Longchi Mountain Scenic Area

Longchi Mountain Scenic Area

Longchi Mountain Scenic Area is located in Mingling Town, 35 kilometers southwest of Yixing City, and is a forest nature reserve in Jiangsu Province. The mountain stands at an elevation of 488 meters, with an average annual temperature of 15.7°C, a forest coverage rate of 95%, and a total area of over 18,000 acres. Situated on the northern edge of the central subtropical zone, it features lush evergreen broad-leaved forests and is home to numerous rare and endangered plants, hence earning the nicknames “Natural Botanical Kingdom” and “Green Oxygen Bar.”

The Longchi Mountain Scenic Area includes a provincial nature plant reserve and historical sites such as “Chengguang Temple” and “Baiyun Temple.” At the mountain’s summit lies Longchi (Dragon Pool). From the heights, one can gaze out at the vast expanse of Taihu Lake with its sailing boats dotting the waters. Watching the sunrise here offers a view as magnificent as that seen from Mount Tai.

Longchi Mountain was approved as one of Jiangsu Province’s first nature reserves in 1981. According to experts, the area is home to 844 species of vascular plants from 491 genera and 144 families, including precious tree species unique to China such as the golden larch and Tianmu magnolia. Due to favorable climate and geographical conditions, the flora here exhibits distinct transitional characteristics: there are both tropical plant species and temperate plants typically found in northeastern and northern China that have made their home here, forming some unique subspecies. Southern genera that are predominantly evergreen have cold-resistant deciduous species here, while northern genera mainly composed of deciduous plants feature evergreen species in this region. Such diversity is rarely seen elsewhere.

Longchi Mountain is also a sacred site for Buddhist activities. The mountain is home to Longchi Nunnery, built in the second year of the Xianchun era of the Song Dynasty (1266), originally named Yumen Chan Monastery. During the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty, a set of the Buddhist canon was bestowed upon it, Empress Dowager Ciren gifted a golden statue of Guanyin and a golden basket, and Emperor Chengzu presented celadon bowls described as “rain-clear sky” ware—all of which are treasured by the monastery. In the Kangxi era of the Qing Dynasty, it was decreed to be named “Chengguang Temple.” In the past, Longchi Nunnery was divided into upper, middle, and lower sections, ranking among the eight great temples of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, and standing as a prominent Buddhist monastery in southern China.