Immortal Lake Mountain

Immortal Lake Mountain

Located at the source of the Huayanxi Stream, two kilometers from the center of the scenic area, although the mountain is high, climbing it is not laborious—you can drive up. A winding mountain road winds through dense forests and thick grass like a giant python, flanked by expanses of bamboo, ancient trees, hanging vines like snakes, crouching rocks like tigers, and a profusion of rare flowers and birds.

On the mountain, there is a pool over ten meters long and four or five meters wide, known as the Immortal Lake. This pool has crystal-clear water that never dries up during prolonged droughts nor overflows in heavy rain. Legend has it that when the Queen Mother of the West was on her way to Penglai in the East Sea, she passed by this place. Seeing the beautiful scenery in the mountains, she decided to stop and rest. Feeling tired, she used her golden hairpin to dig a pool for a bath. After bathing, she rested beside an osmanthus tree on the mountain. It is said that water from the Immortal Lake can prevent all diseases. Every year, many people come here to bathe and take some of the water home in bottles to give to family and friends. The name “Immortal Lake” has been passed down ever since.

At the top of Immortal Lake Mountain, there used to be a temple, with the four regular script characters “仙池古寺” (Ancient Temple of the Immortal Lake) inscribed on the plaque above the mountain gate. The ancient temple was demolished during the Cultural Revolution. Recently, local residents have built a wooden “Compassion Hall” on the original site, enshrining a golden statue of the Goddess of Mercy (Guanyin) on the front. In front of the Immortal Lake stands a 500-year-old osmanthus tree, which fills the air with fragrance when it blooms. At the foot of Immortal Lake Mountain, there are hundreds of books. During the late Qing Dynasty, the scholar Zhao Yuesheng once composed an impromptu quatrain while visiting the mountain: “Amid thousands of peaks, mist and rosy clouds hover; / Strolling leisurely, we walk as if riding a car. / Begging for the sweet dew of the Immortal Lake, / Sprinkling it with willow twigs over myriad lotus flowers.”