Wushan Black-Bone Chicken Ecological Demonstration Park

Wushan Black-Bone Chicken Ecological Demonstration Park

Wushan Black-Bone Chicken Ecological Demonstration Park: Wushan was formerly known as Wumu Mountain, located near the Gan River, National Highway 105, National Highway 319, and Jinggangshan Railway Station. Legend has it that during the Tang Dynasty, an elderly woman surnamed Wu practiced Taoism here and attained immortality, hence the mountain was named Wumu (literally “Mother Wu’s Mountain”). After the Song Dynasty, it came to be called Wushan. The mountain is shaped like a saddle and stands at an elevation of 365.7 meters. It originally featured 38 historical sites: Wupo Ridge, Lion Peak, Skyward Lake, Tiger-Tortoise Cave, Alchemy Pool, and Immortal’s Footprints, among others. Wushan is a scenic attraction in Taihe, celebrated in classical poetry and prose throughout the dynasties, with the earliest recorded literary mention found in the works of Ming Dynasty playwright Tang Xianzu. At the southwestern foot of the mountain lies Wangpi Tu Village, whose documented history dates back to around 670 AD, and which is the renowned birthplace of the black-bone chicken. Legend says that when Lü Dongbin was refining elixirs beside the Alchemy Pool and hosting a banquet for other immortals such as Iron-Crutch Li and Han Zhongli, he borrowed the heavenly nectar of the Queen Mother of the West from the Jade Pool. He was also aided by a pair of White Phoenix Immortals. Later

on, these two White Phoenix Immortals transformed into the world-famous Wushan chickens. The black-bone chicken is one of China’s most prestigious specialties, renowned for its highly effective medicinal properties and as the main ingredient in the traditional gynecological remedy “Black-Bone Chicken and White Phoenix Pill.” It was documented by Li Shizhen in his Compendium of Materia Medica. The black-bone chicken has long been an imperial tribute, and ever since Emperor Qianlong bestowed its name, it has been famed for centuries for its exceptional dietary therapeutic benefits. The bird is characterized by ten distinctive features: a clustered comb, tufted head, greenish ears, silky feathers, beard-like whiskers, five toes, feathered shanks, black skin, black bones, and black meat. Its all-white plumage, delicate size, graceful appearance, and enchanting charm have earned it the poetic name “White Phoenix.” Since then, the black-bone chicken has also become an ornamental animal in zoos across many countries. Today, a Black-Bone Chicken Ecological Demonstration Park has been established at the foot of Wushan.