Nanyue Mountain Scenic Area

Nanyue Mountain Scenic Area

Nanyue Mountain Scenic Area is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Known as the "Famous Mountain of Western Anhui," Nanyue Mountain is located 2.5 kilometers south of Huoshan County and stands at an elevation of 405 meters. The mountaintop covers an area of approximately 1,815 square meters. Legend has it that the mountain's name was conferred by Emperor Wu of Han during his ceremonial visit. To this day, the western gate of the temple still bears the four large characters "Conferred by Emperor Han." The mountain stretches about 2,000 meters from north to south and about 3,000 meters from east to west, with steep southern slopes and gentle northern slopes, and extends southward on both the eastern and western sides of the summit. Originally named Tianzhu Mountain, it is also known as Huo Mountain, Heng Mountain, and in modern times, Little Nanyue.

Surrounded by other peaks, Nanyue Mountain rises abruptly like a pillar holding up the sky, hence it is also called Tianzhu Mountain. The late Tang poet Pi Rixiu, during his travels in Western Anhui, wrote the famous "Ode to Nanyue," describing it as "northern edge touching the land’s corner, majestic as the heavens," "with waters like veins, stones like bones, hollows like bellies, and valleys like joints," offering a detailed depiction of the landscape's rocks, caves, waters, and peaks. The mountaintop once housed ancient structures such as the Yue Temple and the Ten Thousand Volume Hall. The Ten Thousand Volume Hall is said to have been the study site of the Song Dynasty scholar Jiao brothers before their imperial examinations. Though now in ruins, 16 small tile-roofed wooden buildings remain, rebuilt in 1937. The main hall features a plaque inscribed with the name "Little Nanyue" by the renowned calligrapher Gan Renxin. Beside the shrine is a square-shaped pond about ten feet across, with crystal-clear water, commonly known as the "Nanyue Heavenly Pool," once ranked first among the "Eight Scenic Spots of Huo Mountain." Legend says there is a spring beneath the pool connected to the East Sea, where a dragon once dwelled before disappearing. An old poem describes: "The water atop Nanyue Peak meets the sky, lotus flowers submerged in lotus leaves, who knows how many acres of fields the emperor’s conferment could nourish?" On the steep cliffs to the south are two wind caves, large and small. By climbing over rocks, one can reach the cave entrances. The larger cave can accommodate thousands sitting or lying inside, while the smaller one is narrow outside but spacious within, with winding chambers that extend deep inside when lit.

Northwest of the caves are peculiar rocks such as Flagpole Clamps, White Tiger Rock, and Heart-Testing Rock. Among them, Heart-Testing Rock juts out about three meters over a deep abyss, making it extremely perilous. Legend says those with ill intentions fear to climb it. A poem reads: "Mist from the wind caves hangs low over the valleys, the sincere rock’s hues still bewitch, pines and cypresses bury Tang remnants, wild grass and desolate mounds erase Han traces." In the valley north of the mountain is a stone cave, formerly called "Stone Window Cave," where it’s said the Eastern Han hermit Zuo Yuanfang once lived in seclusion. Beside the cave is a deep pool called Dragon Pool. An old poem states: "Imperial rites still echo with inscriptions on the mountain, waves crash before the peaks, a path climbs the steep ladder. The dragon gone, the pool is calm, high winds shroud the ancient cave, as if Zuo Yuanfang still dwells in its chambers." This vividly depicts Nanyue Mountain’s natural scenery and cultural heritage. The eastern slope features the Hundred Steps Stairway; ascending it leads to the mountaintop, where endless mountain ranges stretch to the east, south, and west, while to the north lies the meandering clear waters of the Huoshan ancient and modern cities. The experience, with mountain springs tinkling and the western scenery unfolding, is truly refreshing.

According to the earliest Chinese dictionary explaining word meanings, "Erya," in its chapter "Explaining Mountains": "A great mountain encircling a smaller one is called Huo." "Huo Mountain is the Southern Sacred Mountain." The first part means: a large mountain surrounding a smaller one is called Huo. Later historical texts interpreting "Huo Mountain" mostly follow the "Erya’s" definition. Moreover, besides a mountain near Huozhou in Shanxi, the only place widely recognized as "Huo Mountain" is Huoshan in western Anhui. Modern authoritative dictionaries also cite these two explanations when defining "Huo Mountain." Thus, Nanyue Mountain is also called Huo Mountain. But today, Huo Mountain refers not to Nanyue or any other specific peak, but to the administrative region of Huoshan County.

