Yunshan Scenic Area

Yunshan Scenic Area

Yunshan Scenic Area is a national AAA-level tourist attraction and a national forest park.

Yunshan is located 7.5 kilometers south of Wugang County in Shaoyang City, with an elevation of 1,372.5 meters, and belongs to the Xuefeng Mountain range. Stretching for dozens of miles from east to west, it connects the borders of Wugang, Xinning, and Chengbu counties. The origin of the name "Yunshan," according to Deng Xianhe from Xinhua in the early Qing Dynasty who wrote after visiting, was: “Every morning, sitting in the courtyard, I saw a thread-like wisp of white smoke rising vigorously from the ground at my feet, emerging from between the rocks. An old monk said, ‘The clouds are rising,’ and before long the valley was completely covered in thick mist. I then understood that the name 'Cloud Mountain' is no misnomer.” This shows that Yunshan is named for its distinctive scenery of clouds and fog. It integrates scenic spots, historical relics, and forests, and has long been a key attraction in Wugang.

Yunshan Scenic Area

According to the Guangxu-era Wugang Prefecture Records from the Qing Dynasty, Yunshan consists of seventy-three peaks. One peak flew off to the outskirts of Jingzhou City and became a scenic wonder, while the names of the other peaks have mostly been lost. Only Zixiao, Rihua, Yuehua, Furong, and Xianglu peaks are well-known. It is recognized as the 69th of China's 72 Blessed Lands in Taoism and is also one of the major tourist destinations in Shaoyang, Hunan. The late Chairman Hua Guofeng once inscribed the words “Chunan Shengjing” (“Fine Scenery of Southern Chu”) for it.

Yunshan boasts beautiful scenery and has long been a famed tourist destination, inspiring numerous poems and inscriptions by notable figures throughout history. Emperor Gaozong of the Song Dynasty, Zhao Gou, once remarked, “Yunshan’s seventy-one peaks are veiled in ever-changing mists and clouds.” Pan Yingxing, an official of the Ministry of Rites during the Ming Dynasty, composed titles for ten scenic spots including “Fairy Bridge Across the Milky Way” and “Curtain of Water Before the Cliff,” and many beautiful legends have been passed down. According to the Hunan Archaeological Survey, “Lu Sheng and Hou Sheng (from the Qin Dynasty), sent by Emperor Qin Shi Huang to seek immortal tea by the sea, failed and settled in Yunshan.” The Reconstructed Yunshan Buddhist Temple Stele also records, “In the past, Lu and Hou, two men, came here to refine elixirs to escape the Qin.” The stone foundation of the “Lu-Hou Immortal Shrine” on Xianglu Peak still remains. On the roadside cliff near Wulian Nunnery, there is a clerical script carving that reads “Qin People’s Ancient Path.” Legend says that Lu and Hou once entered the mountain along this path, joining the local Taoist Tan Zhenren. Emperor Qin Shi Huang sent Generals Tao and Deng to pursue them to Yunshan, but they chose to stay, eventually becoming immortals who ascended to heaven. Their bodies petrified, forming the scenic spot known as “Generals’ Stone.” Other attractions include Hou Xianji (Trace of the Immortal Hou), Lu Xianying (Shadow of the Immortal Lu), Immortal Bridge, Broom Bamboo at the Altar, Elixir Refining Well, Ascension Platform, and Chessboard Rock—all celebrated local sites. Among Yunshan’s 71 peaks, apart from Zixiao, Bieyun, Dingshu, Furong, Xianglu, Rihua, and Yuehua, which stand majestically against the sky, the names of the others have been lost. Pan Yingxing, a Taoist official in the late Ming Dynasty, refused to serve the Qing court and instead settled in the foothills of the mountain with his elder brother Pan Yingdou. He summarized the uniquely charming scenery into the “Ten Scenes of Yunshan”: Twin Peaks of Brilliance, Cascading Waterfall, Fairy Bridge Across the Stars, Apricot Grove Hiding Spring, Curtain of Water Before the Cliff, Distant Bell Sounds Beyond the Clouds, Breeze-Swept Bamboo Grove, Elixir Well Veiled in Clouds, Lingering Shadows at Cave Entrance, and Traces by the Stone. Below Bieyun Peak lies an area of about one square li, encircled by surrounding peaks, known as the “Lotus Throne,” which served as the core area for temple constructions throughout Yunshan’s history.

