Wushan Jiulong Valley

Wushan Jiulong Valley

Within Yingpan Village in Changzhen lies a renowned natural landscape and historical site known as “Jiulong Valley,” also locally called Shizhu Gully. It features four ancient fortress gates, nine natural stone fortresses, seven ancient workshops, and three ancient artillery emplacements, serving as a refuge from warfare through the ages. Natural attractions include the Nine Dragon Pillars, Lion Cave, Nine-Story Tower, Black Bend, Water Curtain Cave, waterfalls, and the Nine Locks.

Starting from Wushan County town, drive 60 kilometers along the Wushan-Dachang Highway to Fangjiacao in Yingpan Village. There, you’ll find a gate inscribed with “Chongqing Rural Tourism Poverty Alleviation Demonstration Area.” Entering through the gate and driving another 2.5 kilometers will bring you to the Jiulong Valley scenic area.

In the distance, a solitary peak rises abruptly, resembling a stone pillar—that’s the symbol of Jiulong Valley. Opposite the pillar, on the adjacent mountain, there is an upright stone nest. Legend has it that the pillar emerged from this nest, as sung in a local ballad: “Pillar faces nest, where gold and silver hide by the scoopful; to claim them, hug the pillar and shake.” Beneath the pillar lies a winding, deep gully with murmuring streams that flow all the way into the Daning River at Dachang. Locals commonly call it Shizhu Gully. Standing atop the gully and looking toward Dachang, the surrounding mountains rise and fall in layers, interlocking like locks. People vividly refer to this mountain formation as “locks.” With nine layers of overlapping peaks, it’s called the “Nine Locks.”

Legend has it that when the monk Tang Sanzang and his disciples were on their journey to retrieve Buddhist scriptures, they arrived at Shizhu Gully. Suddenly, thunder roared and rain poured down. A dragon came rushing downstream, and behind it, floodwaters filled the deep gully, raising the ground by three feet. Terrified, Tang Sanzang turned pale and repeatedly chanted “Amitabha.” Sun Wukong realized the dragon was undergoing a metamorphosis, causing chaos and endangering the villagers. When a dragon transforms, the higher it flies, the higher the floodwaters rise—but the Thunder God watches from above and forbids it from flying more than three feet, lest it be struck by lightning. Just as the flood threatened to engulf the group, Sun Wukong plucked a hair from his ear, chanted “Change!”—and the hair instantly transformed into a towering stone pillar over a hundred feet tall, pinning the dragon beneath it. Years later, a temple was built atop the pillar, along with a pool that never dries up. Beside the pool grows a rare medicinal herb, guarded by nine small snakes coiled beneath it. Hence, the pillar is also called the Coiled Dragon Pillar, or Jiulong (Nine Dragon) Pillar. Why? Because on the southwestern base of the pillar, there are nine protruding stones that strikingly resemble nine dragon heads—an awe-inspiring testament to nature’s artistry.

Though it looks like a single pillar, its top spans an area as wide as one mu (about 0.16 acres). A mountain path leads to the midsection of the pillar, where a huge rock stands upright. From atop this rock, one can gaze down into the deep, rugged gully—steep, crisscrossed with paths, and riddled with caves that offer easy hiding and are hard to detect, making it a refuge for locals during various wars throughout history. Descending around the pillar and entering the fortress gate, you’ll find an ancient stone tablet with still-legible inscriptions. The title, “Proclamation on the Collective Repair of the Fortress Gate,” documents how locals in the 26th year of the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty pooled resources to repair the gate and checkpoints of Shizhu Fortress. Further along, the fortress is surrounded by overlapping peaks and densely packed caves, housing uniquely shaped stalactites rarely seen elsewhere. The double-tiered waterfall in front of the Water Curtain Cave cascades gracefully, crashing down toward Luohan Bao before flowing down the rock face like a dragon leaping into water, eventually plunging into a deep pool. Locals call it the Thunder God Waterfall. The gully is filled with a rich variety of plants, resembling natural bonsai, and the pristine streams connect nine deep pools in sequence. The scenic area enjoys a mild climate year-round, offering numerous distinctive attractions—from the beauty of the Water Curtain Cave to the charm of a natural forest park. A visit here immerses you in breathtaking natural scenery and a serene, idyllic atmosphere.

Shizhu Fortress is just 3 kilometers from Dachang Ancient Town and adjacent to the Dachang Wetland Flower Garden. With convenient transportation accessible by boat or vehicle from Wushan County town, it forms part of a circular tour route including the Lesser Three Gorges, the Tiny Three Gorges, the Millennium Ancient Town, the Wetland Flower Garden, and Jiulong Valley. It is truly a model of Chongqing’s rural tourism poverty alleviation efforts. Currently, the area can accommodate over 100 visitors for food and lodging. Here, you can not only admire rare natural wonders but also experience the simple and sincere local culture.

Jiulong Valley — Photo by Ding Kunhu