Zishan Scenic Area

Zishan Scenic Area

Zishan Scenic Area is located on the southern shore of Longwanggou Reservoir in the northern suburbs of Nanyang City, adjacent to Longxiang Road, about 10 kilometers from the city center. Covering an area of 25 square kilometers, it stretches approximately 8 kilometers from north to south and 6.3 kilometers from east to west. The area features a harmonious blend of mountains and water, a mix of plains and hills, abundant water sources, and rich vegetation.

Zishan is composed of 15 major and minor peaks, including Aoshan, Hengshan, Huanglushan, Putashan, Wujia Po, Niuxin Duo, Haohan Po, Yingzui Shan, Zhizhu Shan, Badang Shan, Muzhu Ling, Xiangfeng Gang, and Yuhuangding. It spans about 8 kilometers from north to south and 6.3 kilometers from east to west. The area boasts beautiful mountains and rivers, with competing peaks and a complex terrain that creates a rich variety of natural scenery. Among them, Yuhuangding, also known as Ziling Peak, is the main peak of Zishan, with an elevation of 325.4 meters. The entire mountain is composed of biotite granite formed during the Huaili period. With steep cliffs on all sides and deep valleys, it combines cultural and natural landscapes and is known as the "Ziling Soaring Greenery." Xiangfeng Gang, located southeast of Ziling Peak, resembles a dancing phoenix, surrounded by green pines and cypresses, often shrouded in clouds and mist. Haohan Po and Muzhu Ling are covered with dense primeval vegetation, offering shaded paths through the forest. In spring, the mountains are covered with blooming flowers, full of vitality; in summer, the lush forests provide a cool and pleasant atmosphere; in autumn, red leaves dance in the wind, covering the ground like a carpet; in winter, the trees are adorned with crystal-clear frost and snow.

Zishan is rich in natural beauty and historical sites. According to the Ming Dynasty's "Jiajing Nanyang Prefecture Records": "Zishan was the hermitage site of Pang Shiyuan in the late Han Dynasty, with the ruins of Fengchu Terrace." Pang Tong, courtesy name Shiyuan, also known as Fengchu, often played the zither and recited poetry with his close friend Zhuge Liang on Fengchu Terrace, discussing the world’s affairs and strategies for governing the state. Research indicates that the original Fengchu Terrace Shrine included a front hall, main hall, side halls, and a mountain gate. Due to the passage of time and damage from wars, only the ruins of Fengchu Terrace remain today.

To the north, Zishan borders Longwanggou Reservoir, and to the south, it connects with Wolonggang. It was historically a gathering place for imperial mausoleums and Taoist temples of the Tang kings during the Ming Dynasty. Lingshan Temple was built on the original site of the City God Temple, located on the mountainside at the southern foot of Zishan. It houses a Mahavira Hall and 38 side rooms, covering an area of 4.67 hectares. At the top of Ziling Peak stands the Ancestral Master Temple. Starting from the second day of the second lunar month each year, a temple fair is held featuring lively performances of traditional opera, acrobatics, lion dances, dry-land boat shows, bamboo horse dances, and musical instruments, attracting thousands of pilgrims from hundreds of miles around who come to worship devoutly. After Zhu Yuanzhang ascended the throne as the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, he appointed his 22nd son, Zhu Chen, as the King of Tang, with Nanyang as his fief. Zhu Chen was later buried on the sunny side of Zishan. Successive Tang kings, including Kings Jing, Xian, Zhuang, Cheng, Jing, Shun, Duan, and Yu, along with more than ten imperial tombs including those of princesses, are also located on Zishan. According to the "Ming Yi Tong Zhi" (Comprehensive Gazetteer of the Ming Dynasty), the mausoleum complex was once grand and imposing, with rows of palaces, pavilions, and halls, surrounded by 290 zhang (approximately 966 meters) of red walls, covering an area of over 50 acres. As a result, Zishan is also poetically referred to as the "Thirteen Tombs of Nanyang."

Historically, this area served as a key route between Wan (Nanyang) and Luoyang, providing access to Jingchu and onward to Huguang, or retreat into the Funiu and Taihang Mountains. It has long been a strategic military location. It is said that the Yellow Turban rebels once made their stand here; Li Zicheng’s rebel forces also used the mountain as a stronghold; during the Anti-Japanese War, it was the site of two major battles to defend Nanyang; and on the eve of liberation, Chen Geng’s forces fought multiple fierce battles here against the warlord Wang Lingyun in the struggle to liberate Nanyang.

Legend has it that during the late Western Han Dynasty, Liu Xiu was being hunted by Wang Mang. He slept in front of a large hidden rock slab and thus evaded capture by Wang Mang’s soldiers. Later, Liu Xiu raised an army in Nanyang and established the Eastern Han Dynasty in the 25th year of the Common Era, with its capital in Luoyang, and was known as Emperor Guangwu. The large rock slab where Liu Xiu once slept is called the "Liu Xiu Bed." There is also the uniquely built "Zhu Wang Bridge," the man-made "Luojian Array," the "Bailong Palace" (also known as "Xiaoyao Palace," said to be the palace of the White Lady) built by the Zhu King; as well as folk legends about the "Haohan Po," the "Stone Fortress" built around Yuhuangding (legend says it is 8 li and 13 steps long, equal in length to the old city wall of Nanyang Prefecture), the "Well" and the "Fairy Cave"; plus the legendary "Fortune-Turning Stone" and "Goddess Bed" for praying for children or success, the "Drum-Beating Stone" that echoes sounds across the mountain when struck, the "Red Yan Pool," said to be the dragon court of the Dragon King Aoguang, the "White Horse Temple," "Zouma Gang," "Linma Chang," and the herb-gathering site of the Medicine Sage Zhang Zhongjing, Kelouwa, among many other legends.

*Scenic Area Address: Pushan Town, Wolong District, Nanyang City

*Transportation: Longwanggou Scenic Area Tourist Shuttle, or self-drive (City Center – Longxiang Road – Fangzhuang Village, Pushan Town)

Pushan Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Wolong District, Nanyang City. Established as Huai Shuwan Commune in 1968, renamed Pushan Commune in 1974, changed to a township in 1984, and upgraded to a town in 1985. Located in the northern part of the city, 16 kilometers from the city center. It covers an area of 139 square kilometers with a population of 84,000. The Jiaozuo-Zhicheng Railway and the Zhengzhou-Nanyang West Highway run east-west through the eastern part of the town, while the Nanyang Local Railway crosses the southern part. The town administers Dingzhuang, Zhouhouwang, Zhaozhuang, Qingquan, Yangzhuang, Zhao Guanzhuang, Nijia Wa, Zhouwan, Pushan First Village, Pushan Second Village, Yaoliang, Licai Zhuang, -, Dazhuang, Huangshan, Zhangying, Chenjia... Detailed information on Pushan Town++