Lianyungang Phoenix Mountain Scenic Area

Lianyungang Phoenix Mountain Scenic Area

The Lianyungang Phoenix Mountain Scenic Area is a national AA-level tourist attraction.

Phoenix Mountain was originally an island in the sea, referred to by ancient literati as the "Penglai of the Sea" and the "Jewel of the East."

Nancheng Town is located in the southwest corner of Yuntai Mountain in Lianyungang City, facing Kongwang Mountain. It serves as the southern gateway to both Lianyungang City and Yuntai District, making its geographical location highly strategic. To the east lies Phoenix East Mountain, rolling like a painted screen, while to the west stands Phoenix West Mountain, its verdant ridges like dark-hued eyebrows. Nancheng is nestled right within the embrace of two phoenixes spreading their wings.

Phoenix Mountain was first connected to the mainland during the Qing Dynasty. Starting from the seventh year of the Qin Shi era during the Northern and Southern Dynasties (471 AD), when Emperor Ming Liu Yu established Donghai County here, Nancheng has been an important coastal defense stronghold throughout various dynasties. The channel between Phoenix West Mountain and Haizhou’s Kongwang Mountain was once a perilous strait, and the ferry crossing between them was initially called “Heifengkou” (“Black Wind Pass”) and “Tianfengdu” (“Calm Wind Ferry”). A structure called “Shiye Ting” (“Field Outing Pavilion”) was built on Phoenix West Mountain, and together with “Chengcha Ting” (“Raft Crossing Pavilion”) on Kongwang Mountain, they served as resting spots for our ancestors crossing the sea.

Jade Emperor Palace

At the summit of the eastern part of Phoenix Mountain in Nancheng stands the Jade Emperor Palace. Originally built in the fifth year of the Kaihuang era of the Sui Dynasty (585), it is the oldest Taoist temple in the Haizhou region. The palace enshrined the main deity, the Jade Emperor, but was later destroyed by Japanese aircraft. In the late 19th century, local people raised funds to restore the Jade Emperor Palace along with the Guanyin Hall, Sanyuan Hall, and the Child-Giving Goddess Hall. The front gate pillars of the Jade Emperor Palace are relics from the Sui Dynasty, dating back over 1,400 years. On the east side of the courtyard is “Turan Cave,” featuring inscriptions reading “Turan Cave” in regular script, with the upper inscription reading “First Spring of the 35th Year of the Republic of China (1946)” and the lower inscription “Ga Zhuoran from Funing.”

To the upper right of the “Turan Cave” is an inscription of a poem: “Reflections Upon Visiting Turan Cave: The Japanese pirates from the East harass our land, digging tunnels and raiding in vain. After eight years of bloody war, our nation’s shame is washed away, and the rivers and mountains are restored under the light of sun and moon. Let us never forget the peril and continue to strive; let us remain strong and self-reliant across the universe.” — Signed by Gao Jie of Ancient Yan State.

To the upper right of the “Turan Cave” is another inscription: “Inscription on Turan Cave: Foolish Japanese invaders, brutal and reckless. Justice cannot tolerate this—only this cave remains. Spring of the 35th Year of the Republic of China, Gao Jianhua.” The fourth inscription, directly above the cave entrance, reads: “Inscription on Turan Cave. Only meant as a hiding place, the Japanese plan has run its course. One day they’ll flee like rats, leaving this empty cave in the mountain. Spring of the 35th Year of the Republic of China, Wu Bainian.” These inscriptions on the Turan Cave express the Chinese people’s hatred toward the Japanese invaders and the national sentiment that the nation’s shame must never be forgotten.

Xielu Mountain

The westernmost peak is called Xielu Mountain, named after Xie Lu, the leader of the peasant uprising army during the Han Dynasty, who once stationed troops here. This claim is not unfounded, as it can be found in many historical texts, such as the “Taiping Yulan,” compiled in the early Northern Song Dynasty, which cites the “Jun Guo Zhi” under the entry for “Xielu Mountain”: “There is Xielu Mountain in Donghai Commandery. According to records, during Wang Mang’s reign, Xu Xuan and Xie Lu from Donghai defeated Wang Mang’s general Tian Kuang in battle, then garrisoned troops here, hence the name Xielu Mountain. It is located one li west of the county.” The “county west” here refers to the west of what was then Donghai County, which aligns quite well with today's geographic orientation and distance.

Bixia Palace

Although Phoenix West Mountain is not large, it was densely dotted with temples, including the Yao Temple, Guan Sheng Temple, Zhenwu Temple, Nanyue Temple, Qingyuan Palace, and Bixia Palace, among others. Among these, the most magnificent was Bixia Palace, whose entire structure was built along the mountain terrain, tier upon tier, stretching from halfway up the slope all the way to the summit. Over time, most have been lost to ruin, and in modern times only Bixia Palace survived. Tragically, during the Japanese massacre of Nancheng residents—when 17 locals were killed in a single incident—the then abbot of Bixia Palace, Monk Wang, was filled with righteous fury, wrote a blood-letter of a thousand words, and died in protest. Bixia Palace was subsequently reduced to rubble. The current Bixia Palace is merely a recent reconstruction and can hardly match the grandeur of its former self. Fortunately, three stone inscriptions from the Qing and Republican periods remain well-preserved. They include the Qing Dynasty calligrapher and scholar Qian Yong’s “Xi Jia” (“Evening Beauty”), Governor of the Grand Canal during the Qianlong era Guan Ganren’s “Fu Kan Dong Ming” (“Overlooking the East Sea”), and the three-line poem by water conservancy expert Wu Tongju.