Xiagu Yusu Mountain

Xiagu Yusu Mountain

Xiagu Yusu Mountain is a national AA-level tourist attraction.

Yusu Mountain Scenic Area

Located 3 kilometers southwest of Xiajiang County, covering an area of 108 square kilometers. Towering on the eastern bank of the Gan River and backed by the Xiajiang area, it stretches for dozens of miles with beautiful scenery and a pleasant climate, making it a pearl in central Jiangxi. The great Yuan Dynasty poet Jiesi wrote in his essay "Record of Chengtian Palace": "Among the famous mountains west of the great river, three are widely renowned: Mount Kuanglu, Mount Zongli Shizhao, and Yusu Mountain, but Yusu Mountain is especially the most breathtaking place in the world." Yusu Mountain is revered in Chinese Taoism as the "First Exquisite Fale Cave Heaven" among the Thirty-Six Cave Heavens and the "Eighth Yumu Blessed Land" among the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands. Originally named Qunyu Mountain, it was so called because the northern part of the mountain was covered with multicolored stones in blue, yellow, red, white, and black, hence the name "Qunyu" (meaning "Gathering of Jewels"). Since the Qin Dynasty, Yusu Mountain has been a site where Taoist priests and alchemists practiced and refined elixirs, becoming a renowned Taoist mountain in Jiangxi.

Legend has it that in the fifth year of Yuanding during the Western Han Dynasty (106 BC), when Emperor Wu was on a southern tour, he passed by this mountain when suddenly a jade box descended from the sky, prompting the name change to Yusu Mountain.

As a sacred Taoist mountain, the Yusu Mountain Scenic Area boasts a profound Taoist cultural heritage. It is ranked by Taoism as the Seventeenth Cave Heaven — the Great Exquisite Fale Cave Heaven, and the Eighth Blessed Land — the Yumu Blessed Land. At its peak, the mountain hosted two palaces, two ancestral temples, three hermitages, six residences, nine pavilions, twelve terraces, twenty-one Taoist temples, thirty-six altars, and five hundred Taoist priests. The existing Yunteng Biaoyu Ancestral Temple was built by decree of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and bears a plaque inscribed by Emperor Zhenzong of the Song Dynasty. There is also the oldest surviving dry-laid tunnel stone arch bridge in Jiangxi Province, as well as the HuanYu Pavilion built during the Ming Dynasty. Rich in historical and cultural significance, the mountain has been visited by historical figures such as Mei Fu, Ge Hong, Emperor Wu of Han, Zhu Xi, Huang Tingjian, Xie Jin, and Wang Yangming, along with many Taoist practitioners, scholars, officials, and literati over the dynasties, leaving behind over 300 poems and essays. Yusu Mountain enjoys excellent natural ecology with a forest coverage rate of over 86%, and several areas preserve pristine forests. The air contains up to 60,000 negative oxygen ions per cubic centimeter. It features Thirty-Two Peaks including Fuxiang, Taibai, Yuanyang, and Songxian, as well as typical karst landforms and vividly shaped rocks such as the Zixiao Stone, Turtle Stone, Wenjian Stone, Crane Stone, Immortal Stone, and Tai Stone, making it an ideal destination for eco-leisure. The scenic area was designated as a provincial forest park in 1993, a key provincial scenic spot in 1995, and rated as a national AA-level tourist attraction in 2009.

Recommendation: The temple fairs at the Yusu Mountain Scenic Area are held on the 19th day of the second, sixth, and eighth lunar months, and the 19th day of the ninth lunar month. (These two days should be deleted) Tens of thousands of visitors come to worship in the mountain daily, creating a lively and spectacular scene.

Scenic Area Address: Located in Shuibian Town, Xiajiang County

Scenic Area Transportation: Take a bus from Qingyuan Bus Station in the city to Xiajiang County, then take a local bus or taxi via Huixian Road to reach the scenic area. By car, follow the Zhangji Expressway or National Highway 105 to Xiajiang County.

Scenic Area Ticket: 10 RMB/person

Opening Hours: 8:00 – 18:00