Jinshan Park

Jinshan Park

Jinshan Park is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Jinshan Park is located in the northwest of Zhenjiang city proper, standing 44 meters high with a perimeter of 520 meters, and is three kilometers from the city center. In ancient times, Jinshan was an island situated in the middle of the Yangtze River, described as “where countless rivers flow eastward, one island stands alone,” forming a strategic triangle with Guazhou and Xijin Ferry, serving as a vital north-south passageway. It has long been famous for the line “suddenly rising from the river, it majestically spans across two hundred provinces of the southeast,” and was known as “a lotus blossom on the river.” It was not until the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty that the island became connected to the southern bank, leading to the popular activity of “riding a donkey up Jinshan.” With its naturally stunning landscape and serene beauty, Jinshan has been one of China’s most picturesque scenic spots since ancient times.

　Jinshan has had many names throughout history. Ancient people compared the Yangtze River to a fragrant sea and this mountain to the Seven Golden Mountains mentioned in the Avatamsaka Sutra, hence the name Jinshan (Golden Mountain). Another explanation comes from the "Nine Regions Chronicles" (Jiuyu Zhi) by Wang Cun of the Song Dynasty: the eminent Tang Dynasty monk Fahai traveled here and, in order to restore the temple, cleared the thorny bushes in the mountains every day. One day, he unearthed gold. The local official Li Qi reported this to the emperor, who then decreed that the gold be given to Fahai for the temple’s restoration, and named the mountain Jinshan. Additionally, Jinshan has also been called Zexin Mountain, Fuyu Mountain, Huofu Mountain, Longyou Mountain, and Zijin Mountain. The name Jinshan is also associated with Jinshan Temple, which is ingeniously built along the mountain’s contours, featuring a unique architectural style. The halls and chambers are interconnected, and the pavilions and terraces layer upon layer, blending seamlessly with the mountain to form an ancient architectural complex of striking beauty. The scenery is magnificent and imposing, creating the distinctive feature of a “temple embracing the mountain.” Since the Song Dynasty, there has been a saying that “Jinshan Temple embraces the mountain, while Jiaoshan Mountain embraces the temple.”

Jinshan is also known as the “Mountain of Myths,” as every historical site on the mountain is associated with fascinating legends and stories. The famous classical Chinese myth “The Legend of the White Snake,” including the scene where “the flood engulfs Jinshan Temple,” originates here and is widely circulated among the people, adding a layer of enchantment to this renowned mountain. The “Seven Peaks Pavilion,” a historic site visited by the Song Dynasty general Yue Fei in the novel “The Complete Biography of Yue Fei,” offers pleasant scenery. The classic novel “Water Margin” includes a vivid description of Jinshan’s spectacular landscape in the chapter where “Zhang Shun lies in ambush at Jinshan Temple at night, and Song Jiang captures Runzhou City (present-day Zhenjiang) by strategy.” Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty visited Jinshan many times during their southern tours, leaving behind numerous imperial artifacts. Many folk tales about Emperor Qianlong’s time at Jinshan have further enhanced its fame. Poets, calligraphers, and scholars throughout history—such as Bai Juyi, Li Bai, Zhang Hu, Sun Fang, Su Dongpo, Wang Anshi, Shen Kuo, Fan Zhongyan, Zhao Mengfu, and Wang Yangming—visited the mountain, leaving behind precious inscriptions and widely celebrated poetic verses. Starting from the Tang Dynasty, international visitors came in an endless stream. In the Ming Dynasty, the Japanese monk-painter Sesshū Tōyō stayed on Jinshan for two and a half years and painted scrolls related to the mountain, such as “The Dragon Cruise Chan Temple on Jinshan Island in the Yangtze River during the Great Tang,” which are preserved in the temple.

This small, snail-shaped mountain of Jinshan holds within it countless legendary tales and boundless charm, attracting innumerable domestic and international literati and tourists. Some say, “Visiting Zhenjiang without going to Jinshan is like not having visited Zhenjiang at all.” There is good reason behind this saying, and you will understand its mystery after you tour Jinshan.