Xie Gong Trail

Xie Gong Trail

In Xinchang County, there is an ancient post road originally pioneered by Xie Lingyun, a poet from the Southern Dynasties—later referred to as the Xie Gong Trail. It now starts from Taoyuan Village in Bamao Town, traverses Tianmu Mountain, and reaches Guanlingtou. Along this long ancient trail, there are many historic relics, such as the ruins of the Tianmu Temple, fragmented steles recording historical information about Tianmu Mountain (Temple), and touching legends (stories): such as Liu Ruan Meeting Immortals at Liumenwu, and the story of Tang Dynasty Taoist Sima Chengzhen, who deeply regretted descending from the mountain when he reached a stone bridge in Ban Zhu. He dismounted and stopped there, and ever since, people have called that bridge Luoma Bridge (Sima Hui Bridge).

Xie Lingyun wrote about opening the mountain path and composing poetry: “I lodge in Shan at dusk, and at dawn I climb Tianmu Ridge. Towering into the clouds, when will I ever return?” It became a sacred destination for Li Bai and many literati throughout the ages who came to compose poetry, leaving behind numerous timeless masterpieces. This has made Tianmu Mountain an even more admired and向往 place.

“Tianmu Mountain connects with the sky, towering over the Five Sacred Mountains and overshadowing Chicheng. The forty-eight thousand zhang of Tiantai Mountain seem to lean southeast in its presence.” This famous poem by Li Bai praises the awe-inspiring presence of Tianmu Mountain. Tianmu Mountain is the dominant peak of Xinchang. Located about 30 kilometers southeast of the county, it consists of peaks such as Boyunjian, Xijian, and Dajian. It is recognized as the 16th and 60th blessed lands of Taoism, featuring layered ridges and countless shapes, majestic against the sky.

Guarding the northern pass of Tianmu Mountain, there was once a treacherous bird path to climb, but now a mountain road winds upward. The plateau atop the ridge enjoys a cool climate. Five kilometers past Huishuling, you can see the main peak of Tianmu Mountain, Boyunjian, named for the clouds that often envelop its summit. Looking back from the mountain, the surrounding peaks appear small, with two major mountains to the north—Bajiao and Ban Zhu (i.e., Dajian and Xijian)—standing in the distance. To the south, mountains such as Wanghui, Niugu, and Wannian stretch and wind downward, while to the southwest, Lotus Peak bows at your feet. On the mountain, there are formations such as Laolai Rock, Tianmu Eagle, Tianmu Steamed Bun, Crouching Ox Rock, and Chicken Cage Rock.

The post road came from Kuaiji, entered Xinchang territory via Huangni Bridge in Shengzhou, and extended from the old east gate of Xinchang City to the border of Tiantai County. The ancient post road of Xinchang was 90 li in total length. Currently, the long street that crosses Ban Zhu, the stone steps of Huishuling, and the mountain path from Tianmu Temple to Lengshuikeng still retain the original appearance of the post road. The remnants of small post stations along the road, such as Xiaoshipu and Guanlingpu, still show traces of the old stations. The section of the post road that passes through Taoyuan, crosses Tianmu, and reaches Guanlingtou is 35 kilometers long. This road was originally pioneered by the Southern Dynasties poet Xie Lingyun, hence it is also called the “Xie Gong Trail.” This ancient post road is dotted with many relics passed down through the ages, such as the Peach Blossom Cave where Liu Ruan met immortals and Sima Hui Bridge. Today, roughly parallel to this ancient post road is National Highway 104.

Taoyuan lies to the east of Wozhou and to the south of Tianmu, representing the essence of the famous “Tang Poetry Road of Eastern Zhejiang.” It is said that this area was once the site where Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao from Shanyin during the Han Dynasty ventured into Tianmu Mountain to gather herbs and encountered immortals. Sites include the Herb-Gathering Path, Immortal Cave, Chessboard Stone, and Melancholy Stream. Further upstream along the stream, the Sima Hui Bridge at the entrance of Ban Zhu Village marks the spot where the Tang Dynasty recluse Sima Chengzhen had a moment of enlightenment before leaving the mountain. Together, these elements form the delicate and mysterious landscape of Taoyuan. During the Southern Dynasties, Xie Lingyun, while serving in Yongjia, cut through forests and opened paths, composing a large number of landscape poems and becoming the progenitor of ancient landscape poetry. Later, generations of poets visited and left behind timeless works, such as Li Bai’s “Dream Journey to Tianmu Mountain: A Farewell Poem.”

Wanma Du is located in Ruyao Town, Xinchang County, 40 kilometers from the county seat. It lies in a valley between two towering mountains. There is a large stream filled with round, smooth stones of varying weights, ranging from nearly one hundred kilograms to tens of thousands of kilograms. The stones come in different colors—golden yellow, reddish-brown, and mostly bluish-white. Tens of thousands of massive boulders move in groups, streaming down the hillside for two or three kilometers. On rainy days, standing atop the mountain and looking down, you can see the mountain torrents surging, crashing against the boulders, splashing white waves and making roaring sounds like the shouts of thousands of soldiers or the galloping of ten thousand horses—majestic and spectacular. The environment here is also very serene, with green mountains and clear waters, and small bridges forming a beautiful landscape painting. In the distance, the Tianmu Mountain range undulates, dotted with red maples and green bamboos. Among the dense foliage, a huge rock juts out alone, with a massive boulder on its peak, resembling a bird’s beak—called “Bird Beak Rock.” Locals also call it “Wind-Moving Rock,” because when the wind blows strongly, the boulder seems to sway, as if it might fall from the sky, appearing quite perilous. Brave visitors can climb to the top and push the rock, which surprisingly does wobble. However, mysteriously, despite enduring centuries of storms, the “Bird Beak Rock” has remained standing firmly atop the mountain, thrilling yet safe. Wanma Du also features other rock formations such as Chaoban Rock.

Under a small stone bridge lies a naturally flat large rock, on which three large vermilion lacquered clerical script characters are carved: “Wan Ma Du” (Ten Thousand Horses Crossing). Each character is as big as a bun and vigorous in style. They were inscribed by Wu Xianchen from Putian, Fujian, in November of the 21st year of the Wanli era (1593) of the Ming Dynasty, and engraved here three years later. Bathed in sunlight, the three characters shine brightly, standing out spectacularly. Visitors flock here to take photos with the inscribed stone.

Entering the Yuzhu Pit Natural Village in Jiyuan Temple, Ruyao Town, and walking two or three li, you’ll find steep cliffs on both sides and dense forests. The stream is filled with strange rocks and cascading pools. There are many unique waterfalls—such as Tiger Roar Waterfall, Dragon Roar Waterfall, Blushing Waterfall, Horseback Waterfall, and Five-Tier Waterfall—and equally unusual pools—like Winnowing Basket Pool, Rice Sieve Pool, Gold Ingot Pool, Square Pool, and Big Dragon Pool. Two pools are especially peculiar: one is “Dashu Pool,” where the fast-flowing waterfall and deep pool cause water to splash upward, resembling a pot of just-boiled porridge steaming hot. The other is “Dieluoshui,” where the waterfall plunges abruptly from a cliff over 30 meters high. Over centuries of erosion, some of the rugged rocks in the stream have been shaped like farming tools—pestles, wooden spoons, rolling pins, millstones—while others resemble animals: lions, tigers, cats, dogs... Around Longtan Pit, you can find plants like chlorophytum and fish-leech grass. The best time to visit Longtan Pit is the day after heavy rain. The stream water surges through the rugged rocks, rushing down violently, like ten thousand horses galloping—a truly spectacular sight.