Dian Deng Mountain

Dian Deng Mountain

Dian Deng Mountain is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

In Taiping Town, Zhao’an County, stands a legendary mountain — Dian Deng Mountain. With an elevation of 894 meters, it is located 25 kilometers from the county seat and covers a total area of 9.12 square kilometers. The mountain boasts magnificent and enchanting natural landscapes, rich and diverse cultural sites, and numerous folk tales that carry profound cultural significance. Over the years, it has attracted a continuous stream of domestic and international visitors, becoming a popular destination for sightseeing, pilgrimage, hiking, adventure, and summer retreats.

Dian Deng Mountain is specifically situated in the central area among several villages, including Dabu Village and Hebian Village. The most convenient and scenic route to the mountain is from Dabu Village. Along the way, visitors can enjoy a full view of the Zhao’an East River, which winds gracefully, as if presenting the mountain with a “khata” — a beautiful and auspicious gesture.

Dian Deng Mountain has now been developed into a tourist area. Here, mountains embrace water and water winds around mountains. All year round, various subtropical plants thrive lush and green. Orchids grow along mountain streams, sprouting from rocks; valley waterfalls flow year-round. As visitors ascend step by step, the murmuring streams flow down the mountain slopes, creating picturesque scenery at every turn. From a distance, Dian Deng Mountain appears majestic and imposing, with a powerful aura. Up close, birds soar through the valleys, greenery blankets the hills, flowers and fruits abound, and the air is fragrant. Tropical rainforests stretch continuously from the mountaintop to the foothills, with forest coverage reaching up to 90%.

Upon entering Dian Deng Mountain and ascending along the mountain path, visitors can explore attractions such as the Dian Deng Forest Sea, Stone Foot Tub, Guanyin Sending Child Peak, Maiden Cave, Golden Lamp Temple, Ming Lamp Temple, Yingzi Pavilion, Fairy Sisters’ Palace, Heavenly Lion Human Face Peak, Frog Stone, Bajie Peak, and Turtle Stone. Each mountain has its wonders, and every rock presents a scene, some faintly visible, resembling humans or objects, giving rise to numerous myths and legends.

Chen Diaoyan, the leader of a peasant uprising army, and his sister waged a courageous resistance against the Yuan Dynasty here, leaving behind many moving stories. Dian Deng Mountain is a renowned peak steeped in solemn and tragic history.

In the late Song and early Yuan dynasties, a peasant uprising army roamed through southern Fujian and eastern Guangdong, shaking the rule of the Yuan Dynasty and sustaining their fight for six years. Their leader was Chen Diaoyan, a native of Baiye Village, Taiping Town, Zhao’an County. The General History of China records General Chen’s bravery, righteousness, chivalrous character, exceptional skills, and the support he garnered from the people. His younger sister, Chen Diaohua — later known as Chen Diaomei — was intelligent and capable. In the late Southern Song Dynasty, when the Yuan army invaded the south on a large scale, looting, burning, and slaughtering, the local people were left desperate. Chen Diaoyan and his sister had long harbored a fiery desire to resist. In early summer 1277, they stepped forward and led the impoverished masses from nearby villages in an armed uprising. At the same time, She and Han peasants in the Chaozhou area, inspired by their example, also rose in revolt under the leadership of their leader, Lady Xu. Chen Diaoyan sent messengers to establish contact, and the two forces joined together in a timely manner, greatly boosting their military might. “Their influence spread across Zhangzhou, Tingzhou, and Chaozhou, commanding a force of one hundred thousand, with camps stretching hundreds of miles” (from the Yuan History · Biography of Emperor Shizu). Wherever the rebel army went, they severely punished the wicked, executed the brutal, and distributed grain from the granaries, earning widespread support from the populace. Later, due to the death of the Song emperor and the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty, and in pursuit of a greater cause, Chen Diaoyan proclaimed himself king in the name of “restoring the Song” and called on the people to continue resisting the Yuan. At that time, due to the overwhelming strength of the Yuan army, the uprising failed, and Chen Diaoyan heroically sacrificed his life on Qianbi Ridge of Dian Deng Mountain. To this day, remnants of ancient paths, rebel camps, Chen Diaoyan’s military command platform, training grounds, and Chen Diaomei’s dressing table can still be faintly discerned among the broken stones and ruins on the mountain. The main peak also preserves the cenotaph of Chen Diaomei. Though the heroes may be gone, their names live on.

In response to the initiative of worshippers and tourists from Chaozhou and Raoping in Guangdong, as well as Zhao’an and Dongshan in the province, Chen Maiden Pavilion was built to commemorate the anti-Yuan national heroine Chen Diaomei. The pavilion was organized and funded through donations and supervised in construction by Master Shiguangming, the female abbot of Ming Lamp Temple. Construction began in May 2000 and was completed in December of the same year. Located on the mountainside southeast of the main peak of Dian Deng Mountain, the pavilion faces south with its back against the Xiangtianshi Rock and overlooks the Dabu Stream. Elegant, bright, beautiful, and graceful, it serves as a new attraction within the Dian Deng Mountain scenic area.

Taiping Town: Located in the central-western part of Zhao’an County, Taiping Town borders Raoping County in Guangdong Province and is 25 kilometers from the county seat, with four provincial exit routes. The town covers a total land area of 150 square kilometers, with 20,872 mu of arable land, 19 administrative villages, and a population of 51,000, of which 57% speak Hakka and 43% speak Southern Min. In 2012, the town’s estimated agricultural output value was 155 million yuan, and the per capita net income of farmers was 5,014 yuan.

Taiping Town is a well-known fruit-producing region in Zhao’an County, abundant in fruits such as green plums, citrus, waxberries, bananas, lychees, longans, loquats, and olives... More details about Taiping Town ++