Wenshu Peak of Lingshan

Wenshu Peak of Lingshan

Wenshu Peak

In Lingshan County, most people know about Wenshu Mountain because it is only 8 kilometers from the county town and stands in distant echo with Liufeng Mountain in the town—visible when looking south from the county center. Moreover, Wenshu Mountain is a hill in Lingshan County rich in historical and cultural relics, and Wenshu Peak at its summit has many ancient legends. Since its construction, Wenshu Peak has deeply attracted generations of literati and poets locally, and today it remains a popular spot for locals and villagers in the surrounding countryside to hike and enjoy spring outings.

The first hilltop along the ridge, moving upward, continues along the entire mountain ridge all the way to the summit (and even eastward to Wenshu Peak); from there downward, the entire hilltop resembles a crouching tiger ready to pounce, with two small ridges on either side forming embracing shapes like the tiger’s front legs. In front of the mountain, across the road, lies an open field where a stream meanders from southeast to northwest in a winding fashion, resembling what is described in books as a “jade belt wrapped around the waist.”

The mountain ridges extending southward from the seventh and eighth hilltops form two vividly shaped, outstretched wings of a flying swan—complete with wings, body, head, and beak. Locals explain, “This is a gander treading water spot—a fine feng shui indeed!” (Note: “gander treading water” refers to a pair of male and female geese.) At a glance, it really does look like it. The wings of the two geese overlap, embracing left and right, lifelike and full of charm. Upon reaching the ninth hilltop, a massive rock “grows” out of the mountainside—said to be the “seal” carried by the “dragon vein”! The slope is covered with lush green grass, blooming with white tufts that shimmer silver under the sunlight, gently swaying in the breeze with graceful poise. Looking directly south from this ninth hilltop, three ridges plunge down almost like cliffs, then flatten out midway. These three ridges, along with the tenth hilltop, mark the spine of Wenshu Mountain’s main ridge. The main peak of Wenshu Mountain and its summit—Wenshu Peak (a pagoda)—resembling a “beacon tower,” now come into view to our east. Glancing back at the ridge just traversed, it resembles a giant serpent descending the mountain, writhing left and right, vivid, powerful, and full of vitality. Looking southwest, the distant “Fairy Ridge” opposite truly resembles a reclining maiden, her “head” with distinct facial features, her “body” with well-defined curves, her “long hair” flowing southeast, and her “abdomen” and “lower limbs” stretching northwest—utterly lifelike.

Reaching the summit of Wenshu Mountain at an elevation of 501.5 meters, you finally come face-to-face with Wenshu Peak. Wenshu Peak is an octagonal, terraced pagoda-shaped peak that tapers upward. It currently has 19 levels, each 33 cm high, totaling over 6 meters, with each level being 18 cm wide. The octagonal base of the pagoda has sides 4.5 meters wide, with a perimeter of about 36 meters. The top level has sides 2 meters wide, a circumference of 16 meters, and diagonals 5 meters wide. The sloping edge is 6.8 meters high. Ascending to the top, you see that the exterior shell of the pagoda is built by ramming a mixture of sand, clay, and lime, about 40 cm thick. Inside the pagoda, there are cross-shaped partition walls, also 33 cm thick and made from the same mixture of sand, clay, and lime, connecting to the four sides of the pagoda wall, with the remaining space filled with yellow mud to form a solid mass. The central cross-shaped partition walls point in the four cardinal directions: east, south, west, and north. The inner partition walls on the east and west sides extend outside the pagoda, forming a pair of “protective ears” for the pagoda. These ears are also constructed from a mixture of sand, clay, and lime, rammed against the peak, shaped like trapezoids, 73 cm thick, extending 2.1 meters outward from the base, reaching up to the tenth level of the pagoda—that is, 3.3 meters high.

Regarding the origins of Wenshu Peak, elders in the village say that Lingshan is a feng shui treasure land, a place of outstanding people and vibrant spirit. Ma’anshan Mountain to the east of the county town is a “capital-bound horse”—talented individuals from Lingshan would “ride” this fine steed to serve as officials in the capital. But the imperial “court diviner” wanted to prevent talented locals from gaining high-ranking positions in the capital. So, he drove a large pillar into the top of Liangguan Mountain in Xinwei Town, south of the county town, behind the “capital-bound horse,” to tether it and ruin Lingshan’s feng shui, ensuring no one from Lingshan would ever become a high official in the imperial court again. Since then, Liangguan Mountain has been called Wenshu Mountain.

