Golden Rooster Crowing at the Heavenly Gate

Golden Rooster Crowing at the Heavenly Gate

Introduction: When looking up from Banzhong Temple toward the waist of Tiandu Peak, you can see a rock resembling a rooster on Lao Ren Peak. Its head faces the threshold of the Heavenly Gate, with wings spread as if ready to crow. On the rock wall by the roadside of Banzhong Temple, the five characters “空中闻天鸡” (“A Heavenly Rooster Heard in the Air”) are carved. This peculiar rock is also associated with a touching folk legend: In ancient times, along the banks of a small stream under Ziyun Rock in Huangshan, there lived two poor families—the Yinmei family and the Jingge family. Jingge and Yinmei would go up the mountain together every day to dig for herbs and pick tea leaves. As time passed, they grew inseparable. One day, as they arrived at the stream together, Jingge played the bamboo flute while Yinmei sang mountain songs. Unbeknownst to them, the Jade Emperor of Heaven was also visiting Huangshan that day. Hearing Yinmei’s nightingale-like singing, he decided he wanted to take her as a concubine. After Jingge and Yinmei parted and returned home, celestial soldiers sent by the Jade Emperor arrived at Yinmei’s house and told her that the Jade Emperor wished to marry her. Yinmei refused to comply, even at the cost of her life. The next day, just as Yinmei and Jingge were about to be wed, a sudden fierce wind blew, lightning flashed, and thunder roared. The celestial soldiers descended into their home, seized Yinmei, and took her away. Jingge chased them all the way to Lao Ren Peak but could no longer see Yinmei. He cried out her name toward the Heavenly Gate, calling her name nonstop for forty-nine days. Then, after a storm, Jingge transformed into a large golden rooster that crowed loudly, its voice piercing the skies. His sorrowful and piercing cries caused the Heavenly Gate to collapse, leaving only one side of the threshold—which became what is now known as the “Heavenly Gate Threshold.” The golden rooster also turned into a peculiar rock, forever facing the Heavenly Gate through which Yinmei had passed. This is the amazing sight we see today: a grand golden rooster gazing eternally at the Heavenly Gate Threshold. A modern poet wrote of the scene: “A heavenly visitor with wings yet unfurled, / Has stood like jade for thousands of years. / Unafraid of wind or rain, its heroic form / Crows daily at the Heavenly Gate without end.”

Anhui, Huangshan City