Dahongluo Mountain

Dahongluo Mountain

Dahongluo Mountain is 35 kilometers from the urban area of Lianshan District and is located in the northern part of Lianshan City. It is the source of the Lianshan River, with its main peak, Yuhuangding, standing at 900.8 meters above sea level. The mountain is majestic and steep, featuring interwoven valleys and ridges, peculiar rocks and secluded caves, as well as towering temples, all of which exude a mystical charm. Major scenic areas of Dahongluo Mountain:

I. Yongquan Temple Scenic Area

The Yongquan Temple Scenic Area is located to the south of Xiangshuihezi Village in Zhangxianggong Township. The 8.5-li journey along the way takes you through lush vegetation, serene valleys, and murmuring streams. The first sight is Huoshi Ridge, where massive flat rocks are spread out smoothly. On top of these rocks once stood a grand archway, 39 meters long, with a horizontal plaque inscribed in clerical script with four large characters—Hong Sheng Jiu Si (Nine Temples of the Rainbow Sage)—each character as big as a dou (a traditional Chinese measurement).

Continuing along the mountain path, you will see two tall pine trees standing proudly. During the Cultural Revolution, the original "mountain gate" was destroyed.

Upon entering the mountain, you will find an important cultural relic—the ruins of Wangdian (the King’s Palace). It is said that the Goguryeo King of Hami once resided here. The remnants of the palace walls and inner chamber foundations still remain. Near the palace, there is a pedestal of a tombstone carved with lotus petals. The tomb has been excavated, and the tombstone is missing, but the pedestal still attests to the status and identity of the tomb’s occupant.

There are many karst caves in Dahongluo Mountain. One cave was explored by adventurers who carried ten candles on their shoulders, but even after the candles burned out, they had not reached the end.

The central attraction of the scenic area is the ruins of Yongquan Temple. Nearby, a vigorous and clear mountain spring flows day and night. The cool and refreshing water not only serves monks and pilgrims for drinking, bathing, and irrigating gardens, but some mineral water companies also transport it directly to the market. To this day, relics of Yongquan Temple—such as a merit stele and a stone pedestal carved with animal heads—remain in place, providing evidence for studying the temple’s history. The site is now piled with many stones.

Behind the temple ruins is a mountain range, and at the foot of the mountain stands a thousand-year-old pine tree that resembles the "yellow silk umbrella" of an emperor. From the base to the upper branches, it stands 37.8 meters tall, and if the upper section is included, it reaches about 50 meters. The trunk is so thick that it takes two people to encircle it, making it stand out among the pine forest, hence it is called the "King of Trees."

On the hillside north of Yongquan Temple, there is a protruding granite rock that looks like a sculpted statue of the Maitreya Buddha.

On the mountaintop southeast of Yongquan Temple, there is a magical Monkey Stone. When visitors push it with one hand, it slightly trembles, but when pushed with both hands, it remains completely still.

The back of Yongquan Temple is a natural botanical garden with many ancient trees, including Mongolian oak, yellow honeysuckle, sand elm, Chinese pine, mulberry, and Chinese honey locust. At the mountaintop are the South Heaven Gate and the dressing table of Hongluo Girl. From here, you can gaze at the highest peak of Dahongluo Mountain—Yuhuangding. The distant mountains appear azure, the nearby ones emerald green, with white clouds drifting overhead and a gentle breeze in your face, creating a feeling of being in a celestial paradise that refreshes the mind and spirit.

II. Lingyin Temple Scenic Area

At the northern foot of Dahongluo Mountain is Lingyin Temple, and at the mountaintop is Yuhuang Temple. In 1916, the virtuous lay Buddhist Li Wenju began constructing the site, which was later damaged. In 1994, Li Wenju’s grandson, Li Shude, led local devotees to carry cement and sand up the mountain three times a day. Finally, in 1996, Yuhuang Temple was rebuilt and completed.

In front of Lingyin Temple stand two 12-meter-high flagpoles. On the middle and lower parts of the flagpoles is a couplet: "The temple stands firm, its majestic presence rivaling heaven and earth; the Buddha’s teachings are strict, his divine power shining as brightly as the sun and moon." Below the flagpoles sit two fierce stone lions guarding the mountain gate. The gate itself is a four-pillar, three-bay memorial archway with drum-shaped stone carvings, and the lintel is inscribed with four characters: "Yu Tian Wei Shou" (Live as Long as Heaven). On both sides of the gate are two more couplets: one reads, "Uphold the sacred path, dispel heresy, as fish leap and kites soar in true nature; comprehend the profound mysteries, and in auspicious clouds, find a small Penglai paradise"; the other reads, "Seated among the five sacred mountains, divided by the eight trigrams; the rainbow soars a hundred feet, the snail coils a thousand layers." These couplets were all written by Xu Mingluan, a late Qing Dynasty scholar and lay Buddhist of the Bagua Academy under the Shaolin Temple.

After entering the mountain gate is the Five Mothers Palace. The five main halls enshrine the Unborn Mother, Queen Mother, Earth Mother, Dipper Mother, and Golden Mother. On the left are the Goddess of Childbirth and the Goddess of Descendants; on the right are the Goddess of Eyesight and the Goddess of Smallpox. At the back, the top features scenes from the Journey to the West, while the western murals depict the underworld. The main hall door is inscribed with a couplet: "Bestow life-giving rain for a thousand autumns, adhering to Confucius and Mencius; correct declining morals for ten thousand years, following the examples of Yao and Tang."

