Mohe Immortal Cave

Mohe Immortal Cave

Located on the east side of the highway between Xilinji Town and Luoguhe, embedded in the rock face of Kulun Mountain, this natural cave has an entrance fifteen meters high, five meters wide, and ten meters deep. The exterior appears columnar, with dark brownish-black rocks lining the cave walls. Larch and Korean pine grow around the cave. In 1981, someone found a bronze incense burner from the Chongde era of the Ming Dynasty among the rubble beneath the cave.

Ancient Mohe boasts a long and profound historical and cultural heritage. Three hundred years ago, the surrounding islands were home to the Daur tribe settlements at what was known as the Mohe Ancient City Island, then called Yaksa City. Here, the Qing government twice defeated Tsarist Russia. Though the smoke of the ancient Yaksa battlefield has long since dissipated, standing on the island and gazing at the Outer Khingan Mountains ceded by the Qing government still fills one’s heart with profound sorrow. The Yaksa Ancient Battlefield has now become a renowned scenic spot and a patriotic education base. Mohe is famed for its gold production. Ever since the indigenous Oroqen people—primarily hunters—discovered gold, Tsarist Russia continuously infiltrated Mohe to illegally mine it. To drive out these Russian thieves, the Qing government appointed Li Jinyong as the head of Mohe to establish the Mohe Gold Mine. Li Jinyong and his soldiers “blazed trails into the mountains, carrying provisions and sleeping under the stars,” overcoming immense hardships to open the Mohe Gold Mine. To commemorate Li Jinyong’s contributions, a memorial hall was built for him in Jingu, preserving a piece of history. Li Jinyong, who devoted himself to Mohe, would no doubt marvel at the tremendous changes that have taken place there when visited by tourists today. Nowadays, you can follow an ancient “Gold Road” into the mysterious Jingu, tracing the footsteps of those tough and resilient gold prospectors, or even experience the thrill of gold panning as part of a tourist activity. Gold and rouge are inseparable; likewise, speaking of Jingu inevitably brings up the “Maiden’s Tomb.” Deep within the dense forests of Jingu lies a graveyard where the skeletal remains of hundreds of young women are buried—locally referred to as the “Maiden’s Tomb.” At the height of Jingu’s prosperity, it attracted a large number of gold prospectors. To comfort the soldiers and miners enduring the extreme cold, the imperial court brought in a group of women. Additionally, lured by the promise of gold, many women from Russia, Japan, Korea, and northern Chinese cities flocked here. The air in Jingu was perpetually tinged with the rouge washed off their faces, earning it the nickname “Rouge Gully.” Thus, Rouge Gully became a place filled with joy, sorrow, love, hate, and survival. Each grave tells a heartbreaking story and holds a poignant history. While most may only recall the vibrant lights of Nanjing’s Qinhuai River, few know that in China’s Far North once thrived a glorious Rouge Gully, adorned with Maiden’s Tombs soaked in blood and tears. In Mohe, relics and sites from the Ming, Qing, and Japanese puppet eras can be found everywhere. The mysterious source of the Heilongjiang River, the magical Flying Pine, and the continuous Qixing Mountains all carry moving legends of their own.