Mount Wawu

Mount Wawu

Mount Wawu is part of the northern mountainous region of Liyang. Here, rolling mountains stretch as far as the eye can see, with the main peak rising abruptly. At the summit lies a flat plateau spanning thousands of acres, which from a distance resembles a grand house covered with blue tiles—hence the name "Wawu" (Tile Roof) Mountain. Due to its historical connections with Jiuhua Mountain, it is also known as "Little Jiuhua." The area is lush with forests and swaying green bamboo. It is currently being developed into a forest park, and its hidden treasures such as Baozang Chan Temple, Goddess Lake, Beishan Bamboo Sea, and Yaji Mountain have become popular tourist destinations.

Mount Wawu is a place rich in cultural heritage. As early as over 1,200 years ago during the Tang Dynasty, the great poet Li Bai wrote the famous poem "Visiting Liyang · Climbing the Mountain and Lake Pavilion · Gazing at Mount Wawu and Reflecting on the Past, Presented to Travel Companions" at the Liyang tavern (in Jiuxian market town). Meng Jiao, when serving as the county magistrate of Liyang, climbed Mount Wawu several times to gaze into the distance, admiring the landscape of the Jiangnan region. Lu Zishi, the young son of the patriotic Southern Song poet Lu You, served as the magistrate of Liyang and climbed Mount Wawu several times. He even relocated his family to Luduo Village at the southern foot of Mount Wawu, and descendants of the Lu family still reside there today. The great Ming Dynasty literary figure Tang Xianzu left behind the regulated verse "Visiting Liyang Dongshan Cave": "Wawu stands like clouds, green as blooming flowers; Huayang glows crimson, like a green serpent in the house. In the middle rises a hundred-foot immortal’s palm, swaying golden light that spills onto purple clouds." The Qing Dynasty top imperial scholar of Liyang, Ma Shijun, composed the elegant verse: "Wawu rises high, its walls towering; the flat mist clears the distant haze. Peaks shift with sun and shade, their forms ever-changing; gazing up and down, the air shimmers with misty vapors."

Historical records indicate that Mount Wawu shares a close religious connection with Jiuhua Mountain in Anhui, with frequent exchanges of Buddhist activities. In the fifth year of the Tang Tianbao era (747 AD), Dao Ming, the second disciple of Jin Dizang of Jiuhua Mountain, came to Mount Wawu to build Baozang Chan Temple. At that time, the temple housed nearly a hundred monks until it was looted and destroyed in 1937. Today, atop Mount Wawu, which stands 352 meters high, lies a magnificent architectural complex—Baozang Chan Temple. Since 1994, this temple has been built with substantial funds raised voluntarily by devotees and worshippers. Venerable Master Ming Shan, Vice President of the Buddhist Association of China, inscribed a couplet for Baozang Chan Temple: "Heaven-bestowed treasures and earthly splendor form a supreme cultivation site; the realm of Earth Store Bodhisattva and Elder Min—a sacred place." This summarizes the extraordinary beauty of Mount Wawu’s Baozang Temple: layered peaks of emerald green, picturesque valleys and clouds, the perennially flowing spring water of Longchi Pool, and the exceptional aura of a land blessed with outstanding people and natural beauty. Currently, Mount Wawu has been designated as a key scenic area. Road infrastructure and garden construction are underway, including the development of mountain-switchback roads. Baozang Chan Temple on Mount Wawu has officially opened to the public, attracting a constant stream of daily visitors. During temple fairs and Buddhist events, the crowds swell dramatically, sometimes reaching several thousand people.

Mount Wawu Forest Park, integrating tourism and leisure, has accelerated its development. It boasts both a long historical legacy and modern innovation. In the near future, it will form a major tourism layout in Liyang together with Tianmuhu Lake and Nanshan Bamboo Sea—creating a two-mountains-one-lake pattern with north-south synergy—that will collectively highlight the charm of the Yangtze River Delta’s backyard garden.