Wuxia Cave

Wuxia Cave

Fifteen kilometers from the county town, on the side of the provincial highway (Nanling–Tongling Road) near Mashan Mountain, stands the ancient Wuxia Temple. Behind the temple, on the rocky cliff, lies the renowned Wuxia Cave. Also known as Wuxia Cave (literally Five-colors Cave), or commonly referred to as Crow Cave, it is a scenic highlight of the county and is listed in the *Chinese Scenic Spots Dictionary*. Surrounded by rolling hills, Wuxia Cave is nestled along a serene, winding path. Set beneath towering cliffs, the area features steep peaks, rugged rocks, fragrant grass, and delicate orchids exuding their fragrance. Natural rock formations such as Rhinoceros Gazing at the Moon, Cat Playing with Mouse, Boy Worshipping Buddha, Turtle Watching the Sky, and Five Horses Around the Trough are fascinating sights, along with other marvels like Immortal’s Bridge, Closed-Door Stone, and Monkey Cave. These wonders captivate the eye one after another... In front of the cave stands a two-courtyard temple called Wuxia Temple [now inscribed with a name by Zhang Kaifan], which was built during the Northern Song Dynasty. Though destroyed and rebuilt multiple times, it was restored after the liberation and is now a provincially protected key temple.

Wuxia Cave — “surrounded by rolling hills, nestled along a serene, winding path, and set beneath towering cliffs” (as described in the *Chinese Scenic Spots Dictionary*). The area around the cave features steep peaks, rugged rocks, fragrant grass, and delicate orchids that waft their fragrance; strange rocks shaped like turtles, snakes, crouching beasts, and coiled creatures present a thousand charming forms. Inside the cave, interconnected passages twist up and down, each with its own distinctive character. Outside the cave, spectacular landscapes abound: Rhinoceros Gazing at the Moon, Cat Playing with Mouse, Boy Worshipping the Goddess of Mercy, Turtle Watching the Moon, Five Horses Around the Trough, and The Doctorate Student all form naturally vivid and lifelike scenes. Immortal’s Bridge with its Iron Threshold, Monkey Cave with its natural charm, and the uniquely formed "Eight Immortals Stone," the mirror-like "Moon Cave," and the human-footprint resembling "Goddess of Mercy’s Stepping Stone" all possess strikingly realistic shapes and moving beauty. Coupled with naturally fitting and beautifully legendary folk tales, a visit here leaves one enchanted and spellbound.

The *Stele for Renovating Divine Statues* from the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty praised Wuxia, saying: “Among all, I admire the cave named ‘Wuxia’ in the land of the Five Pines. With walls suspended in midair, layered peaks rising gracefully, clouds swirling at the valley’s mouth, and celestial aura lingering within the cave, the naturally formed pavilions make it no less than a separate paradise akin to Peach Blossom Spring.” Wuxia once sheltered Chen Zhu, a famous recluse of the Northern Song Dynasty. He secluded himself here, befriending the mountains and the forests, planting bamboo and tung trees, and writing the world’s first classic work on plants — the *Tung Tree Treatise*.