Gu Zuyu, a renowned historian and geographer of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, recorded in his "Reading of Historical Geography" (Volume 26) about Huo Mountain: "Huo Mountain, five li south of the county, was originally called Tianzhu Mountain, also known as Nanyue Mountain and Heng Mountain. Emperor Wen divided the land of Huainan and established the Kingdom of Hengshan, naming it after this mountain... 'Records of the Cavern Heavens' states that when the Yellow Emperor conferred the Five Sacred Mountains, Hengshan of the South was the farthest, so Qianyue served as its deputy. When Emperor Shun toured the south, he arrived at the Southern Sacred Mountain, which is Huo Mountain. Emperor Wu of Han, relying on prophecies and cosmological charts, also regarded Huo Mountain as the Southern Sacred Mountain, thus worshipping its deity here." Therefore, Nanyue Mountain is also called Heng Mountain. Folklore adds that viewed from the county seat, Nanyue Mountain resembles the Chinese character "Heng," which may hold some truth.

Why is Nanyue Mountain also called "Little Nanyue"? This is because the three characters "Little Nanyue" were personally inscribed in 1936 by Yu Youren, then President of the National Government and a master calligrapher, giving rise to the name. Prior to this, no such name existed in Huoshan’s historical records. Yu Youren likely intended to distinguish it from Heng Mountain in Hunan. Compared to the grand Heng Mountain of Hunan, Huoshan’s Nanyue Mountain could only be the "Little Nanyue." But locals still commonly call it Nanyue Mountain. After 1987, when the provincial government officially designated it as the "Little Nanyue Scenic Area," the name gained widespread use.

Additionally, local folklore near Nanyue Mountain claims it is also called "Buddha Mountain." Because, from a spot called "One Immortal Bridge" on the mountain’s southern side, Nanyue resembles a statue of the Maitreya Buddha. This is said to be the origin of the tale of the Eighteen Arhats Worshipping Nanyue (the Maitreya Buddha). Places named "One Immortal Bridge," "Two Immortal Bridge," "Three Immortal Bridge," and so on, still exist to the mountain’s south.

Nanyue Mountain and its scenic area lie within the northern subtropical warm monsoon climate zone, situated at a mid-latitude on the northern foothills of the Dabie Mountains—a golden transitional belt between the subtropics and warm temperate zones. The climate is warm and humid, with abundant rainfall and distinct seasons. Forests from both north and south intermingle, naturally forming mixed coniferous and broadleaf forests, as well as evergreen and deciduous broadleaf forests. The dominant geological formations are granite and gneiss, with typical gneiss exposed in areas from Flagpole Clamps down to Qinglongjian.

Nanyue Mountain boasts extremely rich flora, fauna, flowers, and medicinal resources. Animals include pangolins, musk deer, yellow goats, small Indian civets, badgers, rabbits, squirrels, green snakes, egrets, pheasants, thrushes, and mountain finches, among dozens of species. There are 68 plant families and over 600 species, including the national first-class protected dawn redwood, and second-class protected species such as the dove tree, silverbell tree, sweet gum, tung tree, ginkgo, and small-leaved cheesewood. Third-class protected species include the torreya, magnolia officinalis, azalea, and elm. Rare and endangered species like the goddess flower, machilus, cyclobalanopsis glauca, and illicium henryi are also found in small quantities. More common trees include blue sandalwood, yellow sandalwood, pine, bamboo, chestnut, elm, evergreen, and tea oil plants, with forest coverage reaching 95%. Fruit trees include cherries, mountain peaches, wild grapes, walnuts, kiwifruit, hawthorn, chestnuts, apricots, and plums. Flowers include orchids, azaleas, crape myrtle, redbud, plum blossoms, and osmanthus. Medicinal plants number over a hundred, such as uniflower swisscentaury, earthworm herb, selfheal, cnidium, honeysuckle, iron buddha, Japanese climbing fern, pyrrosia, arisaema, bupleurum, salvia, polygonatum, polygonatum odoratum, and asarum. The area also has ample water resources, including the mythically enduring Tianchi and Longjing pools, which never dry up even in droughts, along with high-quality mineral water that fully meets local needs.

Archaeological surveys in 1984 uncovered ancient village ruins from the Shang and Zhou dynasties in Huoshan County, indicating human habitation over 3,000 years ago. Thus, Nanyue Mountain’s history dates back at least three millennia. Its long history has given rise to numerous beautiful and moving legends, such as those of Emperor Wu of Han, Lü Dongbin’s connection to Nanyue, the Immortal Couple’s visit, the Eighteen Arhats’ worship, the Eight Immortals’ Sandalwood Tree, the Nine-Twig Ancient Maple, Uniflower Swallowwort, Nanyue Birdsongs, Shen Tea, Nanyue’s Graceful Maiden, and Zhuangyuan Red—each adding mystique to the mountain.