According to the Thousand Autumns Unyielding Stele, “The earliest temple on Yunshan was established around the Qin Dynasty.” During the Song Dynasty, the Wanshou Palace and Guanyin Pavilion were built here but were destroyed by fire in the Yuan Dynasty. In the 21st year of the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, Wang Xuan, the magistrate of Wugang, rebuilt them. In the 5th year of the Chenghua era, the Shengli Temple, generously funded by monks such as Zhihui, was constructed in a grand and elegant style, becoming “a magnificent sight for the region.” Yan Tingju, a transport intendant of Jiujiang Prefecture, wrote in his poem “Visiting Yunshan and Composing for the Wise Monk’s Room at Shengli Temple”: “Deep in Yunshan lies the abode of immortals, where an enlightened monk chants the Lotus Sutra; wisps of incense curl around the tripod, and floral-scented rain drifts through the curtain. The distant chanting of scriptures drifts with the wind, flickering lamplight slants toward the bed; only the wise heart remains free, unaware of the boundless sands of eternity.” In the late Ming Dynasty, the eminent monk Yanzhu lectured here and renovated the temple buildings, constructing the Bieyunxiangyuan Monastery to the left of the main hall, housing over 200 monks. Pilgrims frequented the site, making Yunshan a thriving center of Buddhism in southwestern Hunan. During the Song Dynasty, regional governor Jiang Lizhong built the Yunfeng Pavilion atop the seventy-one peaks, “to store imperial calligraphy within.”

In addition, various other structures were built in successive dynasties, including Baoding Nunnery, General Temple, Wulian Nunnery, Sanli Nunnery, and Banshan Temple, all nestled in secluded spots, drawing spring water through bamboo pipes, providing rest areas for pilgrims and travelers. Most of these ancient buildings were demolished between 1950 and 1954. Shengli Temple was also destroyed in 1967 and rebuilt in 1986. Below Bieyun Peak lies a cluster of stone stupas, consisting of over 20 large and small stupa tombs, all either hexagonal or conical, ranging from 0.5 to 2.5 meters in height. The tops feature stone carvings such as precious beads, spires, lotus pedestals, and inverted bowls. These stupa bases mostly date from the Ming and Qing Dynasties.

In addition to its ancient cultural heritage, beautiful legends, and natural scenery, the picturesque Yunshan is also a vast forest park. Within its core protected vegetation area of over 20,000 acres, rare and precious tree species, unusual and exotic flowers and plants, as well as occasionally spotted rare birds and animals in deep valleys, have drawn significant attention from scholars both in China and abroad, who consider it a “natural orchard with shining scientific value.” Scientific surveys have preliminarily identified 457 tree species belonging to 88 families, including 13 species listed as nationally protected rare plants and 6 species under provincial protection.

Additionally, there are valuable ornamental tree species such as Yunshan White Orchid, White Magnolia, Concave Leaf Magnolia, and Yunshan Osmanthus, most of which are mature trees with large, fragrant blossoms in red and white hues. Medicinal herbs such as Gastrodia elata, bamboo joint ginseng, chicken claw coptis, lion’s mane mushroom, codonopsis, and Paris polyphylla are also found here. Animals such as the Chinese giant salamander, golden pheasant, deer, musk deer, and wild cats can often be spotted. With its abundant natural resources and rich historical legacy, Yunshan was designated as a national nature reserve in 1982 and listed as a national forest park in 1992.