Mount Lufeng

Mount Lufeng

Mount Lufeng, also known as Luposhan, rises abruptly from the vast plains, standing majestically and spectacularly.

Halfway up the mountain lies a cave called Niulang Cave. Legend has it that after being driven out of his home by his sister-in-law, the Cowherd lived here and had the chance to meet the Weaving Maid.

The eight-hundred-li Funiu Mountain winds its way westward, drawing a perfectly round full stop on the northern bank of the ancient Luyang Zhi River—this full stop is Mount Lufeng, renowned as the foremost of the ancient Eight Scenic Spots of Lushan.

Backed by the majestic Funiu Mountain and facing the fertile Huang-Huai Plain, Mount Lufeng holds a strategically vital position, suitable for both offense and defense.

● Sacred Mountain of Defense

The 1563 *Lushan County Annals* from the Ming Dynasty’s Jiajing era record: “Eighteen li east of the county, a mountain rises abruptly from the plain, serving as the town’s guardian peak.” Like a loyal sentinel, it guards the Luyang Pass, controls Xiangyuan in the south and Yiluo in the north, protecting the safety of the local people and ensuring the enduring prosperity of the ancient Luyang stronghold. Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang, once relied on Mount Lufeng for defense, decisively defeating the Qin general Lü Yi at Chouchu East, then pressing westward in an unstoppable momentum to capture Guanzhong and complete the overthrow of the Qin Dynasty. When the Jin invaders surged southward into the Central Plains, their advance was fierce and arrogant. Faced with foreign aggression and a fractured homeland, the Luyang archer Niu Gao, filled with righteous fury, bravely took up the cause. He led local militias to ambush the Jin forces at Dengjia Bridge and Songcun southeast of Mount Lufeng, inflicting a major defeat, capturing the Jin general Yelü Mawu, and stunning the enemy, thus defending national dignity and writing a glorious chapter in the Southern Song resistance against the Jin.

In 1945, the Henan Provincial Party Committee, Henan Military District, and Headquarters of the Henan People’s Anti-Japanese Army were stationed in Lushan, establishing the Henan–Shaanxi–Hubei Anti-Japanese Base Area and directing the anti-Japanese struggle of the people of Henan. During the Liberation War, Lushan successively served as the leadership center for the Henan–Shaanxi–Hubei Border Region, Henan–Shaanxi Liberation Area, the Central Plains Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, and the Henan Provincial Committee, with leadership organs distributed across villages and towns around Mount Lufeng. Veteran revolutionaries such as Deng Xiaoping, Liu Bocheng, and Chen Yi presided over numerous important meetings here, strategizing and deciding the fate of the Central Plains. On April 25, 1948, at a joint meeting of the Chen-Xie Corps Working Committee and the Henan–Shaanxi–Hubei Rear Area Working Committee held in Lushan, Deng Xiaoping delivered a report titled *The Victorious Situation of Advancing into the Central Plains and Future Policies and Strategies*. The content of the report was highly praised by Mao Zedong and issued in the name of the Central Committee to the entire Party. Notably, the report discussed in detail the relationship between markets and politics, economy, and people’s livelihood, as well as policies and strategies for protecting and developing markets. Experts widely recognize this as the origin of Deng Xiaoping’s market economy thinking, making Lushan the birthplace of Deng Xiaoping’s market economy theory.

● Immortal Mountain

Though not particularly high—just over 300 meters—Mount Lufeng is famous not for its elevation but for its legends. It is said that Zhang Sanfeng once built a hut here to cultivate himself and seek enlightenment. Later, guided by an immortal, he traveled south to Wudang Mountain, where he established a school and taught disciples, eventually becoming the founding patriarch of the Taoist Wudang Sect. Mount Lufeng thus became a sacred site revered by followers.

The world-famous legend of the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid originated here. The Weaving Maid, granddaughter of the Heavenly Emperor in Chinese mythology, descended to Mount Lufeng, where she met the Cowherd at Jiunü Pool and harmonized with him in Niulang Cave. After the Heavenly Queen forcibly separated them and demolished Niulang Cave, the Cowherd ascended to heaven through the South Heaven Gate atop the mountain, chasing after her with all his heart. His devotion moved the Heavenly Emperor, leading to the miracle of magpies forming a bridge so the lovers could meet on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, creating an eternal love story. In February 2009, the China Folk Literature and Art Association named Lushan the “Hometown of Chinese Cowherd and Weaving Maid Culture,” and Mount Lufeng’s title as the Sacred Mountain of Love became widely celebrated across China. Perhaps by divine design, the world’s largest South-to-North Water Diversion aqueduct loops past Niulang Cave at the southern foot of Mount Lufeng, resembling the Milky Way and complementing the mountain, adding new splendor to the Cowherd and Weaving Maid lore. Niulang Cave is also called Lv Gong Cave, with records dating back to the early Ming Dynasty. Legend says that Lü Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals, once brought fellow immortals here to gather celestial herbs and lingzhi mushrooms from the opposite Shangyu Mountain, refining elixirs in Niulang Cave to heal the sick. Shangyu medicinal herbs thus gained fame, and by the Song Dynasty, Shangyu Port had become the country’s largest hub for medicinal herb trade, flourishing for a time. The Tang official Yuan Yanzu, drawn by its reputation, resigned from his post in central Shanxi and relocated his family to Shangyu Mountain. Nurtured by its pristine beauty, his son Yuan Jie grew up to become a renowned scholar and strategist, celebrated throughout the imperial court. Where people follow the mountain, the mountain becomes sacred; where the mountain is sacred, people are drawn to it. Countless poets and scholars have visited Mount Lufeng to sing its praises. The Song Dynasty poet Mei Yaochen’s *Mountain Journey in Lushan* is a prime example: “Well-suited to my wild heart, the peaks rise and fall. Each fine summit shifts as I roam; winding paths bewilder me alone. Frost falls as bears climb trees; in bare woods, deer drink from streams. Where are the homes? A cock crows beyond the clouds.” The most exhilarating experience is ascending the peak on a crisp autumn day, gazing into the distance as fields stretch out, fruits and vegetables scent the air, distant mountains grace the endless sky, aqueducts race alongside the Zhi River, forest waves rustle, and magpies dart through the sky—offering boundless vistas and freedom from worldly concerns.