Renowned through the ages, Nanyue Mountain has inspired poets and scholars for centuries, leaving behind the footprints of historical figures and famous literary works. According to the "Book of Documents: Canon of Yao," Emperor Shun once climbed Nanyue. Oracle bone inscriptions from the Shang Dynasty record that Shang kings visited Huo Mountain. In 106 BC, Emperor Wu of Han ascended Nanyue. Gan Bao, a historian and writer of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, wrote in "In Search of the Supernatural" that "the temple on Mount Huo in Qianshan County had four cauldrons, each holding forty hu." During the Yonghe era (345–356 AD) of the Eastern Jin Dynasty, Prime Minister He Chong climbed Nanyue. In the Tianjian era (502–519 AD) of Liang Dynasty Emperor Wu, Prime Minister He Jingrong also visited. The "Three Gaos of the He Clan"—He Qiu, He Dian, and He Yin—famous recluses who declined imperial summons from the Song, Qi, and Liang dynasties, lived in seclusion at Nanyue’s base, dedicating themselves to writing. According to Guo Moruo’s "Li Bai and Du Fu," the poetic immortal Li Bai traveled to Huo Mountain in 748 AD. The late Tang poet Pi Rixiu, after failing the imperial exams in 865 AD, stayed at the Eastern Villa in Shouchun (modern-day Shou County, Anhui) and visited Nanyue, composing the famous "Ode to Huo Mountain," which brought Nanyue fame across China. The Song Dynasty’s Jiao Zhuang, a top imperial scholar from Lu’an, built a study hall on Nanyue and studied in seclusion for three years before passing the exams. The Southern Song anti-Jin general Cao Pingzhang led volunteer troops stationed at Nanyue. The Ming Dynasty literary figure and playwright Feng Menglong left the famous poem "Climbing the Mountain" after visiting Nanyue. A Ming Dynasty scholar from Huoshan, a Hanlin Academy editor…

…Wu Lan, who served as Ministry of Rites official and Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and Hanlin Academy, later retired to Nanyue Mountain’s base, where he and his brother Wu Huai authored several volumes, leaving behind the "Nanyue Mountain Stele Inscription." Zhang Sunzhen, a Huoshan scholar of the late Ming Dynasty and hailed as the "Second Cleanest Official Under Heaven," traveled extensively across Huoshan’s scenic spots, composing many poems. The Southern Ming official Zhang Huangyan stayed on Nanyue while coordinating peasant forces against the Qing. Qing Dynasty poet Zhang Ji from Huoshan, a famed poet of Western Anhui, and female poet Zhu Kunran also visited Nanyue, leaving poems. Wu Tingdong, a Huoshan native who served as Qing Dynasty Vice Minister of Justice, Revenue, and Personnel and achieved top marks in imperial evaluations, climbed Nanyue and wrote the famous "Climbing Nanyue." All have added glory to Nanyue Mountain’s history.

Since the founding of the People’s Republic, leaders of the Party and state, including Kang Keqing, Zhang Jingfu, Wan Li, Li Baohua, Song Jian, Lu Rongjing, Xu Youfang, Ding Shisun, and others, have visited Nanyue Mountain Scenic Area or stayed at Nanyue Mountain Villa. Their presence greatly boosted the area’s fame.

Yang Meiqing, a renowned modern writer and poet from Huoshan, frequently returned home to visit Nanyue, composing numerous poems and couplets praising the mountain and expressing his deep affection for it. Former Minister of Forestry Xu Youfang and former Minister of Culture Wang Meng also inspected Nanyue Mountain and created calligraphy. Notably, the great calligrapher Yu Youren personally inscribed the name "Little Nanyue," while his son-in-law Qu Wu inscribed a long couplet for Nanyue Temple. Zhao Puchu, former Vice Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and Chairman of the Buddhist Association of China, inscribed the name "Nanyue Temple," elevating Little Nanyue’s cultural prestige.

Nanyue Mountain is a historic and ancient scenic area in Huoshan County and Western Anhui. According to the Qing Dynasty "Huoshan County Annals," the old Nanyue Mountain featured attractions like Tianchi, Longqiu, Wind Cave, Stone Window Cave, White Tiger Cliff, and Heart-Testing Cliff; as well as sites like Yufeng Pavilion, Ten Thousand Volume Hall, Yunshihu Rain (an insect name), Lingxiao Tree, and Bitaohua. Today, natural sites like Tianchi, Longqiu (well), Wind Cave, Stone Window Cave, White Tiger Cliff, and Heart-Testing Cliff retain their original charm, but Yufeng Pavilion, Ten Thousand Volume Hall, Lingxiao Tree, and Bitaohua are long gone. Most regrettable is Nanyue Temple. Built in the Han Dynasty over 2,000 years ago, it was one of Western Anhui’s most prestigious ancient temples. In 1986, the Anhui Provincial Planning and Design Institute discovered Han Dynasty bricks on the mountain, confirming historical records. However, Nanyue Temple endured hardships—destroyed multiple times by war in the Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing dynasties, its ancient steles lost, its Buddha statues ruined during the Cultural Revolution, and its structures nearly demolished, causing irreparable loss.

