Yanshan

Yanshan

Yanshan is an ancient village in Taqian Town, located 10 kilometers from Leping City. According to the Xu family genealogy of Yanshan, there were ten scenic wonders in ancient times: Stone Inkstone in the Stream Field, Mountain Temple’s Milky Spring, Stone Ox on Xinning Ridge, Warm Winter at Moon Lake, Horizontal Bridge Across the Shore, Boating on the Flat Fields, Unique Rocks on the Divine Peak, Ancient Cypresses at Shoushan, White Stone Cranes, and Dusk Rain over Dragon Ridge. In this geomantically blessed land, after hundreds of years of the passage of time, eight modern wonders have inexplicably emerged before people’s eyes, some of which are even spectacular landscapes.

(1) Tree Embraced by Stone. It is unimaginable for a tree to grow out of hard stone, yet here two twin trees have done so with their tenacious vitality. Locals call them “Tree Embraced by Stone.” These two trees are the best embodiment of “surviving in the crevice.”

(2) Stone Embraced by Tree. Here there is a pair of middle-aged “married” trees whose trunks and roots are joined together, hugging each other as they lean against the stone cliff to perform “acrobatics,” leaving onlookers in awe. They continue to move forward together day and night. Locals call this “Stone Embraced by Tree.”

(3) Chrysanthemum Stone. There is a Tianma Mountain here, on which grow peculiar rocks—black stones with white “chrysanthemums” of various shapes and sizes growing out of them. This is the chrysanthemum stone that rock enthusiasts dream of.

(4) Clear Water Circles the Houses. The residential area of the Xu family in Yanshan is a thousand-year-old ancient village. Two springs flow down from the mountain naturally, running through the village and past every household. Each home has a “dock” (a bluestone slab for washing clothes and items). For thousands of years, villagers here have been able to wash their clothes and items without leaving their homes. “Clear Water Circles the Houses” is truly a wonder among Jiangnan villages.

(5) Unique Mountains. Normally, rocky mountains only support small shrubs, but this rocky mountain has many tall trees miraculously emerging from the stones. Such a strong collective life is truly remarkable and inspiring.

(6) Karst Caves. This scenic area has four karst caves, one of which is a prehistoric human cave where archaeologists have unearthed a large number of prehistoric artifacts, including fossils of animals such as giant pandas and stone tools from the Paleolithic Age. Puzzlingly, many loaches and shrimp live in the cave, all of them red. There is also a cave that no one has fully explored, containing many oddly shaped sights.

(7) Waterfall. This is a three-tiered waterfall with a total drop of 17 meters, and each tier has a different shape and charm.

(8) Hot Spring. This is one of the ancient “ten scenic wonders”—Moon Lake in Winter Warmth. Covering an area of over 50 acres, the main spring has a daily water yield of more than 2,000 tons, with countless other springs. The hot spring water temperature can remain above 30 degrees Celsius in winter and is suitable for health therapies and special aquaculture.