Little Hongluo Mountain

Little Hongluo Mountain

Little Hongluo Mountain is a national AA-level tourist attraction.

Little Hongluo Mountain is located on the eastern side of Jiadaogou. It features majestic peaks, peculiar rocks, lush forests, and murmuring streams. The Gaoqiao River and Daxingpu River both originate here, with the main peak, Yingbeiding, standing at an elevation of 717.2 meters. The scenic area lies in the eastern part of Little Hongluo Mountain, within Santaizi Village of Shihuiyao Township, approximately 20 kilometers from the city center.

Longquan Temple is located at the eastern foothills of Little Hongluo Mountain. It was originally built during the Tianbao era of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty (742–756 AD). The central cliff resembles a dragon’s head rising high, while the ridges on either side look like dragon whiskers coiling around. Beneath the dragon’s head lies a deep cave, from which clear, sweet spring water gushes forth as if the dragon were spitting heavenly nectar — hence its common name, Dragon Vein. During the Qianlong to Jiaqing reigns of the Qing Dynasty (1736–1820), Longquan Temple had become a renowned temple in Northeast China. The temple once housed 670 volumes (6,740 books) of the reprinted Tripitaka from the Ming Dynasty. It included dozens of halls and monks’ quarters, as well as over ten stupas, the tallest of which stood more than four zhang (approximately 13 meters) high. The current Longquan Temple was rebuilt in 1996 and now serves as the headquarters of the Huludao Buddhist Association. The sacred spring water of Longquan is high-quality mineral water, making it a valuable resource for brewing and beverage production. A thousand-year-old pine tree by the spring stands sturdy and upright, adorned with red ribbons tied by worshippers.

Walking upstream along the river valley, you’ll come across two unique rocks worth seeing: one is a vertical rock shaped like a dog, known as “Heavenly Dog Watching the Sun,” and the other is a crouching monkey-shaped rock. In front of Shihuigou (Stone Monkey Gully), there is another deep ravine — the most enchanting spot on Little Hongluo Mountain — called “Upper Stone Lake.” Here, a waterfall cascades down from a height of about 80 meters, like a heavenly curtain hanging in the air. After rain, the waterfall roars even more loudly, deafening to the ears. Streams in the gully flow year-round, so in winter they freeze into hundreds of meters of ice rivers, ice lakes, and icefalls. Every late spring and early summer, the surrounding azaleas bloom fragrantly, and weigela flowers dance gracefully in the wind, creating a vibrant and colorful spectacle.

Crossing a mountain ridge leads to Yabagou (Mute Valley). Continuing upward, you’ll reach Sanjielou (Three-Section Tower), also known as Shangqing Palace (Upper Purity Palace). It is a stone house constructed from granite slabs. The first level consists of three large rooms, called Shangqing Palace; the second level has three small rooms, called Biyun Pavilion (Jade Cloud Pavilion); and the third level is a single room, called Yaochi Palace (Jade Pool Palace). There are stone carvings, and the structure was built in the ninth month of the sixth year of the Xuantong era of the Qing Dynasty (1914).

Separated by a mountain from Shangqing Palace is Fandao Cave (Dharma Cave). This is a natural stone cave where a Taoist priest surnamed Fan once practiced. It is said that he adopted a blind young child, and the locals held him in great reverence. Legend has it that he ascended to heaven, leaving behind numerous stone beams and pillars — construction materials that hint at past structures. Sadly, “his grand ambitions unfulfilled, he passed before his time, leaving only stones behind in this world.”

Descending along the mountain path, you’ll come to a large stone peak called “Dressing Table Peak.” To reach Dressing Table Peak, you must climb a “One-Line Sky Ladder” over 3.2 zhang (about 10.6 meters) high. At the top is a flat platform that served as a military watchtower. It is said that Empress Xiao of the Liao Dynasty once led her troops here and paused her horse to gaze eastward.

Crossing a ridge and walking through a gully, you’ll find the ruins of Wanghai Temple (Sea-Viewing Temple). The broken walls are still clearly visible, and half of a stone incense burner used for worship in ancient times still stands. Near the temple is a large pine tree whose age is difficult to determine. Its bark has peeled off, and the upper branches lean toward the south. Though asymmetrical, this creates a rare kind of beauty, hence the name “Azure Dragon Probing the Sea.”

Not far from here is a Tonglong Stele (Penetrating Dragon Stele). The stele’s head and body are mostly intact, but it has split into three parts, and the inscriptions on it are now incomplete. The ruins of Wanghai Temple are broad and flat, surrounded by low hills, yet the scenery here is picturesque and the environment pleasant. When you climb up to the massive rock to the east — known as “Sea-Viewing Platform” — you can “stand facing the mighty Jieshi Rock and gaze out over the vast sea.” The mountaintops nearby feature many uniquely shaped rocks: a strikingly lifelike “Pigsy,” a “Goddess of Childbirth” carrying a baby on her back, a peach-shaped rock, a rock resembling a modern-day statesman, and a pair of embracing lovers lying side by side.

Little Hongluo Mountain is rich in historical relics. During the seventh year of the Zhengtong era of the Ming Dynasty (1442), the Liaodong Great Wall was built on the mountain, and remnants of it still exist today. On the western mountain of Pandaogou, the Liaodong Great Wall stretches approximately 6 kilometers, with remnant walls standing 1.5 meters high and beacon towers reaching 10 meters — all of which are well preserved. In the later years of the Ming Dynasty, as the nation declined, the area south of the Great Wall, including Lianshan and Gaoqiao, remained under Ming control, while the area north of the wall, such as Xintaimen and Gangtun, was overrun by Mongol cavalry. From Dressing Table Peak, you can take in the full view of the Liaodong Great Wall ruins and ponder the history of the past.