● Divine Mountain

Mount Lufeng rises abruptly from the plain, majestic and awe-inspiring. Locals revere it as divine, using it to predict farming conditions: when the mountain is shrouded in fog, rain follows; when the fog lifts, fair weather arrives—a belief proven reliable. A local proverb says, “When Luposhan wears a hat, laborers sleep” (Mount Lufeng is commonly called Luposhan). Though Lushan boasts beautiful landscapes and numerous caves and pools, the 1563 *Lushan County Annals* only record one cave—Niulang Cave on Mount Lufeng: “Within stands the God of the Cowherd; prayers for illnesses in horses and oxen are answered.” They also record only one pool—Jiunü Pool on Mount Lufeng: “Above the pool stands the Nine Maidens Temple; the pool does not deepen, yet prayers for rain during droughts are immediately answered.” These accounts highlight the mountain’s mystical nature.

Surrounding Mount Lufeng are more than ten temples of varying sizes, among which the Ruiyun Temple at the summit and Zhongyue Temple at the southern foot are the most renowned. Ruiyun Temple was first built during the Song Dynasty’s Chongning era, featuring halls dedicated to the Patriarch, Lingxiao, and the Cowherd and Weaving Maid, with exquisitely carved beams and painted rafters, grand in scale. The thirteen-story Yuwu Pagoda pierces the clouds and enjoys a reputation across the region. On the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month, worshippers flock here—alas, the Yuwu Pagoda was tragically destroyed during the Cultural Revolution when a radar station was built on its site.

Divine mountains are home to divine birds. Magpies abound on Mount Lufeng. Beyond helping form the magpie bridge on Qixi, they are also tied to the story of Qu Yuan, the Chu statesman. Legend says that after being exiled and banished to the north of the Han River, Qu Yuan stayed in the remote Choucheng. On the Dragon Boat Festival, he climbed Mount Lufeng, gazed south toward the Chu capital, and was overwhelmed with sorrow: “A bird comes from the south, alighting in the north. Fair and lovely, yet alone in this alien land… I weep as I face the northern hills, sigh by the flowing waters… My heart is heavy with unfulfilled hopes—who can I tell?” The poet’s deep concern for his country and people moved heaven and earth. Suddenly, spiritual magpies gathered from all directions to accompany and comfort the solitary, unyielding, and helpless poet. The people, moved by his righteousness, regarded the birds as auspicious. Whenever they heard magpies chirping in their yards, they would scatter grain to feed them—even hunters refrained from harming them.

● Treasure Mountain

Legend says Mount Lufeng was once a phoenix, with a golden treasury beneath its wings where a golden horse ceaselessly ground golden beans. To open the treasury’s gate, one needed cucumbers grown for exactly a hundred days. A greedy merchant who overheard the immortals’ secret used cucumbers grown for only ninety-nine days to enter the treasure trove, hoping to steal the golden horse. But the gate slammed shut, and the merchant fled with a handful of golden beans, nearly losing his life. This tale seems to teach that only through hard work and virtue can one reap the rewards of ripened efforts.

Mount Lufeng is full of treasures. The surrounding hills are rich in minerals like silicon and phosphorus, while the mountain itself boasts lush vegetation and diverse species, with trees mainly consisting of oak and tung. Since ancient times, locals have raised silkworms on oak leaves, producing Lushan silk, also called “Fairy Silk.” Legend says the Weaving Maid brought heavenly silkworms to Earth, teaching people how to spin and weave. Lushan silk, known for its lightness, softness, and durability, gained fame both domestically and internationally, winning a gold medal at the 1914 Panama–Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. British Queen Elizabeth II favored dresses made of Lushan silk for her coronations and grand banquets.

Flowers bloom in orderly succession on Mount Lufeng throughout the year, filling the land with fragrance. In spring, there are Jiunü Flowers (rapeseed flowers) and winter jasmine; in summer, silver locust flowers, pomegranate flowers, and jade lotus flowers; in autumn, morning glories, osmanthus flowers, and chrysanthemums; in winter, winter-blooming flowers and plum blossoms. These bring boundless vitality to the earth and benefit local residents. Nowadays, groups of visitors can often be seen hiking or buying fruit on the mountain. The alluvial plain south of Mount Lufeng, nourished by the mountain’s vitality, has extremely fertile soil and is called the “breadbasket” and granary of Lushan. Villagers in Sunyi and nearby areas, out of reverence for the legendary Cowherd, traditionally planted grapes to listen to the whispers of the Cowherd and Weaving Maid on Qixi night. Later, large-scale grape cultivation began, yielding abundant harvests. The current total area exceeds 10,000 mu, and the “Xianyuan” grapes produced here are sold nationwide, becoming a pillar industry for local farmers’ income.

Mount Lufeng stands uniquely splendid in the Central Plains due to its natural beauty; Mount Lufeng blesses the people with its profound and magical virtues.