Rock-Poetry Forest through the Cliff

Rock-Poetry Forest through the Cliff

The Rock-Poetry Forest through the Cliff is a scenic spot newly developed in 1988, located on the mountainside of Xianglu Peak. It combines the charm of rocks, caves, and poetry, and is honored as the “Poetic Charm of the Rock-Poetry Forest” among the New Four Wonders of Mount Heng’s scenery. Major attractions include Lovers’ Rock, Flying Rock, Human Head Rock, Immortal’s Stove, Immortal’s Pot, and Little Western Heaven. On the stone walls outside the caves, more than 40 ancient and modern poems praising Mount Heng, written by contemporary calligraphy masters, are carved.

The Rock-Poetry Forest through the Cliff is situated on the mountainside of Xianglu Peak, on the eastern side of the hiking road from the Zhonglie Temple to the Mid-mountain Pavilion. It features sheer cliffs and rugged rocks. There are dozens of natural caves of various sizes, all interconnected. Based on the natural characteristics of these caves and rocks, they have been given diverse forms: immortals and ghosts, animals and plants, cliff inscriptions, as well as entire stone tablet forests. The fantastical and varied scenery has earned it the name “Little Western Heaven.” Stone paths connect the caves, forming an integrated rocky forest landscape.

The entire scenic area consists of twelve sites, including White Turtle Cave, Bitter-Joy Cliff, Immortal Encounter Pavilion, and Fish-Dragon Rock, combining the charm of rocks, caves, and poetry. According to the Chronicles of Mount Heng, the Taoist priest Chen Xingming of the Jin Dynasty practiced here for eighteen years, encountered an immortal, and ascended to heaven, hence it is also known as the “Immortal’s Maze.”