Han Yan

Han Yan

Sunset at Han Yan: About a hundred steps to the left of the cave, there is a cliff as solid as a barrier, about a hundred meters high. A cascade of flying water sprays and scatters, resembling pearls and foam, sometimes sparse, sometimes dense. When the setting sun shines on it, the droplets glisten brilliantly. Especially after a sudden rain, a rainbow hangs between the rock walls, dazzling and incredibly beautiful. [Intro

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Han Yan, the largest cave in Tiantai Mountain, is known as the "Han Yan Cave Heaven." It is 15 meters high and 18 meters wide. Originally called the Stone Embracing Cave, it was later renamed "Qianzhen Cave" (Hidden Truth Cave) because the great Song Dynasty calligrapher Mi Fu inscribed the characters “Qian Zhen” (潛真, meaning “Hidden Truth”) inside the cave.

The renowned vernacular hermit poet Hanshan from the Tang Dynasty once lived here for a long time. The site of Han Yan Temple can be found in front of the cave.

Inside Han Yan Cave, there are naturally formed rocks resembling a "tortoise" and a "snake" standing guard. In particular, the stone snake is as thick as a pillar, emerging from the ground and raising its head toward the sky—strikingly lifelike.

At the cave entrance lies a large rock called the "Meditation Stone," where Hanshan used to sit in meditation. On the right side of the mountain above Han Yan Cave, two cliffs face each other with a stone bridge spanning between them. The bridge arch is five or six meters high, and since there is no water beneath it in winter, it is called the Dry Stone Beam, also known as the "Magpie Bridge."