Three Lions Cave

Three Lions Cave

To the east of Wangxian Town stands a large mountain with three peaks rising like standing lions. Below them lies a deep cave called Three Lions Cave. Legend has it that the immortal Wang Qiao once refined elixirs here, hence the mountain is also known as Wangxian Mountain or Wangqiao Mountain. The *Jingzhou Records* states: “Forty li east of Liling County, there is a large mountain with three stone chambers. Inside the chambers are stone beds and stone mortars. Local elders say that in the past, a Taoist priest cultivated immortality here, and it is said that he once used the mortar to refine golden sand.” Fu Xiongxiang once inscribed the four characters “Taishan Stone Chamber” (each character over a foot in diameter) at the cave entrance.

A reclining lion lies atop Guang Cave. The cave entrance is over ten meters in height, width, and depth, and can accommodate hundreds of people. Clear spring water drips from the cave ceiling. During the Republican era, stone statues and niches were built inside the cave, but they were later destroyed. Currently, the cave houses statues of deities such as the Tathagata Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, the Eighteen Arhats, and the Twenty-Four Devas. Thirty meters to the left of Guang Cave is a dark cave, which is divided into three sections, with the innermost section resembling a pavilion. Statues of Guanyin and Bao Gong are placed on either side. There is an underground stream, covering a total area of 6,000 square meters. On the other side of the stream, remnants of a stone bed and stone mortar are hard to find.

A standing lion, mouth open and majestic, stands to the right of the reclining lion. To climb onto the lion’s head and enter its mouth, one must follow a narrow path along its side—an extremely perilous journey.

A sitting lion is located on a cliff. Originally, there was a plant called Zhu Lan that bloomed in late spring and early summer. Each stem bore nine flowers, with purple-red sword-shaped leaves and a fragrant aroma.

Next to the cave, a newly built Three Lions Farmer's Paradise features a dance hall, leisure rooms, a roller skating rink, sports courts, a swimming pool, a restaurant, and shops. The nearby mountain reservoir offers pleasure boats, and the fish ponds are ideal for fishing, making it a new attraction that combines leisure, entertainment, and sightseeing.

To the north of Wangxian Town, in Guankou Village, lies Qingyuan Mountain, the former site of Dengzhen Temple. It is said that six large characters written by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty were once hidden here. Emperor Taizong of the Song Dynasty took them to read and later returned them, bestowing in their place imperial calligraphy in flying white script. A Royal Calligraphy Pavilion was later built to house them, and Ouyang Xiu wrote the *Record of the Royal Calligraphy Pavilion*.