanyin Peak

Guanyin Peak, also known as Immortal Platform or Immortals' Chess Platform, is located in the southern part of Qianshan Mountain. It is one of the main peaks of Qianshan and also the highest, with an elevation of 708.3 meters. The peak resembles a humpback, stretching from northeast to southwest, measuring 20 meters in length and 5 meters in width. At the western end of the peak, there rises a massive stone pillar that is quadrangular in shape, standing 7 meters tall and about 26 meters in circumference, leaning slightly northward to the east and resembling a goose head—hence its common name, Goose Head Peak. In the early Ming Dynasty, extensive construction was carried out atop Goose Head Peak to form a platform-like structure. The foundation stone is engraved with a chessboard, surrounded by stone statues of the Eight Immortals and the Southern Pole Star God of Longevity, arranged in a scene depicting a birthday celebration and an immortal chess game. Above the eastern cliff is a horizontally inscribed plaque reading “Immortal Platform,” written by Tu Jingtao, a successful candidate in the imperial examinations from Changsha during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty. On the western cliff, remnants of a stone arch gate and wall can still be seen. This site was once the location of the Guanyin Pavilion from the Liao and Jin dynasties. Immortal Platform is also known as Viewing Platform, famed for its views of the Bohai Sea, sunrise, the “Lotus” (a rock formation), drifting clouds, and pine winds.