Shimenyan Scenic Area

Shimenyan Scenic Area

Shimenyan Scenic Area, located at the eastern foot of Wuzhai Back Mountain in Xingguang Village, Chuanchang Town, Nanjing County, spans over ten square kilometers and features three caves and eighteen scenic spots.

Shimenyan has a rich historical and cultural heritage. In 1986, stone adzes, pointed stone tools, and other artifacts were unearthed in the Water Curtain Cave within the scenic area. These relics were identified as remnants of a Neolithic cave dwelling site. During the Tang Dynasty's Chuigong era, Chen Yuanguang entered Fujian to quell unrest, and the local She ethnic group leader Liu Xie led his people to occupy these strategic caves, lurking in the mountain valleys and forests to resist government forces—a story still widely told among locals. Later, during the Tang Dynasty, the eminent monk Chan Yuan traveled from Jiangxi to this area on a alms-seeking journey. Captivated by the serene mountains, lush forests, unique caves, and beautiful scenery, he built a hut on Shiyin Mountain within the scenic area. He then raised funds to develop the caves, clear paths, dig ponds for lotus flowers, plant plum trees and bamboo, and construct pavilions and temples, thus creating the earliest attractions of Shimenyan. Later generations honored him as the “founding patriarch.”

The unique landscapes of Shimenyan can be described as naturally miraculous. Highlights include the Spiral Cave, stretching over 400 meters, and the Huaiyin Cave, which remains warm in winter and cool in summer. The cave scenery is ever-changing: in early spring, green grass and blooming flowers blanket the hills, with fragrant mountain air and murmuring springs, resembling a heavenly paradise on Earth; during the transition from winter to spring, when mists shroud the peaks, the layered rocks and pavilions appear and disappear intermittently, evoking images of a mystical mountain rising from the sea. In the 25th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1886), Meng Zhenyu, the magistrate of Nanjing County, left inscriptions such as “Deer Garden” and “Leopard’s Hide.” Wu Duo, father of Zhuang Hengyang—sub-prefect of Huai-Xu-Hai during the Qing Dynasty—composed “Song of Shimen” and “Ode to Shimenyan,” vividly describing the area’s landscapes.