Tianmen Ridge Scenic Area

Tianmen Ridge Scenic Area

"Clouds stretch across thousand-layer cliffs of peril" is a true depiction of the extraordinary peaks of Taimu. Taimu boasts forty-five peaks, including Fuding Peak, Crescent Moon Peak, Pen Rack Peak, Immortal Medicine Peak, and Lotus Peak, all ranging from 500 to 900 meters in height. Especially challenging are the routes over Ox-Back Rock on the way up Tianmen Ridge and across the Sky Bridge on Tuojiu Ridge—some must crawl to get through, while others are drawn precisely to these perilous spots for adventure. Beyond the rugged peaks, a vast, ever-changing landscape unfolds, offering a truly breathtaking experience. Tianmen North Ridge stretches 2.3 kilometers from Guoxing Temple along Qilin Ridge all the way to Tianmen Temple. It was developed and constructed in 2000. The outer side of the ridge is lush with foliage, while the inner side features sheer cliffs. The trail is picturesque, with a constant array of fascinating rock formations, making you feel as if you're walking along a wild, shaded mountain path.

The Weituo Cave is 3.5 meters deep, 6 meters wide, and 3 meters high, with a winding and twisting interior. Inside, there is a clear spring well that flows year-round. The cave features multiple interconnected chambers. Outside the cave stands a stone general, believed to be the incarnation of Weituo. Long ago, there was a small temple in the mountains. One night, a young monk faintly witnessed his master being secretly harmed by evildoers. He fled in panic, running four or five li before taking refuge in this cave. Overcome with fear, hunger, and cold, the monk developed a high fever that lasted three days and nights. On the fourth morning, he finally awoke to find a python as thick as a bowl coiled around his forehead, which terrified him again. Later, noticing the snake meant no harm, he drank from the spring and gradually recovered. From then on, the python stayed curled at the cave entrance, never leaving. Day after day, the bond between the snake and the monk grew stronger, and the monk came to regard the snake as his elder martial brother. One day, a female transient monk arrived and, upon seeing the python, shouted, "Beast, what are you doing here?" That very night, the snake truly left. When the young monk returned and found the snake gone, he saw a stone general at the cave entrance—vividly resembling the guardian deity Weituo. Thus, the cave was named Weituo Cave.

The Heart-Cleansing Pool is fed by a small waterfall and remains flowing year-round. It is called the "Heart-Cleansing Pool" because, according to legend, immortals would drink from its sweet spring before gathering on Taimu Mountain, to prevent their minds and bodies from being tainted by worldly impurities. If even immortals do this, how much more should we mortals? It’s worth taking a sip—your spirit might just become a little purer. Above the pool lies a rock formation shaped like a stone boat, known as the "Immortal Boat." As the name suggests, it refers to the boat used by immortals. Legend has it that the immortals of the East Sea ride this stone boat to gather on Taimu Mountain every year. Look—the bow is covered in verdant green, like waves of green, swaying as if the immortal boat is slowly moving forward, riding the wind and cleaving the waves on an endless journey.

Nestled within a cluster of small trees and appearing intermittently, a vertically aligned string of bead-like caves—does it not resemble the female reproductive organ? It evokes thoughts of the origin of human life and is thus called the "Yin Yuan Cave," also referred to as the Mother of Earth or the Source of Heaven and Earth. These cave formations were shaped through the dissolution of hydrothermal granite by flowing water. As for the hydrothermal structure, it is unique to potassium-feldspar granite. Their formation occurred when magma rose close to the earth's surface, and as pressure decreased, volatile components turned into gas, forming bubbles. The magma then solidified rapidly, creating small cavities. The residual uncrystallized elements in the magma crystallized (mainly quartz) within these cavities, eventually forming the hydrothermal cave.

Towering rock peaks standing side by side like three revered elders are called the "Three Ages of Buddha." The Three Ages of Buddha can be divided by space and time into the Horizontal Three Ages and the Vertical Three Ages. The Horizontal Three Ages, also known as the Three Directions Buddhas, are arranged with Shakyamuni Buddha, the teacher of the Saha World, in the center; Manjushri Bodhisattva on the left and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva on the right, collectively known as the "Three Honored Ones of Shakyamuni." To the side is Bhaisajyaguru Buddha, the teacher of the Pure Lapis Lazuli World of the East, with Suryaprabha Bodhisattva on the left and Candraprabha Bodhisattva on the right, collectively known as the "Three Saints of the East" or the "Three Honored Ones of Bhaisajyaguru." On the right is Amitabha Buddha, the teacher of the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss, with Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva on the left and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva on the right, collectively known as the "Three Saints of the West" or the "(Amita) Buddha Three Honored Ones." The Vertical Three Ages (also called the Three Ages of Buddha) feature the Present Buddha (Shakyamuni) in the center, the Past Buddha represented by Dipankara Buddha on the left, and the Future Buddha, Maitreya, on the right. Here, they represent the Past Buddha, the Present Buddha, and the Future Buddha. Isn't Taimu Mountain known as the "Fairy Capital of the Sea" and a "Sacred Land of Taoists and Buddhists"? Where there are famous mountains, there are many monks—and where there are disciples of the Buddha, there are naturally Buddhas.