After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th CPC Central Committee, as national development and tourism flourished, the Huoshan County Party Committee and government resolved to build Huoshan into a "tourism-driven county," ushering in a new era for its tourism industry. In recent years, investment has increased, with paved roads built through the Nanyue Mountain Scenic Area, the construction of northern and southern gates, over 1,000 steps up the southern slope, pavilions like Lakeheart Pavilion, Yinsong Pavilion, and Buyun Pavilion, and renovations to the Hundred Steps Stairway. In 1992, the Nanyue Mountain Development Committee was established to restore Nanyue Temple. County leaders led fundraising efforts, and within a year and three months, 16 halls were repaired, walls reinforced, 10 rooms floored with cement, walls repainted, doors and beams varnished, two meditation rooms added, 32 Buddha statues recast, and Tianchi restored. The ancient temple shines anew.

In 1987, approved by the provincial government, the "Little Nanyue Scenic Area" was established as one of the first provincial-level scenic spots. In 1993, the "Little Nanyue Forest Park" was approved by the Forestry Department as a provincial forest park. The "Little Nanyue Scenic Area" spans 4.5 square kilometers, bordered by Caojiachong to the east, Maolingjiao to the south, Shanhewa to the west, and the Martyrs’ Cemetery to the north. Accessible via Zhongxing Road southward then Chuanxian Road, or Huashan Road southwest then the paved road. A wide asphalt road runs north-south, allowing vehicles to reach the mountain’s eastern and southern ascent points. The gentler eastern slope or newly paved stone steps lead to the summit. Nanyue Mountain is the core of the Little Nanyue Scenic Area.

The Little Nanyue Scenic Area blends grandeur, danger, beauty, wonder, ingenuity, and mystery, combining mountains, lakes, gardens, estates, temples, caves, pools, pines, and bamboos. Nature’s craftsmanship makes it uniquely picturesque, with undulating peaks, emerald valleys, ancient temples, steep cliffs, lush forests, fragrant fruits, birdsong, cascading cliffs, serene pools, and misty elegance captivating countless visitors.

Entering the scenic area, a clean asphalt road winds uphill. Within two kilometers, visitors encounter the garden-like Nanyue Villa, the mystical Nine-Twig Ancient Maple, the solemn Martyrs’ Cemetery, the picturesque Pearl Lake, and the classic Tianwang Hall. Hiking up the eastern dirt path from Tudi Hall takes about 30 minutes to reach the Hundred Steps Stairway, with the Cloud-Stepping Pavilion offering rest and views of the ancient city, and Longjing Spring for tasting. Continuing south on the asphalt road leads to the southern gate, passing the mysterious Nanyue Stone Buddha and Two Immortals Rock. Ascending the stone steps from the southern slope, visitors first see the towering Nanyue Archway, then after 700 steps reach Qinglongjian, home to a hexagonal pavilion offering prime views of Nanyue. Another 300 steps past Flagpole Clamps leads to the Hundred Steps Stairway, featuring carvings like "Three Toads Meditating" and "Turtle Probing the Sea," plus Heart-Testing Cliff for adventurers. Before ascending, a rugged path westward leads to the Great Wind Cave. Inside the gate, sights include the Headless Stone Turtle, Nanyue Heavenly Pool, Merit Stele, Nanyue Temple Restoration Inscription, Buddha Hall, TV Tower, and Eight Immortals Sandalwood Tree. Exiting the western gate, the flatland leads to White Tiger Cliff, with a bamboo path to the Small Wind Cave. Northward through rugged trails behind the mountain lies the Stone Window Cave, or the Li Family Village route is easier.

After exploring all attractions, reaching the mountaintop offers a transcendent, otherworldly feeling. Overlooking the surroundings, the southern ranges stretch endlessly, with Zhujiazhai, Lion Mountain, and Taohua Fort nearby. To the north, the ancient and modern cities unfold, with a winding river like white silk, fields like paintings, and lakes like mirrors. Eastward, Zhifeng Mountain stands alone, with Fulan Mountain crouching like a beast. Westward, bamboo seas and pine ridges evoke poetry. The legendary Eighteen Arhats’ Mountain aligns on the northeast and northwest, guarding Nanyue uniquely. The picturesque scenery is truly breathtaking.