Jinzi Mountain

Jinzi Mountain

Located in the southeastern corner of Linhai City, Zhejiang Province, Jinzi Mountain rises over a hundred meters high, bordered by streets on three sides and facing the Ling River to the south. It features two peaks standing tall with a valley sinking between them. Legend has it that when the immortal Huanghua ascended to heaven, his fallen headdress formed this mountain, and the words "Site of the Fallen Headdress" are still carved on the cliff face.

The mountain looks like a qilin when viewed from the east and a crouching ox from the west. At the summit, two towers have stood side by side for a thousand years, known as the large and small "Wenfeng Towers," built during the Tang Dynasty. On the mountainside stands the Nanshan Hall Tower, while to the west lies the Duobao Tower. With one Buddha figure per brick, the tower houses over a thousand statues, hence also called the "Thousand-Buddha Tower." The presence of four towers on one mountain is quite rare. At the mountaintop, two peaks face each other, each crowned with a tower, known as the large and small Wenfeng Towers. Both were originally built in the Tang Dynasty and later reconstructed in the fourth year of the Tongzhi reign during the Qing Dynasty (1865). On the southwestern side of the western peak stands the Nanshan Hall Tower, built in the 43rd year of the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty (1615). It stands slender and straight like a bamboo shoot, paired with an ancient camphor tree to its left, forming a charming contrast between delicate and sturdy forms. To the north of Nanshan Ridge lies another tower, constructed in the third year of the Yuandade era (1299). The mountain is covered with dense woods and boasts serene, picturesque scenery. Notable attractions include the Sanyuan Palace, Nanshan Hall, Jinshan Temple, Tianning Temple, Mao'an Hermitage, Wangjiang Tower, Tingtao Pavilion, Cuiwei Pavilion, and over 40 Ming Dynasty cliff inscriptions. The site has long been a renowned mountain for both Taoist and Buddhist worship.