Tianqiao Mountain

Tianqiao Mountain

Tianqiao Mountain, located over 20 kilometers east of Chengde city proper, is one of the “Top Ten Scenic Spots of Chengde.” When people look out from the highest point of the Mountain Resort, they can spot a natural stone arch bridge soaring across the sky, stretching all the way to the depths of the white clouds at the mountaintops east and west of Bangchui Mountain — that is Tianqiao Mountain. The mountain is named for a massive rock at its peak that spans the summit like a long bridge.

Tianqiao Mountain, with an elevation of 730 meters and covering an area of approximately 2.7 square kilometers, is situated on the mountainside about eight li opposite the western entrance of Chaoyang Cave, and features a cliff face. The natural arch of Tianqiao is 180 meters long in total, with two arches. The northern arch spans 25.5 meters in length, is 4.7 meters high, and 6 meters wide; the southern arch is 5.8 meters long, 3 meters high. According to the Chronicles of Chengde Prefecture, Tianqiao Mountain “features a long, arched mountain ridge that resembles a flying beam spanning the sky, ethereally hovering midway, facing the Sifanyunshan Pavilion within the Mountain Resort.” Emperor Jiaqing once composed a poem praising it: “Climbing to the mountaintop, my gaze stretches far; the heavenly bridge towers above the autumnal hills. The grand view comes naturally without seeking, as endless clouds and mist unfold for miles.” At the base of the northern end of the northern arch, there are two massive rocks stacked one atop the other. The lower one is huge, while the upper one is slightly smaller. The upper rock is flat, about 1 meter thick, 3 meters long, roughly 1 meter wide at the southern end, and 3 meters wide at the northern edge. It is a red conglomerate rock that fell from the upper arch. After prolonged weathering, hard pebbles formed a fulcrum, which coincidentally aligns with the rock’s center of gravity. When people push the upper rock gently at the southern end, it begins to sway up and down, earning it the name “wind-moving rock,” also known as the “Stone Ox.”

From the Sifanyunshan Pavilion in the Mountain Resort, one can gaze into the distance and see the towering cliffs of Tianqiao Mountain seemingly touching the sky. Ascending to Chaoyang Cave, Tianqiao Mountain comes into close view — the spanning flying beam, the transparent arch, like an exquisitely crafted perilous bridge forged by nature, leading straight into the depths of the white clouds. A Qing dynasty poet once wrote: “Spanning a thousand stitches across the cloudless sky, truly a flying beam forming a rainbow.” The surface of Tianqiao Mountain is smooth and flat, slightly raised at both the northern and southern ends, with a semi-circular arch. Beneath the arch of Tianqiao Mountain lie two massive overlapping rocks, one in front of the other, shaped like oxen — hence called the “Ox Stones.” If you gently push the upper one from the southern end, not only does it rock, but it also emits a “kōng kōng” sound. This is why there is a moving legend about a golden ox descending to the mortal realm via the great bridge.

The “Stone Ox” is a flat red conglomerate rock, about 1 meter thick, 3 meters long, 1 meter wide at the southern end, and 3 meters wide at the northern edge, weighing approximately 15 tons, which fell from the top of the Tianqiao arch during its formation. After weathering, protruding pebbles formed a fulcrum that happens to align with the rock’s center of gravity. When people press the southern end up and down, the rock begins to sway, and as the swaying frequency increases, it emits a “kōng kōng” sound.

According to geomorphology, a natural bridge with flowing water beneath the arch in a rock layer is called a “natural bridge”; without water, it is called a “natural arch.” A natural arch situated higher up in the upper part of the rock is called a “natural window.” Therefore, Tianqiao Mountain should technically be classified as a “natural window,” but people are accustomed to calling it a “heavenly bridge.” As early as in his “Song of Tianqiao Mountain,” Emperor Kangxi referred to it as a “window.”