Pingle Yingxian Cave

Pingle Yingxian Cave

Every time I see Yingxian Cave (also known as Zhuyan) in Jinshan Village, Pingle, I am reminded of a story recorded in the Pingle County Annals: In the summer of the fourth year of the Wanli era during the Ming Dynasty (1576), Governor Yu Ye went to Cangwu on official business. After completing his mission, he traveled back to Pingle via the Gui River. When he reached Zhaoping, a torrential rain poured down, causing the Gui River to swell, and the boatmen looked worried. Yu Ye then abandoned the boat and continued on foot. Four days later, he arrived at what is now Jinshan Village in Pingle. He suddenly noticed a rocky mountain resembling an elephant in shape, about a thousand feet tall, with a natural cave in the middle that looked like a heavenly stone house. He stopped to ask local farmers at work and learned that the mountain was called Zhuyan by the locals. In ancient times, an extraordinary person had built a stove there to refine elixirs. After the elixir was completed, the person ascended to heaven and became immortal. The governor then hiked up the mountain and entered the cave to explore. Inside, he found ancient stone inscriptions and tablets still intact, along with the stone mortar, stove, and bed used by the immortal in his alchemy. Deeply moved, he ordered craftsmen to renovate the site. In June 1577, the governor visited Zhuyan again and, seeing that the renovation work was progressing slowly, assigned the task to Commander Zhu Lianjiu to personally oversee the craftsmen. Upon receiving the order, Zhu Lianjiu led the workers diligently, and within a month, a channel was dug in front of the cave, a pavilion was built at the cave entrance, and the interior stone walls were completed. During breaks from the work, the governor often visited Zhuyan with others to enjoy the scenery. He always felt as if he were treading on clouds and soaring among the Penglai Immortal Isles. He then wrote a plaque inscription himself, and from then on, Zhuyan was renamed: Yingxian Cave.