Changli Jieshi Mountain

Changli Jieshi Mountain

Changli Jieshi Mountain is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

The Jieshi Mountain Scenic Area is located to the north of Changli County in Qinhuangdao. The main peak lies north of Changli County, with its ridges extending across three counties—Changli, Lulong, and Funing—boasting a hundred rugged peaks. The summit, Xiantai Peak (also known as "Hanwu Platform" and commonly called "Nianniang Peak"), has a cylindrical top that resembles a towering pillar reaching into the sky, which is how the mountain got its name "Jieshi."

Cao Cao mentioned "Jieshi Mountain" in his poem "Viewing the Boundless Sea." There were originally three academic viewpoints on its exact location: one was Hebei’s Changli, another was Shandong’s Wudi, and the third was Liaoning’s Xingcheng. In the mid-1980s, a batch of cultural relics unearthed near the Tomb of Meng Jiangnu by the Meng Jiangnu Temple in Qinhuangdao confirmed this to be the site of Jieshi Mountain. About 4 kilometers offshore from the temple, there are two massive rocks protruding from the sea—the taller resembling a stele, the shorter a tomb—known locally as the Tomb of Meng Jiangnu. Here, archaeologists discovered large high-platform sea-viewing structures from the Qin and Han dynasties—Shibei Di and Xiaoheishantou—along with grass-cloud-patterned roof tiles dating back to the Qin and Han periods. Experts speculate that Shibei Di was where Emperor Qin Shi Huang traveled eastward to the sea in search of immortality.

The main peak of Jieshi Mountain is Xiantai Peak, with an elevation of 695 meters, making it the highest peak near the Bohai Sea coast. The mountain is home to the famous "Shuiyan Temple." On the cliffs, ancient inscriptions of the two characters "Jieshi" can still be found. Ascending Xiantai Peak (15 kilometers from the sea), you can overlook the ocean, with the landscape stretching 15 kilometers between the mouth of the Luan River and Qinhuangdao Port—from the Luan River estuary in the west to Shanhaiguan Qinhuangdao Port in the east. The vast sea spreads out as far as the eye can see, blending seamlessly with the sky, truly making it a sacred site for "Jieshi Sea Views." Ancient lists name ten scenic wonders of Jieshi Mountain, among which "Jieshi Sea View" is the most spectacular. The other nine are: Sky Pillar Piercing Clouds, Shuiyan Spring Dawn, Stone Cave Autumn Wind, West Ridge Arrayed in Green, East Peak Soaring Emerald, Dragon Coiling in the Sacred Valley, Phoenix Soaring over Auspicious Ridges, Rosy Glow on the Watchtower, and Immortal Shadows over the Azure Waves.

Due to its steep main peak, proximity to the sea, and strategic location, it was recorded in the earliest classic geographical works, the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" and the "Book of Documents · Tribute of Yu." Jieshi Mountain is considered one of the renowned ancient mountains and, although not among the Five Great Mountains, is honored with the title of "Sacred Mountain."

Jieshi Mountain features both Eastern and Western Five-Peak Mountains. The Eastern Five-Peak Mountains lie to the east of Xiantai Peak, with five peaks from east to west named Wanghai (Sea-Viewing), Jinxiu (Splendid), Pingdou (Balanced Dipper), Feilai (Flying Here), and Guayue (Hanging Moon). The Western Five-Peak Mountains are situated west of Xiantai Peak, and on the southern mountainside platform is the "Han Wengong Shrine," built in honor of Han Yu, the Tang Dynasty literary master. His ancestral home was in Changli, Hebei, and he was posthumously titled Marquis of Changli, hence also known as Han Changli. Li Dazhao, one of the founders of the Chinese Communist Party, also loved this place. From 1908 to 1924, he sought refuge here seven times at the Han Wengong Shrine and wrote many works. In his essay "Miscellaneous Notes on Visiting Jieshi Mountain," he described Jieshi Mountain as a "heavenly paradise." Today, this site is a provincial-level patriotic education base, and a 5-meter-tall full-body white marble statue of Li Dazhao stands on the boundary stone ridge south of the shrine.

The "Sacred Mountain" Jieshi, with its beautiful scenery and profound historical essence, is one of the must-visit destinations in North China. The renowned Shuiyan Temple has been restored and is thriving with incense offerings. In front of Jieshi Mountain lies "Jieyang Lake," believed to be the place where Emperor Qin Shi Huang visited Jieshi and inscribed the "Jieshi Gate Proclamation," as well as the site where Emperor Wencheng of the Northern Wei Dynasty hosted a grand banquet for his ministers.