This folk legend is somewhat mystical and is still widely circulated. It claims that Wenshu Peak ruined Lingshan’s feng shui. However, the actual historical purpose, background, and origin of building Wenshu Peak were the exact opposite of this legend—not to destroy feng shui, but to remedy its deficiencies.

According to the Lingshan County Annals from the Qing Dynasty and the Republican era, the original construction of Wenshu Peak had a unique intention and significant social background. During the Qing Dynasty, the social atmosphere in Lingshan was very poor, with rampant theft, banditry, fighting, and prostitution—the root causes being the low quality, ignorance, and backwardness of the people at the time. Therefore, through the joint efforts of the county government and various sectors of society, measures were taken to strengthen education. In the 26th year of the Kangxi reign (1687 AD), Magistrate Chi Weicheng established the Xiling Academy. In the 41st year (1702 AD), “the state established schools originally to promote moral education and cultivate talent—an institution of utmost importance.” In the 58th year of Kangxi (1719 AD), when rebuilding the Confucius Temple, Magistrate Li Peiren also wrote an inscription for the reconstruction: “Since ancient times, counties have been established to nurture the people. To nurture, one seeks the fields; to teach, one seeks the schools. Thus, every county must have a school, and every school must have a temple,” demonstrating the county government’s emphasis on education. In the first year of the Qianlong reign (1736 AD), to promote moral education and transform the social atmosphere, “Magistrate Li Zhengkai began inviting renowned teachers, and charitable schools flourished.” In the same year, the county government also provided relief to educators: “According to old regulations, two educational officials shared one salary, which was insufficient for their integrity stipend. Starting from the spring of the first year of Qianlong, each official shall receive a full salary according to their rank, to be permanently established as a rule.” During the Qianlong era, the county government allocated many school fields, with rental income “approved and allocated to charitable schools. As a result, students received stipends based on enrollment, and many competed to study, leading to greater flourishing than before.” In addition, the county government and various sectors also vigorously built literary pavilions, civilization archways, and educational offices to foster a strong atmosphere of promoting education and cultivating talent. Amid this surge of enthusiasm for education, “in the Gengshen year of Qianlong (i.e., 1770 AD, the 35th year of Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty), locals such as Lao Ji and Zhang Shusuo advocated for the construction of Wenshu Peak on Liangguan Mountain, directly facing the Confucius Temple.” It seems that their intention in building Wenshu Peak was to revitalize literary culture, purify the social atmosphere, and help Lingshan quickly produce scholars and great talent. When Wenshu Peak was completed, the scholar-official Wang Jiaxian composed a poem: “Standing tall, its literary flame illuminates the palace walls, still the old pen stand of Lingguan. No need to seek glory by feasting on meat; the blossoming brush must have dreamed of Jiang Lang. Clouds in five colors know to protect always; a single hair’s strength defies comparison. From now on, the seas and skies will see many rising talents, shining like stars in the night.” From this background, the original intent and role of constructing Wenshu Peak are quite clear.

Legend has it that the pagoda was initiated and supervised in construction by Lao Ji and Zhang Shusuo. Originally, it had 25 levels, but due to wind and rain erosion causing multiple collapses, only 19 levels remain today. Moreover, the northeastern quarter of the pagoda, divided by the central cross-shaped partition walls, has collapsed all the way to the base. Other sections are also riddled with cracks, overgrown with grass. The cause of the collapse may primarily be that the pagoda was built layer by layer through ramming, yet no internal reinforcement (such as bamboo strips or steel bars) was installed between the walls or between levels, causing the upper six levels to detach from the lower nineteen and fall. Additionally, the core of the pagoda was filled with yellow mud, and the top lacked plaster coating, allowing rainwater to seep in from the top. Coupled with the lack of drainage holes around the pagoda, heavy rain caused water to pour into the yellow mud core, leading to expansion and cracking. The growth of grass and shrubs in the cracks further accelerated the plant-based weathering of the pagoda, ultimately resulting in its collapse.

This “Number One Antique of Lingshan,” born in feudal society, spanning four centuries and several dynasties, may be young compared to the Great Wall of the north, but to the people of today’s reform and opening-up generation, she is ancient. She carries the charm of the lychee homeland, exudes the simplicity of the common folk, and glimmers with the wisdom of ancient literati. Today, she still enchants generation after generation in the land of Lingshan with her unique charm and profound historical legacy, transforming into a splendid cultural landmark.