Lanke Mountain

Lanke Mountain

As early as over two thousand years ago during the Spring and Autumn Period, Lanke Mountain was called Kongshi Mountain. It later became known as Lanke Mountain due to the widespread myth from the Jin Dynasty about “Wang Zhi encountering immortals and watching a game of Go while his axe handle rotted away.” It has a history of more than 1,670 years. Lanke Mountain integrates the cultures of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. In the "Records of the Blessed Land and Immortal Caves," Tang Dynasty’s Du Guangting referred to “Lanke Mountain as one of the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands,” naming it the “Blessed Land of Lanke.” Taoism regards this mountain as a sacred site for spiritual cultivation, ranking it as the “Eighth Grotto-Heaven of Azure Radiance.” The Baoyan Temple on Lanke Mountain was built in the seventh year of the Datong era during the Liang Dynasty (541). During the Tang and Song dynasties, many eminent monks resided here to preach Buddhism. Due to the beautiful legend of “Wang Zhi encountering immortals and watching a game of Go while his axe handle rotted away,” it became a legendary Go paradise where “a day in the cave equals a thousand years in the world,” earning widespread fame across Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. In May 1993, the National Go Championship was held here; in June 1995, the Sixth National “Tianshen Cup” China Go King Tournament commenced once again; and in September 2006, the Lanke Cup China Go Champions Tournament took place at this Go paradise, where chess king Ma Xiaochun and seven other top players once again brought the Go culture of this sacred site to new heights.