Gaozao Mountain

Gaozao Mountain

Gaozao Mountain is a national AA-level tourist attraction and a cultural tourism site.

Gaozao Mountain, a renowned Taoist mountain also known as Geshan, stands at an elevation of 802.7 meters. Located in the southeastern part of the city, it majestically rises on the eastern bank of the Gan River, stretching over 200 kilometers to form a verdant barrier in Zhangshu. The name of the mountain first appeared during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Since the Song Dynasty, it has been honored as the “Famous Mountain Under Heaven, a Blessed Land of Taoism, and a Residence of Immortals.” The Eastern Han Dynasty's Jian'an 7th year (202)

The famous Taoist Ge Xuan attained enlightenment and cultivated immortality here. He built the "Woyun Hermitage" on this mountain, set up altars and stoves to refine the “Nine-Turn Golden Elixir,” and is revered as the ancestor of Zhangshu’s pharmaceutical industry. During the Tang Dynasty’s Yifeng era (676–678)

the imperial court bestowed upon Gaozao Mountain the title of the 33rd Blessed Land Under Heaven. By the Song Dynasty, it had reached its peak, and was ranked among the three most famous mountains in the land, alongside Mao Mountain in Jinling (modern-day Nanjing) and Longhu Mountain in Guangxin (modern-day Guixi).

[Guide Pine Trees]

Also known as the "Tang Pines Showing the Way," these trees are located on the eastern side of the mountain road in the Blessed Land Scenic Area. Towering beside the path, they seem to point the way for visitors, hence the name Guide Pine Trees. They also resemble a pair of twin sisters standing gracefully by the road to welcome and see off hikers, thus earning the nickname "Sister Welcome Pine Trees." Ancient records describe them as “relics from the Tang and Song dynasties.” Research has confirmed them to be “millennium-old pines,” and they have been included in the Records of Ancient Trees in China. Still lush and green today, one of the trees features an exceptionally dense tuft of needles on a lateral branch, which from afar resembles a bird’s nest. A line from a poem about Gaozao Mountain by the Northern Song poet Chen Mengyang reads, “The pine nest is empty, only cranes flying are seen.” Legend says that the pine nest emits strands of red light at night, and those with fate who follow the light may dig up high-quality poria cocos—adding a touch of mystique to these ancient trees.

[Dawanshou Chongzhen Palace] Located at the southern foot of the eastern peak in the Blessed Land Scenic Area, this is a sacred Taoist site. It consists of three parts: the approach steps, the palace gate, and the main hall, covering an area of more than 2,000 square meters. Originally established as the Woyun Hermitage by Ge Xuan when he re-entered the mountain in the 2nd year of the Wu Jiamei era (233), it was called the Lingxian Pavilion in the Sui Dynasty. In the Tang and Song dynasties, it was successively decreed as the Gaozao Guan, the Gesong Du Guan, the Jingde Guan, the Chongzhen Guan, and the Wanshou Chongzhen Guan. In 1246, Emperor Lizong of the Southern Song Dynasty decreed it as the "Dawanshou Chongzhen Palace." Many Taoist temples have the word "Wanshou" (Longevity) in their names, but only this one bears the prefix "Da" (Great), highlighting its prestige during the Tang and Song periods. The current palace has been rebuilt deep within Gaozao Mountain, facing Lingyun Peak in front and backed by mountains to the east and west. The main hall faces south with a series of gates and courtyards, flanked by corridors. The mixed-structure building features a hip-and-gable roof, glazed tiles, soaring eaves, colorful walls, painted windows, and enshrines statues of three deities: Immortal Ge, Celestial Master Zhang, and True Lord Xu. Their solemn expressions command reverence. The palace enjoys ceaseless incense offerings and a constant flow of visitors.

[Ziyang Academy] Situated on the southern slope of the eastern peak in the Blessed Land Scenic Area, it covers approximately 860 square meters. In the Song Dynasty, it served as a shrine for Laozi, Shakyamuni, and Confucius, also known as the Moral Palace. It earned the name Ziyang Academy because Zhu Xi (also known as Ziyang) gave lectures here several times. Destroyed by a mountain fire in the Ming Dynasty, it was rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty’s Yongzheng Gengxu year (1730) by a local scholar Huang Yan, who funded its reconstruction into a brick-concrete structure. The courtyard is shaded by ancient trees, with nearly 800-year-old towering ginkgo trees, osmanthus trees from the Song and Yuan dynasties (including golden, silver, and everblooming varieties), as well as century-old ornamental and medicinal plants such as arhat trees, purple magnolia, and Chinese redbud. The area is filled with gentle breezes and fragrant blooms all year round.

