Wubao Fairy Mountain in Hanshou

Wubao Fairy Mountain in Hanshou

Wubao Fairy Mountain is one of the four famous mountains in Hanshou County. Located within Zhujia Pu Town in Hanshou County, it is part of the Xuefeng Mountain range. The mountain features undulating ridges, rugged rocks, lush pines and cypresses, as well as rare flowers and plants. A temple stands atop the mountain, where morning bells and evening drums echo through the fragrant air. At the foot of the mountain lies the Jiangdong City Reservoir, with its shimmering blue waters and glistening light. Below the mountain there is water, and within the water there are mountains, and within the mountains there is a temple. The interplay of landscape and water forms a beautiful traditional Chinese painting.

During the Yongle era of the Ming Dynasty, a temple was built on the mountain. In the Yongzheng period of the Qing Dynasty, the Wenchang Pavilion was added. The temple housed over a hundred Buddha statues, with morning bells, evening drums, and an extraordinary spiritual atmosphere. However, due to the Sino-Japanese War and the Cultural Revolution, this thousand-year-old temple was reduced to ruins. After the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committee in 1978, local residents spontaneously organized to rebuild the temple on Wubao Fairy Mountain. They constructed the Mahavira Hall, Guanyin Hall, and Jade Emperor Tower, enshrining over a hundred deities including Zhenwu the Great Immortal, the God of Wealth, the God of Literature, Guanyin, and the Jade Emperor. Ascending the ancient mountain path, the first sight to greet you is the archway of Wubao Mountain. At the top of the archway are three-dimensional characters reading “Wubao Fairy Mountain.” On the flanking pillars are two couplets: “Immortals ride white cranes, leading black raccoons to roam Turtle Mountain – Stone Cave,” and “Generals ride red horses, capturing the Yellow Dragon King, storming Tiger’s Mouth to guard Golden City.” Both couplets are composed entirely of place names within a ten-kilometer radius of Wubao Fairy Mountain, each with its own beautiful legend.

As the name suggests, Wubao Fairy Mountain is not only rich in treasures but also associated with immortals. Legend has it that before the Song Dynasty, Wubao Mountain was abundant in gold, silver, copper, tin, and coal—hence the name “Wubao” or “Five Treasures.” The locals lived prosperous lives thanks to these resources. By the Southern Song Dynasty, Yang Mo, the leader of a peasant uprising in Hanshou County, rallied forces under the slogan “equality for all, fair distribution of wealth.” The rebel army attacked cities, repeatedly defeating government troops, and quickly spread across 19 counties. Alarmed, the Southern Song court dispatched several generals to suppress the rebellion, but all were soundly defeated. The situation grew dire, prompting the court to urgently summon Yue Fei and his loyal troops to pacify Yang Mo in Dongting Lake. Most of Yue Fei’s soldiers were from northern China and unskilled in naval warfare, so they struggled against Yang Mo in repeated battles. One day, while deep in thought about a strategy to defeat the enemy, Yue Fei fell asleep and received guidance in a dream from a wise sage. The sage told him that along the Cangshui River, which flows into Dongting Lake, there lay a dragon vein, and that a future emperor would rise in the Dongting Lake region. With the dragon in the water, it would be as if the dragon had entered its element, making it invincible. The only way to secure victory, the sage said, was to sever the dragon vein by sending men to destroy it in the Cangshui River.

Upon waking, Yue Fei was skeptical but decided to act. He sent officers to the Shiban Beach in present-day Shimacun Village, where they found an extremely hard rock formation. A team of soldiers dug for a whole day without making any progress. Yue Fei then deployed a thousand soldiers to dig, yet strangely, by the next morning, the hole had returned to its original state. Only after pouring dog blood onto the site were they finally able to sever the dragon vein. Not long after, Yang Mo’s generals Huang Zuo and Yang Qin surrendered to Yue Fei. Yang Mo was ultimately defeated, captured, and executed. However, because Yue Fei had severed the dragon vein, he incurred the wrath of heaven. Soon after, Yue Fei met a tragic end, the Southern Song Dynasty collapsed, and the gold, silver, copper, and tin of Wubao Mountain vanished instantly, with only trace amounts remaining and little practical value. The coal, too, was no longer true coal and lacked the heat needed for burning. With the five treasures gone, the locals, in remembrance, retained the name “Wubao Mountain.” Another legend says that Zhenwu the Great Immortal, detached from worldly desires and devoted to virtue, spent ten years cultivating as a prince, then ten more as an immortal. Later, he was appointed by the Jade Emperor as the Northern True Martial Emperor, dedicated to eliminating evil, blessing the people, and protecting the land. He is known for the saying “Ruling over Wudang, commanding Five Thunders, overseeing Wubao,” and is regarded by many as a celestial deity and earthly hero. “A mountain needs no great height to be sacred when inhabited by immortals.” Since Wubao Mountain is connected to heavenly beings, it is believed to possess spiritual energy and the essence of the divine—thus, it is rightly called Wubao Fairy Mountain.

Scenic Area Address: Zhujia Pu Town, Hanshou County, Changde City, Hunan Province

Transportation: Take a bus from Changde City to Hanshou, then transfer to a minibus to reach the scenic area