Jilong Mountain and Banyue Lake Scenic Area

Jilong Mountain and Banyue Lake Scenic Area

Jilong Mountain and Banyue Lake Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

In the *Taoist Treatise on Blessed Land and Caves* written by the Taoist Du Guangting, Jilong Mountain is referred to as the "Forty-second Blessed Land." With its continuous mountain ranges and giant rocks atop resembling a lotus flower, it is known as the “most spectacular wonder of the region.” The mountain features attractions such as the “Three Pure Ones Hall,” “South Heaven Gate,” “One-Line Sky,” “Karst Cave,” and “Hundred-Year Gap.” Legend has it that during the late Eastern Han Dynasty, three eminent monks—Jinfo, Jinqian, and Jinkun—attained enlightenment and became Buddhas here. Later generations built the “Three Pure Ones Hall” in their honor, enshrining them as the Three Mao Patriarchs. Their statues are displayed in the hall, flanked by the Eighteen Arhats. A large bell weighing one thousand jin (approximately 500 kg) and a drum with a diameter of nearly two meters hang inside. On the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month, worshippers flock to the mountain to pray, earning it the title “Little Jiuhua Mountain of the North.” Throughout history, poets and figures such as Li Bai, Xu Ze, Li Sicong, Yang Wanli, He Zhu, Zhu Yuanzhang, Zhuang Chang, Wang Yuanhan, Dai Zhong, and Tang Maogang have all left poetic inscriptions here. Among them, Li Bai wrote in his poem *Song of General Jin, the Gallant Warrior of Linyang*: “In ancient times, the Linyang Commandery turned into vast rivers. The landscape coils with hidden dragons and tigers. For thousands of years it has gathered and released energies, with winds and clouds swirling mightily. Then was born General Jin, whose strength surpassed a hundred men.” Tang poet Xu Hun wrote in *Inscription at the Hermitage of Master Qin on Mount Linyang*: “By twenty, he mastered arms in the Imperial Guard; in mid-life, he grasped the strategy of Zhang Liang. A hawk soars past borderlands, bringing peace; a white crane returns to deep Chu waters. Wine bottles float with herbal scents in spring; chessboards are brought out under evening pines. There are many heights to climb on Jilong Mountain, yet the wild polygonatum roots remain elusive.” Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang composed *Ascending Jilong Mountain*:

“Having hunted west of the hills, I sit beneath my banner; one mountain rises while all others seem low. Towering boulders stand like pillars of heaven, propping up the old sky which knows it well.”

In the early Tang Dynasty, numerous temples were scattered across and around the mountain. However, after years of war, most of the original structures were destroyed. By the founding of the People’s Republic of China, 37 temple buildings remained, housing over a hundred Buddha statues and hosting dozens of monks. During the Cultural Revolution (“0”), both the temples and the statues were demolished. After 1978, the county government allocated funds for restoration, repaving the mountain path from the foot to the summit with stone slabs and installing steel pipe railings. The Fenglin Chan Temple was also renovated and now houses seven Buddha statues. A stone stele from the 13th year of the Republic of China (1924), the *Fenglin Chan Temple Stele Inscription*, still remains. The site now welcomes a large number of pilgrims and tourists every year. Jilong Mountain has been officially designated as a national first-class forest park.