Yangjiaodong Scenic Area

Yangjiaodong Scenic Area

Yangjiaodong Scenic Area is an offshoot of Mount Yandang. Before being incorporated into Mount Yandang, it was long known by its own name—Fangshan—and had its own founding patriarch.

The area’s series of caves and other structures, filled with Taoist and shamanistic vibes, make it the most representative of Chinese folk religious culture among the eight major scenic areas of Mount Yandang.

Covering a total area of just 3 square kilometers, it is the smallest scenic area in Mount Yandang. Yet it boasts a complete set of peaks, cliffs, caves, waterfalls, pools, and lakes, serving as a delicate microcosm of Mount Yandang. It mainly consists of two parts: Yangjiaodong and Shuanglong Valley, with key attractions including Keng, Zitingzhang, and Wanxiangzhang.

Yangjiaodong: Its name comes from its resemblance to the shape of a goat’s horn. There are three explanations: one says it’s because the cave entrance looks like a goat’s horn, another says it’s due to the Goat Horn Well located on the right inside the cave, and the third says it’s because of the Goat Horn Rock situated on the left front outside the cave.

This cave has long been a site for Taoist cultivation. Legend has it that the Han Dynasty Taoist immortal Master Ziyang (Zhou Yishan) and the Song Dynasty’s Xiang Xi both attained enlightenment and ascended to immortality here. By the Qing Dynasty, the construction of the cave area began to take shape. By the mid-Guangxu period, it saw further significant development, and the Jade Toad Palace (named after a huge toad-shaped rock on the right side of the cave entrance) was built.

In the early years of the Republic of China, structures such as the Ziyang Tower and Xiagao Tower were added. During the Cultural Revolution, these buildings were mostly demolished. In recent years, the ancient yet elegant Main Hall, Abbot’s Tower, and Scripture Depository have been rebuilt, along with three new one-story-with-attic auxiliary halls.

The three main halls built in the late 1980s enshrine the “Three Pure Ones,” General Yang Ye, and Yang Da’lang. In the winter of 1991, the statues in the halls were replaced with stone carvings. On the rock face at the center of the hall, a stone niche about 6 meters wide and 1 meter deep was carved. From right to left along the wall, seven statues were sculpted: Laozi, Yuan Shi Tian Zun, Ling Bao Tian Zun, General Yang Ye, Madame Yang, Yang Qilang, and the founding patriarch Chen Tiyang.