Guabang Mountain and One-Line Sky

Guabang Mountain and One-Line Sky

Guabang Mountain and One-Line Sky: In the ninth year of the Chongzhen era (1636) of the Ming Dynasty, from October 23 to 27, the geographer and traveler Xu Hongzu (also known as Xu Xiake) visited the scenic spots south of Guixi City. The "Travel Diaries of Xu Xiake" recorded the following account:

“After crossing the creek and traveling east for one li, I entered a narrow pass from the northwest side of the peak, only then realizing that the mountain was flanked by stone cliffs rising steeply, split open in the middle, and rising up on both sides, varying in distance but standing apart in similar shapes. Following the path to the base of a domed rock, I climbed steps up to a platform, connected between two cliffs like the palm of a hand. The steps descending to the south hung directly above the bottom of the ravine, while those to the west curved all the way around the mountaintop. First, I climbed over a mile to reach the summit, from where I could look south to Xihua, east to the cliff walls, west to Nanxi, and north to the city—all within arm’s reach. Then I descended southward along the previous path into the One-Line Sky, where the two cliffs pressed together as they rose, and immediately to the south was the part split from the mountaintop, forming the lower gorge. The path in the gorge suddenly turned east, passing through gaps in fallen rocks, then opened into another transverse gorge, all with sheer cliffs above and below, divided by curves and straight lines. Reaching the east, I emerged into another valley, as if having left the human world behind. From the valley and heading south, I could see numerous caves and tunnels bored through the cliffs of the two rock faces.”

If it has just rained in spring and the sun comes out, water seeps from the mountains like pearls, drifting down and splashing against rocks, sending up thousands of droplets. The clear light refracts into seven colors, and the mist gathers into sweet springs. The Ming scholar Wang Qiu praised this wonder with the line: “The sound of heavenly nectar dripping in fragments never ceases.”

On the stone walls of the One-Line Sky, faint inscriptions can be seen, including the three characters “Qian Gu Dong” (Hidden Valley Cave), the site where Wu Dong, a prominent official of the Tang Dynasty, and his son Wu Wuling, a literary figure, once studied.