The Mahavira Hall covers an area of over 200 square meters, with flying eaves, carved beams, and painted rafters, all exquisitely decorated, and the Buddha statues are solemn. The central deities are the Three Saints of the West: Sakyamuni, Medicine Buddha, and Amitabha Buddha, all carved from precious sandalwood from Fujian, gilded and dazzling. On the sides are Manjushri and Samantabhadra Bodhisattvas, and flanking them are the Eighteen Arhats sculpted in white marble, each with unique expressions. At the back right is the compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva, easily recognized by the precious vase she holds, with murals of the Five Hundred Arhats on either side. Of course, Skanda and Weituo also accompany the deities above. On the stone pillars of the main hall door is a couplet: "Dahongluo’s layered emerald hues crown Yuhuangding’s majestic presence; Lingyin Temple bathes in Zen light, a pure land where the dharma rains fragrantly." A new alchemy furnace has been built on the west rear side of the Mahavira Hall, with a couplet on its door: "The treasure tower reaches the red-hot heavens, its threads repaying the underworld; the golden furnace stands on the earth, its smoke offering tribute to the heroic spirits."

Climbing up the mountain from the side path of Lingyin Temple and crossing a high ridge, you will come to a valley where the old course of a mountain flood lies among scattered rocks. This was once the site of the Zhongtangzi Temple in Dahongluo Mountain. Legend has it that a close relative of the Qing imperial family once built a temple here, attempting to station troops and rebel, but was exposed and executed.

The mountaintop is Yuhuangding, which requires climbing ninety-nine steps to reach. At the top is Yuhuang Temple, enclosed by a square stone railing with an area of 12 square meters. Inside the temple are enshrined the Jade Emperor, Tai Bai Jin Xing (the Planet Venus), and Skanda, with the Four Heavenly Kings, Yuan Shi Tian Zun, and others on the sides. The railing panels are carved with images of the Four Heavenly Kings, Eight Great Emperors, and Eight Immortals, all vividly depicted. On the southern wall is the South Heaven Gate, flanked by two tall flagpoles. Below the gate lies a bottomless abyss, daunting to look at.

III. Tianshi Temple Scenic Area

The Tianshi Temple Scenic Area is located southwest of Dahongluo Mountain, within the jurisdiction of Xingtun Village, Gangtun Town, now part of Xingtun Village, Zhangjiagou. It is about 30 kilometers northwest of Lianshan District and 5 kilometers southeast of Gangtun Town. The area features undulating mountains, secluded valleys, dense forests, and a small river flowing from west to east. On the flat land at the foot of the mountains on both sides of the river lies an old pear orchard, where the ruins of Tianshi Temple are located.

Standing in the pear orchard and looking east toward the mountaintop, you will see a huge rock lying across, resembling a tiger guarding the summit. Because the tiger’s head protrudes, the author temporarily calls it "Tiger Head Rock." Below the mountaintop is another huge rock known as "Monk’s Hat," not only resembling its namesake but also clearly showing the ridges around the hat. If you turn slightly to the left and look up, you will see a mountain peak whose top consists of several long, irregularly shaped boulders, resembling the rock formations of Zhangjiajie’s Wulingyuan. A few sparse pine trees grow on the rocks, so it might as well be called "Potted Landscape Peak." The nearby rocks are quite unique, large in size and gently sloped. One large rock has a round boulder on its lower left side, with the front part receding—this is called Turtle Rock.

The Tianshi Temple Scenic Area is covered with lush vegetation and blooming flowers. Tall pines remain green all year round; rare soapberry trees hang long seed pods; and phoenix-attracting tung trees spread their broad leaves. In spring, peach blossoms blush, pear blossoms are snow-white, azaleas blaze, and weigela sways gracefully; in autumn, pears hang heavy on the branches, red dates dangle, and maple and oak leaves turn a deep red. The mountain’s flora adorns Dahongluo Mountain with unparalleled beauty, while the tinkling mountain springs add vitality to the landscape.

The most striking feature of the Tianshi Temple Scenic Area is the two towering ancient pines standing proudly on the riverbank. It is estimated that they are about a thousand years old. These ancient pines were planted outside the Tianshi Temple, and judging by their age, the temple itself may have been built even earlier. A nearby stone tablet marks the site of the Tianshi Temple, and a surviving fragment of a "Toulong Stele" (Dragon-Piercing Stele) is still there. Historical records indicate that the original stele was inscribed with the four large characters "Chang Zhuan 0," measured 1.74 meters in length, 0.75 meters in width, and 0.2 meters in thickness, with the beginning marked "Jin Fu" and the signature "Kangxi Sixtieth Year." This is one of the important cultural relics of Tianshi Temple.

Judging from the ruins, the Tianshi Temple courtyard was roughly square, measuring 33 meters east-west and 28 meters north-south. Stone steps led to the mountain gate, and the main hall was preceded by a 2.5-meter-high platform. On both sides of the platform were three single-story houses facing south, with two wing rooms each. The main hall’s central bay was 4 meters wide and 8 meters deep. Near the ruins are three monks’ tombs, believed to be the spirits of the monks still guarding this pure land, hoping for the temple’s revival. Currently, Gangtun Town and Zhangjiagou Village are actively developing the Tianshi Temple Scenic Area. Master Shengran has invested 1 million yuan, and on the morning of May 17, 2004, a grand foundation-laying ceremony for the reconstruction of Tianshi Temple was held.