Long’an Hanshan Resort

Long’an Hanshan Resort

Long’an Hanshan Resort

When it comes to Hanshan tourism, most people in Yulin only think of attractions such as “Fozishan Tourist Resort,” “Hanshan Temple,” and “Madouniao Waterfall.” In fact, these are just one side of Hanshan — the representative sites along the eastern foothills tour route. But what about its other side — the western foothills? What kinds of landscapes exist there? What tourism resources are available? These remain little known.

It was late spring to early summer when our group of over 20 formed a Hanshan Western Route Cultural and Ecological Tourism Exploration Team. We spent two days exploring and investigating the western foothills of Hanshan, mainly within the area of Liuxi Village, Long’an Town, Xingye County, and the surrounding 40-plus square kilometers. Our route was: Long’an Market — Liuxi Village — Western Route of Hanshan Ridge — Hanshan Summit — Niubei Ridge — Sidong Mountain — Liuxi Village. The exploration team, equipped with backpacks and cameras and carrying wooden sticks, trekked along narrow mountain paths, climbed steep slopes, waded through stream valleys, traversed ridges, bathed under waterfalls, scaled peaks, and searched for historical relics.

The western foothills of Hanshan boast numerous cultural landscapes with unique characteristics and naturally beautiful scenery full of diverse colors. Although it may not be as famous as the eastern foothills, the cultural, ecological, and tourism resources it harbors — in terms of area, vegetation, water sources, historical sites, environmental protection, and more — slightly surpass those of the east. What leaves the deepest impression on visitors is its “ancient,” “wild,” and “cool (chilly)” atmosphere.

Long’an Town, anciently known as Lüxia or Lüya, has a history of over 1,500 years. Historical records indicate that during the Zhenguan era (627–649 AD) of the Tang Dynasty, Lüya was part of the ancient Pingwang Qinzhou (located in today’s Xingye County, Yulin City). This ancient land can truly be described as rich in natural beauty and blessed with exceptional people, boasting a profound cultural heritage: the loyalty of Chen Ying, governor of Tengzhou in the Song Dynasty; the righteousness of Tao Cheng, a famous anti-Wokou general in the Ming Dynasty; and the talent and strategy of Chen Shengjing, a notable official in the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era — all have left indelible marks on the historical and cultural scroll of this millennia-old ancient prefecture, with their stories passed down through generations. Chen’s tomb and Tao’s tomb were designated as municipal cultural relic protection units in the 1990s. Even in modern times, individuals from Liuxi Village, such as Li Zuojian, a Guangdong-based Ph.D. supervisor, and Li Yechang, former vice president of the Naval Academy of Shipbuilding Engineering, are experts who have made outstanding contributions to the nation, adding luster to this historical tapestry with their remarkable achievements. This ancient route has produced notable figures and preserved relics and artifacts across generations. In addition to ancient tombs, sites worthy of the “ancient” designation include Ming and Qing dynasty residences in Liuxi Village, stone stair streets, Pushimen Gate, an iron bell from the Ming Dynasty’s Wanli era, and a bronze drum from the Song Dynasty; the Dragon Spring Maplewood Well from the Tang Dynasty in Longdan Village; a Western Han Dynasty bronze sheep-shaped lamp unearthed at Gongsishan to the northwest of Liuxi Village; and on the hillside between Zhongcun and Liuxi Village, where 51 ceramic shards from the Five Dynasties, Song, Yuan, and Ming dynasties were collected during a 1989 cultural relics survey. These ancient relics, long hidden away, along with their storage and excavation sites, could become valuable tourism resources along the Hanshan Western Route.

The most noteworthy historical site here is the Lüya Smelting Site (designated as an autonomous region-level cultural relic protection unit in the 1990s). This site covers a relatively large area, centered around Long’an Market Town, spanning approximately 15 square kilometers. Remnants are scattered throughout this region, including several thousand square meters of slag heaps resembling small hills at the entrance of Zhongcun and Liuxi Village, hundreds of square meters of sintered layers, and a fairly intact iron smelting furnace: with a diameter of 0.8 meters, a height of about 1.5 meters, a spindle-shaped furnace chamber, and furnace walls with sintered materials in various colors, incredibly hard. According to expert research

There is an ancient path about 12 kilometers long from the east of Liuxi Village to the summit, commonly known as the Western Route of Hanshan Ridge. Along this western route lies a historical relic — Dawangpo. "Po" refers to a river dam. It is said that this dam was built in the early Ming Dynasty and shares its name with an ancient temple in Liuxi Village. Its function was to intercept mountain spring water from the streams at the western foot of Hanshan Mountain and channel it into the village for drinking and irrigation, with any excess water flowing into the Nanliu River. The irrigation channel below the dam, Dawangzhen, is a remarkable man-made landscape: with a total drop of 200 meters and a length of 3.5 kilometers, the winding water channel follows the contours of the mountain and the road, perpetually brimming with clear spring water and babbling streams. It resembles a silvery ribbon floating among the emerald-green mountains, appearing and disappearing intermittently. Most remarkably, this "three-smooth" (smooth on all three sides) water channel was not built with bricks or stones, but with a special kind of “lime-sand” mixture. According to the local villager who acted as our guide, the ingredients of the “lime-sand” include lime, brown sugar syrup, glutinous rice, paper pulp, and yellow sand. These materials undergo multiple processes including repeated stirring, sealed fermentation, sun-drying, and re-fermentation before construction can begin. Craftsmen would first shape the structure, then mobilize all the villagers — men, women, and children alike — to take up wooden sticks and mallets and repeatedly pound all three sides of the channel until no cracks could be seen on the surface. It is said that this lime-sand mixture is even more durable than modern concrete. Indeed, the channel has withstood centuries of erosion and remains completely watertight to this day. Visitors can't help but marvel at it.