Shuanggu Ancient Town

Shuanggu Ancient Town

Shuanggufen, now called Shuanggu Ancient Town, is located 28 kilometers northwest of Rong County. Originally a small inn where porters from Rong County rested on their way to Chengdu, it gradually developed into a market town during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. Nestled against mountains and beside water, the town’s streets form a T-shape. It earned the name Shuanggufen (Double Ancient Tombs) because two stone tablets from Song Dynasty tombs were unearthed in the center of the street during its construction.

The area around Shuanggu Ancient Town features many mountains, rivers, caves, ancient fortresses, and age-old legends, making it an ideal destination for mountain and water adventures.

To the east of the town, the majestic Wanshan Mountains rise in undulating layers, with the towering and lush Lion Mountain and Laolin Pass Mountain stretching like a screen. Lion Mountain, higher in the front and lower at the back, strikingly resembles two reclining lions. In front of the elephant trunk-shaped hill facing Gao Shiti, there is a small, perfectly round hilltop that vividly looks like a monk’s head. On both sides of the foot of Lion Mountain, naturally formed bizarre rocks resemble the lion’s half-bent front legs. Locals say this is a laughing monk leading two lions in worship before the elephant’s head—hence the name “Two Lions Bowing to the Elephant,” a breathtaking natural wonder rarely seen and truly awe-inspiring.

To the south of the town lie Niufeng Mountain and Liangdong Mountain. Towering abruptly from the earth, Niufeng Mountain stands about 800 meters high, coiling in shape like an ox lying with its head to the east and tail to the west. A closer look reveals a complete ox figure—head, tail, horns, udders, eyes, nose, tongue—all lifelike. Strangely enough, each of the udders has a spring that never dries up even in severe droughts or overflows during floods, known as “Milk Springs.” Beneath the ox’s tail, there is also a perpetually flowing stream that tinkles like a babbling brook, dubbed “Ox Urine Spring.” To the south of Niufeng Mountain rises another peak resembling a writing brush stand. At the slim ridge of the main peak lies a large cave about five meters in diameter, which from afar looks just like the bright mid-autumn moon. Thus, it is called Liangdong (Bright Cave) Mountain. The ox’s head on Niufeng Mountain faces the cave on Liangdong Mountain from afar, creating a scene poetically referred to as “Rhinoceros Gazing at the Moon”—another world-renowned natural marvel.

To the west of the town lies Huangmao Mountain, a massive serpent-like ridge stretching approximately 5 kilometers. To the north are Xianren Mountain, Huayang Mountain, and Dadao Fort. Xianren Mountain not only boasts many beautiful and mystical legends about immortals but also features countless fascinating immortal relics. When hiking here, you can discover the secluded and intriguing Xianren Cave, the Xianren Bridge spanning across the valley, the smoke-stained Xianren Bed, and the lifelike Xianren Footprints… Legend says that during its peak as a place of worship, there were as many as 48 temples lining the path from Shenjiaba to the mountaintop. During Buddhist festivals, tens of thousands of pilgrims would flock here.

Among the many worshippers of the Buddha were tens of thousands of visitors. On the mountain, apart from poems and couplets by Zhao Xi, a modern poet and calligrapher, there is also a seven-character quatrain written by Li Yaqun, former deputy minister of the Propaganda Department of the Sichuan Provincial Committee of the CPC, who took refuge here before liberation: “My woes can’t be conveyed by wild geese’s flight; / I shake my dust at thousand-foot height. / My heart breaks o’er the desolate old land, / A weary scholar sighs year by year. / No fairy trace is found on rocky steep, / But sunset gilds the land I deeply keep. / Though adrift, I won’t take life or death light; / The road is long, yet I press on with might.”

Shuanggu Ancient Town, with its wildly dancing peaks, may boast the highest number of ancient fortresses in southern Sichuan. In addition to the well-known Niufeng Fort and Shigang Fort, the area also includes Sanluo Fort, Dadao Fort, Ping’an Fort, Liangdong Mountain Fort, and Wuzhai Ping with its nine fortress gates. These ancient military structures, though no longer impregnable as they once were, still stand proudly amid the vicissitudes of history, silently recounting tales of dynastic rise and fall, chaos, and bloodshed. Besides the fortresses, there are also uniquely fascinating natural caves such as Ganlong Cave, Shuilong Cave, Wild Chicken Cave, Xianren Cave, Shisun Cave, and D’er Cave. These naturally formed wonderlands often captivate visitors, making them linger and forget to leave.

Shuanggu Ancient Town is not only a prime destination for mountain exploration but also an ideal spot for water recreation. The area is crisscrossed by the Yuexi River and its tributaries, running east-west and north-south like a spiderweb. Notably, Xingfu Weir gathers water from 12 tributaries into one lake, covering a catchment area of 367 square kilometers with a surface area of 2.56 million square meters and a storage capacity of 4 million cubic meters. Spanning parts of Weiyuan, Renshou, and Rong counties, it irrigates over 11,500 acres of farmland and generates 3 million kWh of electricity annually. The reservoir is perfect for boating, swimming, fishing, and various water sports. Lining the shores are clusters of dramatic peaks, including 16 major hills. The panoramic view evokes poetic imagery reminiscent of “sunrise over river flowers redder than fire, spring waters greener than blue.”

Shuanggu Ancient Town: a town under the jurisdiction of Rong County. Established as Shuanggu Township in 1950, it became a commune in 1958, reinstated as a township in 1983, and upgraded to a town in 1989. Located in the northwestern part of the county, it is 54 kilometers from the county seat. Covering an area of 60.9 square kilometers with a population of 22,000, it is accessible by road. The town administers 15 village committees—Zhujiahe, Xiejia, Yujia Gou, Shuanggu, Yanjiaqiao, Fanjia, Gaotiaodeng, Wutong, Baiyunqiao, Songjiatang, Baiguo, Miaogeng, Shihé, Dashan, and Dache—and the Dongjie Neighborhood Committee. Local enterprises include building material factories and businesses in trade, transportation, catering, and services. The main agricultural products are rice, corn, wheat, and tubers... Shuanggu Ancient Town detailed information++