[One-Day Gate]

Located at the valley entrance in the southern part of the Blessed Land Scenic Area, it is a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit. The One-Day Gate is the entrance to the Gaozao Blessed Land. Composed of an octagonal pillar, crossbeam, brackets, and square base, it forms a gate-like structure entirely made of bean-green stone. It stands 7.17 meters tall and 4.3 meters wide, with the characters “One-Day Gate” inscribed horizontally on the southern side. The northern side is engraved with the imperial title bestowed by Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty: “33rd Blessed Land.” The gate was first built in the Song Dynasty. When Zhu Xi first visited Gaozao Mountain to give lectures, he stopped here to rest and was struck by the towering peaks, serene streams, dense woods, and rugged rocks, remarking, “One man could guard this pass against ten thousand.” He was so impressed that he named it the “One-Day Gate.” The current One-Day Gate was reconstructed in 1876, during the 2nd year of the Guangxu reign in the Qing Dynasty.

"Ah!" he exclaimed. Later, he donated silver to build a structure and named it "One-Day Gate." The current "One-Day Gate" was rebuilt in the second year of the Guangxu reign during the Qing Dynasty (1876).

[Jiulong Spring]

Located at the western foot of Taiji Peak in the Blessed Land Scenic Area. Legend says that ten koi fish from the liberation pond in front of Chongzhen Palace were imbued with spiritual energy from Ge Xian’s herbal medicine pool and transformed into dragons. Nine of them flew into a deep ravine to the east of the palace to cultivate further, hence the ravine is called Jiulong Cave and the spring is Jiulong Spring. Modern scientific tests show that Jiulong Spring water contains twelve essential trace elements for the human body, including zinc, calcium, iron, and magnesium. It is the source of water used in brewing the signature Si Te liquor and the sole drinking water supply for local residents. The area’s

young people are often handsome or beautiful, while the elderly are frequently sprightly nonagenarians. Strangely, cancer has never been reported among villagers, possibly due to their lifelong consumption of the magical Jiulong Spring water.

[Herb Garden]

Located to the south of Guabi Peak in the Blessed Land Scenic Area, it is said to have been created by Ge Xian to teach disciples and prepare emergency herbal remedies by gathering and cultivating various mountain herbs. Named “Herb Garden” in line with the idea of “Shennong tasting hundreds of herbs to create thousands of prescriptions.” Over the dynasties, especially after the “Medicine Monk” Fang Yizhi—one of the Four Princes of the Late Ming—retreated here to cultivate and produce medicinal herbs, the garden expanded significantly. Today, within the garden’s bamboo fence, rare herbs from the mountain are arranged according to the Bagua diagram, creating a unique landscape. The area is fragrant with medicinal plants and blooming flowers all year, serving as both a sightseeing and research destination.

[Exotic Flower of the Fairyland]

Located in the courtyard of the Moral Palace in the Blessed Land Scenic Area, this is a cluster of rare and precious trees. It includes four Song and Yuan dynasty osmanthus trees (golden, silver, and everblooming), two Yuan dynasty arhat pines, one Ming dynasty magnolia, along with other ornamental and medicinal plants such as Bauhinia, wintersweet, pomegranate, magnolia officinalis, hibiscus, and daylilies. These are interspersed among the foliage, offering dense shade and a fragrant ambiance. The courtyard also houses a Qing dynasty stone tablet inscribed with “Osmanthus Garden Palace” and Song dynasty stone carvings, along with scattered stone tables and benches—making it an ideal spot for visitors and scholars to enjoy tea, rest, and engage in scholarly discussions.

["Master" Ginkgo]

Located in the courtyard of the Ziyang Academy in the Blessed Land Scenic Area, this is a second-class nationally protected tree. Historical records say it was planted by Zhu Xi (revered by later scholars as Master Zhu), the great Southern Song Neo-Confucianist, during his lecture here, hence the name “Master Ginkgo.” Towering and thick-trunked, the tree was once mistaken as a symbol of “reactionary thought” during the Cultural Revolution and nearly cut down. When sawing reached 4/5 and the tree was about to fall, a knowledgeable person intervened and stopped the act. Though the saw marks remain, the tree miraculously survived and now thrives even more vigorously. Locals joke, “This tree was planted by a sage—no wonder it’s so resilient.” In late autumn, its butterfly-shaped leaves turn golden and drift to the ground, creating a “Golden Butterflies Dancing in Autumn” spectacle that attracts many visitors for sightseeing and photography.

Address: County Road 601, Zhangshu City, Yichun, Jiangxi

Type: Forest, Mountain, Ancient Site, Taoist Temple

Recommended Visit Duration: 3–4 hours

Phone: 0795-7581586

Official Website: http://www.gezaoshanly.com

Opening Hours:

8:00–17:00.