Baiyun Rock of Mount Wuyi

Baiyun Rock of Mount Wuyi

Baiyun Rock, one of the Thirty-Six Famous Peaks of Mount Wuyi, is also known as Ling Peak. Located to the northwest of the Nine Bend Stream and adjacent to Sanjiao Peak of the Eight Bend, it stands majestically above the clouds, hence its name. Baiyun Chan Temple is situated midway up Baiyun Rock. When taking a raft ride along the Nine Bend Stream and looking north, you can see this ancient temple of the same name built on Baiyun Rock north of the stream.

The temple is built against the cliff and beside the stream, resembling a hanging monastery. To reach the temple, one must cross the Xingcun Bridge, follow the mountain path northeast for about half an hour to the foot of Baiyun Rock, and then climb up the steps. The temple was first built during the Ming Dynasty but was destroyed by fire several times before being reconstructed and completed in 1994. It is constructed along a narrow rock crevice on the waist of Baiyun Rock. At the end is the mountain gate, followed by the main hall and the kitchen in reverse order.

The main hall is built in a deep and high part of the rock crevice, thus forming two levels, with a delicate and exquisite layout. Leaning on the railing and looking south, you can see the Nine Bend Stream stretching like a ribbon, with the distant Flame Mountain clearly visible to the southwest of the stream. Xu Xiake, a famous traveler of the Ming Dynasty, visited here in the 44th year of the Wanli era (1616) and wrote: “Climbing to the top and looking south toward the upper reaches of the Nine Bend Stream, there is an islet standing in the middle, with the stream coming from the west, splitting around it, and then converging again. Beyond the islet, the stream continues to the end.” The entire landscape unfolds before your eyes, a truly magnificent sight. Hence, the renowned Qing Dynasty monk Pengri inscribed the two characters “大观” (Grand View) on the rock face of Baiyun Rock, and this cliff inscription can be found on the back wall behind the Buddha niche in the main hall of Baiyun Chan Temple.

Baiyun Rock features overlapping cliffs towering above the clouds. At dawn, white clouds often drift halfway up the rock, gathering and dispersing unpredictably, hence the name Baiyun Rock. On Baiyun Rock, there are several remnants of dilapidated walls, which are the ruins of Baiyun Nunnery [photo]. Behind the nunnery is a cave called Baiyun Cave. Qiao Kun, a Taoist priest mentioned in the ancient Chinese novel “The Investiture of the Gods,” which depicts King Wu of Zhou’s campaign against the Shang Dynasty, once cultivated himself here and called himself a “hermit of Baiyun Cave on Mount Wuyi.” Later, for his meritorious service in helping Jiang Ziya break through enemy formations, he was appointed as the “God of Night Patrol.”

On the northern side of the rock is a spacious cave known as “Paradise of Ultimate Bliss.” The perilous path leading into the cave is said to be the most dangerous in all of Mount Wuyi. Here, steep cliffs rise on both the upper and lower sides, with only a narrow horizontal ledge serving as the sole entrance. One must crawl forward on hands and knees, using both hands and feet, to squeeze through the crevice and enter the cave. In the 44th year of the Wanli era (1616), the famous Chinese traveler Xu Xiake first entered Fujian and visited Mount Wuyi. He partially experienced this treacherous route and vividly documented this thrilling journey in his “Diary of Mount Wuyi”: “I proceeded along the rock ledge, which gradually descended, and as the cliff became more precipitous, I had to crouch and stoop; the lower and narrower it got, the more I had to crawl on my knees and belly. At the turning point of the ledge, there was only seven inches of vertical space, and the width at the top was about fifteen inches, with the outer cliff dropping thousands of feet. I crawled forward, my chest and back rubbing against the rock, managing to get through the danger.”

The cave opens up into a vast, layered space, with signs of chiseling inside, as if someone had attempted but not completed the task of carving a path. Standing atop Baiyun Rock and looking south toward the upper reaches of the Nine Bend Stream, you’ll see open plains and fertile fields suddenly come into view, a scene quite unlike anything else. The line from the Southern Song Dynasty Neo-Confucian scholar Zhu Xi—“As the Nine Bend Stream nears its end, the view suddenly opens up; mulberry and hemp fields glisten under the rain and dew across the plain”—describes the scenery of this area. Baiyun Rock serves as the eastern gateway scenic area of Mount Yandang and covers a total area of approximately 46 square kilometers.

Mount Wuyi Scenic Area

Dahongpao Scenic Area

Da’an Yuan Ecological Tourism Area

China Wuyi Tea Expo Park

Nine Bend Stream

Qinglong Waterfall

Wuyi Royal Court Auto Theme Park

Wuyi Water Curtain Cave

Da Wang Peak

Wuyi One-Line Sky

Wuyi Palace

Tiger Roaring Rock

Yunwo

Wuyi Jade Valley

Site of the Imperial Tea Garden

Yulong Valley

Chengcun Han City Ruins

Liu Yong Memorial Hall