Hidden Dragon Mountain

Hidden Dragon Mountain

Hidden Dragon Mountain

Hidden Dragon Mountain is located in Tian’ao Village, Jiantiao Town, covering an area of approximately 2 square kilometers. The mountain boasts abundant flora and fauna, including rare protected species such as civets, owls, black deer, Lund fish, tree frogs, sandalwood, and camphor trees. Among them, the Tianguan Brush Tree—so rare that even the Zhejiang Botanical Garden lacks it—is widely distributed here. According to locals, the sap of this tree is an excellent hair care product.

The scenic spots on the mountain range from west to north, including Toad Leaping onto the Heavenly Terrace, Fairy Maiden Rock, Heavenly Boat, Buddha’s Hand Peak, Heavenly Rubbing Rock, Sky-Reaching Rock, Copper Hammer Rock, Number One Scholar Flower, Phoenix Crown Peak, and Heaven-Piercing Sword. Visitors can hike up the mountain via the Azure Dragon Ridge, the path taken by Wen Tianxiang. The first sight upon entering is the “Heavenly Gate.” A 70-degree steep cliff wall rises sharply into the mountainside, where two stone slabs stand upright like a gate. The top of the gate is nearly level with the mountain peak, standing about a hundred meters high. This is the iconic “Heavenly Gate” of Hidden Dragon Mountain, also known as the Number One Scholar Flower. It earned its name because one side of the stone gate resembles an upright palm with fingers of varying heights, which also looks like the ceremonial headwear of a scholar. The other side of the gate features a massive round boulder at the top and a round stone pillar at the base, hence it is also called the Copper Hammer.

The most beautiful and concentrated area of Hidden Dragon Mountain is the Sky-Reaching Rock scenic zone. The zone features sheer cliffs, peculiar rocks, and rugged stones. The Buddha’s Hand Peak stretches toward the sky with fingers spread about 1.5 meters apart, forming a natural “sky-viewing” gap. To the right of the Buddha’s Hand Rock is the Heavenly Eagle Rock. Nearby, a thousand-foot-high cliff forms a narrow stone crevice, at the top of which is wedged a large square rock. On this rock grows a century-old olive tree, laden with fruit. Inside the crevice, there is a natural stone staircase trail that leads to the mountaintop above and to a horizontal cave in the cliff below. This cave is about 15 meters long and only wide enough for one person to crawl out on their knees. Exiting the cave leads to a valley, where many rock formations resemble various shapes.