Pixue Waterfall

Pixue Waterfall

Pixue Waterfall, anciently known as "Pixue Cave" and also called "Xiangxue Spring," is located at the foot of Bifeng Mountain, 4 kilometers northwest of Tongcheng City, within Shibapan Village, Bifeng Subdistrict Office. The waterfall cascades down like a hanging snow curtain, hence its name. Pixue Waterfall is 900 meters long and divided into three sections: the front section is the "Cascading Falls," about 50 meters long, where the water tumbles and splashes, sending beads and jade-like droplets flying, referred to as the "Front Falls"; the middle section is the "Valley Stream," called "Pixilong," about 800 meters long, where snowy waves surge and rush forward; the rear section is the "Hanging Falls," about 50 meters high, where the water hangs long and crashes down like an avalanche with thunderous roars, referred to as the "Rear Falls." On the left cliff of the Rear Falls, there is a cave named "Pixue Cave." Wu Yongzhen once wrote a poem describing the waterfall scene: "The mighty spirit angrily tests the mountain-splitting hand, iron walls split open with sheer cliffs towering. Within flows a thread of Milky Way, roaring daily like a dragon even in daylight."

Pixue Waterfall boasts beautiful scenery. The "Gujifang Dian" section of the "Gu Jin Tu Shu Ji Cheng" records its wonders: "Bifeng Mountain, with its peaks lined up, features a winding cave. Walking along the stream, the surroundings gradually open up. To the south stands a mountain with cliffs a thousand feet high and grotesque rocks. Below are four caves. Upon reaching the cave entrance, one sees the waterfall hanging from the cliff like a white silk ribbon. Looking up from the front, it resembles a gathering of egrets or the howling of wind and rain—this is the 'Pixue Cave.' On both sides are huge rocks, some sharpened by the water as if blades, others hollowed out as deep as wells, and still others polished clean as tables." "The flying waterfall, unusual rocks, green shades, and clear pools can truly be called a scenic gem near the city."

Inspired by the phrase "not gloomy yet often rainy, scorching summer still feels like snow," a "Shuxue Pavilion" was once built beside the waterfall. According to the "Dai Family Genealogy," Dai Mingshi’s great-grandfather, Dai Zhen, "chose to settle in Longmian, built several rooms, enjoying the beauty of bamboo and trees, and named it 'Tai Gu Shan Fang' (Ancient Mountain House), taking the meaning of Tang Yuexi's 'the mountain is quiet as if in ancient times.' He also found a hanging stream a thousand feet high nearby and built a pavilion called 'Xiangxue Pavilion' (Echoing Snow Pavilion)." A Ming Dynasty poem by Lin Yinlu, "Spring Outing to Pixue Waterfall," reads: "Lofty peaks converge, a clear creek leads the way. Listening to springs on the rocks, viewing bamboos in the mountains. The waterfall flies like snow in sunlight, peach blossoms sway in the evening breeze. The road back to the village ahead is long, the moon casts a hazy shadow." Yao Nai, a renowned writer of the Tongcheng School in the Qing Dynasty, once visited with companions and wrote "Record of Viewing Pixue Waterfall," praising this waterfall as "a wonder of our county."

Pixue Waterfall is divided into three parts: the Front Falls, Pixilong, and the Rear Falls. "The Front Falls are spectacular, the Rear Falls perilous, and Pixilong is long and narrow with unique scenery." The "Tongcheng Continued County Annals" from the Daoguang era of the Qing Dynasty states: "After rain, Pixue Waterfall cascades down, attracting many visitors who leave inscriptions." As early as the Northern Song Dynasty, this place had become a well-known scenic spot, leaving behind stone carvings. The Pixue Waterfall cliff inscriptions are listed as a municipal-level key cultural relic protection unit.