Shenghua Mountain

Shenghua Mountain

Shenghua Mountain, also known as "Gushan" (Solitary Mountain), and alternatively called "Chengshan" (Clear Mountain). The Qing Dynasty's *Fengcheng County Annals · Mountains and Rivers* from the Daoguang era records: "Gushan is ninety li from the county, also called Chengshan. Below the mountain there is clear water, which the locals draw to make wheat koji, its color resembling cinnabar" — hence the name. It is one of the historically significant mountains of Fengcheng. Located in Xiwang Township within the southern part of the city, it belongs to the extension range of the Wuyi Mountains. The mountain runs in an east-west direction, stretching nine kilometers in length and four kilometers in width, covering a total area of 22 square kilometers. Its main peak, Xian Ding, rises 1,011.7 meters above sea level, towering into the clouds, truly embodying the phrase “Mount Hua blocks out heaven and earth, with the sun and moon seeming to rise from the rocks.” The *Wan Family Genealogy* contains a poem titled *Gazing at Gushan*, which describes it: “Parting the gloom to greet new clarity, atop Xian Ding petals fly in boundless view. At first glance one might think the moon has grown, yet everywhere on Chengshan there are treasures bright. Knowing only that sunlight shines from on high, unaware the silver plate is halfway tipped. Only when snow melts to reveal a thousand acres white, does green grass again reflect the evening glow.” At the summit stand several massive boulders, which from afar resemble “golden lotuses hewn from the blue sky,” standing upright against the azure expanse. It stands opposite Yuhua Mountain, “with their grandeur vying in height, the central ridge dividing their realms, and the shadows in the valleys shifting with sun and cloud.” Surrounding it are over forty smaller peaks, each rising proudly in competition for beauty. The mountain is wreathed in drifting white clouds and veiled in bluish mist, presenting a spectacular sight. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, a shrine and mosque were built at the summit, divided into upper and lower halls. Outside the gate stood a large round boulder, suspended upside down, which would naturally sway in strong winds, commonly known as the “Wind-Calming Stone.” Legend has it that Mother Chen of Luoshan was distressed over being unable to build her own palace due to the fierce winds on Luoshan, while the shrine on Shenghua Mountain remained tall and unscathed. So Mother Chen consulted the Immortals Wang and Guo, borrowing the Wind-Calming Stone, after which her palace was successfully constructed. Eventually, Immortals Wang and Guo, seeing the stone not returned, grew anxious and called out three times — whereupon the Wind-Calming Stone flew back, and Mother Chen’s palace remained safe and sound. On either side of the temple courtyard were statues of the deities Xu Xianzhenjun and Pingguanyin, and in former times, people from the surrounding four townships would climb the mountain to worship, making it a scenic highlight of Mount Hua. In the early years of the People’s Republic, the temple was repurposed as a county meteorological observation station, but it was destroyed in a great storm in 1969.

Shenghua Mountain boasts beautiful natural scenery, picturesque landscapes, and a pleasant climate. Over the years, literati and scholars have visited to admire its graceful mountain charm and composed poems expressing their sentiments, leaving behind more than 20 surviving quatrains. Wan’s poem *Clear Snow on Shenghua* praises it: “Radiant Shenghua nears the sun, at dawn the clear snow gathers coolness. Vaguely the clouds sway the colors of the terrace, dreamlike the blossoms scent the Phoenix Pavilion.” Today’s Chengshan, having endured the trials of time, remains unchanged in spirit, its lush beauty returning with renewed vigor, and the mountain flowers still smiling in the spring breeze. Ascending to the summit and gazing into the distance, the landscapes of Zhangshu, Fengcheng, and Xingan—three counties (cities)—unfold before your eyes, offering a taste of the immortal realm described as “ambition soaring beyond the sky, breath mingling with the vast expanse,” and “white clouds brushing my clothes, shaking off but never falling.”