Luotianyan

Luotianyan

Yudu Luotianyan is located on the south bank of the Gong River in the county town, beside National Highway 323 in Zhalan Village, one kilometer from the county center. It is a historic scenic area known for its abundant cliff inscriptions by celebrated figures throughout the dynasties and its picturesque red cliffs and clear waters. With beautiful lake and mountain views, the site was first developed during the Northern and Southern Dynasties and gained fame during the Northern Song Dynasty. The “Huayan Zen Monastery” was established here and became widely renowned at the time. It is also the site where the famous stele inscription of the internationally acclaimed essay “In Praise of the Lotus” was erected.

For thousands of years, numerous renowned scholars, officials, poets, artists, visitors, and devotees have come here to admire the scenery or to build huts and lecture halls for philosophical discussions and teaching. Within a 2.5-square-kilometer area of cliffs, there are over 100 inscriptions carved since the Tang and Song dynasties by historical figures such as Yue Fei, Wen Tianxiang, Zhu Xi, Bada Shanren, Wang Maode, Wang Yangming, and Luo Hongxian, along with more than 80 poems and essays written about Luotianyan. This site features cliff inscriptions by the famous Northern Song Dynasty philosopher, thinker, and foundational figure of Taoism and Neo-Confucianism—Zhou Dunyi—who influenced Chinese intellectual history for eight to nine hundred years—as well as his lecture and memorial sites, the “Lianxi Academy” and “Lianxi Pavilion.” Other attractions include ancient thousand-year-old cypresses, the Luotianyan Ancient Temple, the Rice-Leaking Rock, the “View of Yuyang,” the Emperor’s Pavilion, the Cloud-Reclining Pavilion, the Lofty Aspirations Pavilion, the Natural Pavilion, the Cloud-Gazing Pavilion, statues of Zhou Dunyi and Yue Fei, tunnels, leisure areas, recreational facilities, and nearby attractions such as Guancaizhai and Tongxin Rock—both unique in landscape and resembling a heavenly paradise on earth.

Luotianyan is gradually being developed into a comprehensive provincial-level scenic area for sightseeing, leisure tourism, and vacation entertainment. The planned area of the scenic zone spans 20 square kilometers and is divided into eight distinctive functional areas, with Luotianyan as the main representative.