Yipianwa Scenic Area

Yipianwa Scenic Area

Yipianwa Scenic Area is located in the southwestern part of Taimu Mountain, the place where the Goddess Taimu attained enlightenment and ascended to heaven. It is a serene and tranquil paradise. After squeezing through the One-Line Sky Cave, which is so narrow that only one person can pass sideways, and then the White Horse Cave, you will arrive at Yipianwa. Here, while listening to the story of Goddess Taimu’s ascension, you can admire scenic wonders such as the Golden Turtle Climbing the Wall and the Golden Rooster Announcing Dawn. You can also visit the Yaofeng Taimu Relic Pagoda and the Taimu Holy Hall to pay homage to the first goddess of the Minyue region, or take a rest in the Hongxue Cave where Goddess Taimu practiced Taoism and brew a pot of Lu Xueya tea—passed down by the goddess—using the water from the Immortal’s Well. Then, you can either head upward through the perilous Tongtian Cave, with its precariously hanging rocks, all the way to the South Heaven Gate, or go downward past the white marble Hall of Five Hundred Arhats to the Xiangshan Temple.

The One-Line Sky is an inclined fissure, extending over 60 meters in length and more than 40 meters in height. The towering cliffs split apart to form a narrow slit, with only a foot of space between them, allowing a sliver of daylight to shine through. The passage is so narrow that only one person can slowly inch along while pressing against the wall. Yet, the surrounding rock walls seem almost magical, able to expand and contract, accommodating both the slim and the stout. The rugged path inside is uneven, forcing visitors to keep their eyes fixed ahead and rely on their feet to feel the way, pressing close to the wall, holding their breath as they move forward. Along the way, there is a rock shaped like an axe, forming a tight squeeze with the wall. Visitors must lie sideways on the rock, hold their breath, tighten their abdomen, and use their arm strength to perform a slow “push-up” motion to inch forward. Next comes a horizontal stone beam lying across the cave, requiring travelers to carefully cross it like walking a tightrope, trembling all the way. Upon exiting the cave, there is a “chokestone” blocking the way, forcing visitors to crouch low and pass through with their necks aligned with the stone tip. Throughout the journey, the sky alternates between appearing as a thin line, with looming rocks that seem ready to fall, the vast dome stretching between the cliffs, or closing in tightly around you, creating a thrilling sense of danger. Along the route, you’ll find yourself crouching, lying down, crawling, squeezing, bending backward and forward—engaging every part of your body and enduring a series of challenging moves, essentially completing a full “Taimu Fitness Routine,” before finally emerging back into the bright sunlight and blue sky.

Tongtian Cave, geologically referred to as a gorge valley, was originally named “White Ape Cave” because of a rock at the entrance that resembles a “white ape.” The cave runs from north to south, as narrow as an alleyway and as steep as a ladder to the clouds, stretching over 600 meters in length and leading all the way to the peak of “Nine Carp Facing Heaven” at an altitude of over 800 meters. Currently, only the section up to the South Heaven Gate at the mountain’s waist is open to visitors. Hence the name Tongtian Cave, symbolizing the aspiration to reach the heavens. During the tour, visitors must proceed single file and slowly walk along the plank pathways and stone steps.

The Taimu Grandma Pagoda was built during the Tang Dynasty and renovated in the Jiashen Year of the Republic of China (1948 AD). The inscription on the pagoda tomb, “Yaofeng Taimu Relic Pagoda,” was bestowed by Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. Locals say, “Pray to Mazu at sea, and to Taimu in the mountains.” Every year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, pilgrims from all directions come here to worship and pray for the blessings of Goddess Taimu. Behind the pagoda tomb, the newly built Taimu Grandma Hall in 1999 houses a seated statue of the goddess carved from white marble. Year-round, this place is enveloped in a divine aura, with vibrant life all around. Whether one prays for offspring, wealth, official rank, or fortune, Goddess Taimu is believed to be highly responsive.

Lanxi Stream is actually an exquisitely designed cave passage, developed in 1992. It earned its name from a spring that seeps through the cave walls, flowing gently alongside the stone steps of the cave passage and into the Lanxi River. According to the *Taimu Mountain Chronicles*, “Every August, the water turns blue.” “The winding stream embraces the clear veil; this place is said to be the home of Goddess Taimu. For a thousand years, the ripples remain ever green—do the indigo dyers never rest?” This is a verse from the Song Dynasty scholar Zheng Qiao’s poem *Blue Stream*. Legend has it that Goddess Taimu once lived in seclusion in the mountains, cultivating indigo as her livelihood. She dyed cloth for the villagers by the stream, and the once-clear waters turned azure and emerald green. The stream flowed into the East Sea, dyeing the entire ocean blue, and the crashing waves painted the sky blue as well. Since then, the people of Fuding have called deep blue “sea blue” and light blue “sky blue.”

Hongxue Cave is a cave formed by stacked rocks and is said to be the place where Goddess Taimu practiced. The cave is over 800 meters long, and its name comes from a line in Su Shi’s poem *Responding to Ziyu on Nostalgia at Mianchi*: “Where in life can one find the immortal path? It should be like a wild goose treading on snow—leaving fleeting prints. On the ground, it leaves random claw marks, but how could the wild goose care about direction when it flies?” This cave is large and deep, connected to Yipianwa and Tongtian Cave. It boasts both naturally exquisite formations and the joy of spiritual exploration. The exterior of the cave features stacked rocks that hang precariously yet never fall; inside, mist drifts and swirls. The cave path winds up and down, growing darker the further in you go—sometimes pitch black, sometimes brilliantly lit. At its narrowest, it’s just a crevice for survival; at its widest, it can accommodate hundreds of people resting and chatting. Coupled with the cave’s flowing springs, which whisper like the tides of the night sea, it truly offers a paradise-like experience reminiscent of “finding a new village after despairing at a dead end.”

Taimu Mountain

Guoxing Temple Scenic Area

Goddess Taimu Statue

Fuding Xiangshan Temple Scenic Area

Pingxing Temple

Taimu Mountain Liancheng Lingfeng

Yingxian Platform Scenic Area

Jiuli Peak Scenic Area

Hulu Cave Scenic Area