Shimen Mountain in Lianhua County

Shimen Mountain in Lianhua County

A county-level nature reserve and forest park. Located in the middle section of the Luoxiao Mountain Range in the northern part of Lianhua County, Jiangxi Province, it is a mountain shared by Lianhua, Anfu, and Yongxin counties. The main peak stands at an elevation of 1,300.5 meters, making it the highest point in the county. It is 20 kilometers from the county seat and can be directly accessed via Provincial Highway Ji (An)–Lian (Hua). The mountain peaks rise majestically through the clouds. It is named Shuangshi Men (Twin Stone Gates) because there are two steep, gate-like cliffs standing opposite each other on the mountain. In the seventh month of the lunar year 1637, during the Ming Dynasty, the famous traveler Xu Xiake climbed Shimen Mountain and wrote about it in his travelogue, praising the mountain for its abundance of peculiar pines, strange rocks, immortal-like caves, and fragrant exotic plants. Major attractions on the mountain include: Five Youths Studying, where five rock peaks resemble human figures, looking like five students discussing their studies; Two Immortals Playing Chess, where two mountains look like wise old men locked in an endless game; Group of Immortals Watching the Sea, Monk Worshiping the Pagoda, and more. The area features uniquely shaped rocks that are rarely seen in western Jiangxi.