Wangtian View

Wangtian View

Wangtian View is situated in the northern part of Cangxi, characterized by majestic and strikingly beautiful mountain terrain. From a distance, it looks like a speeding train engine. It is constantly veiled in cloud and mist, and a single rainfall in summer can bring an autumnal chill. With the lowest altitude at 400 meters and the highest peak at 1,200 meters, it has long been described as “one mountain with four seasons, ten miles with varying skies.” The front, left, and right sides of Wangtian View are sheer cliffs that are nearly unclimbable even for monkeys, while the back leans against the undulating peaks of Shanwangding. These rugged, precipitous peaks are magnificent in appearance. Throughout history, poets, scholars, and literati have sung its praises, making it widely renowned. In the mountains, there is a millennium-old ginkgo tree with a trunk eight people can encircle—hailed as a living fossil—and well-preserved historical relics such as Tang Dynasty stone carvings of a Thousand Buddhas, which remain vivid and lifelike.

Where does the name “Wangtian View” come from? According to *The Mausoleums of Chinese Emperors Through the Dynasties*, after the 15th Ming Emperor, Zhu Changluo (Emperor Guangzong), ascended the throne, Imperial Concubine Zheng presented him with four beauties. Guangzong indulged in pleasure and neglected state affairs, soon falling ill. The imperial physician Cui Wenshen administered laxatives that worsened the emperor's condition, then the Court Herald Li Kezhuo gave him two red pills. Guangzong died the next day, passing at the young age of 36. Court officials suspected that Concubine Zheng had directed Cui and Li to poison the emperor, so both were taken away to be executed. This bizarre case came to be known as the “Red Pill Case.” Additionally, the *Veritable Records of the Ming Court* state that during Guangzong’s reign, Wang Ci—an official in charge of celestial matters—was closely associated with Cui and Li. Wang’s hometown was Beixigou, Cangxi (now Group 2, Baixi Village, Tianguan Township), in the northern region of Langzhong (formerly known as Bashu Prefecture). The area features steep and peculiar peaks, so high you could seemingly touch the sky with your hand. Later generations renamed the location “Wangtian View” based on the homophonic sound of “Wang Tian Guan” (Heavenly Official Wang), and the tomb where Wang Ci was buried—“Tianguan Tomb”—still remains intact. After Cui and Li were secretly protected by Wang Ci and sent back to their hometowns to live in seclusion, they built a temple on the mountaintop to forever honor "Heavenly Official Wang." According to inscriptions on the monument, to symbolize the eternal continuation of the Wang family’s “Heavenly Officials,” the place was also named “Wantianguan” (Ten Thousand Heavenly Officials). Later, Cui and Li took new names—Yang and Yue—and are thus associated with the nearby Yangyue Mountain (today's Yangyue Village, Tianguan Township).

Wangtian View boasts numerous scenic spots, such as the celebrated Sacrifice Cliff and Immortal’s Footprint, all steeped in mystery.

Legend has it that during the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, a young man and woman, classmates who had studied together for ten years, shared lofty ideals and mutual affection. Their parents also intended for them to marry. But that was a time of war and chaos. One day, the young man went to visit the army stationed at Xuantan Temple not far away—but never returned. The woman resolved never to marry and became a nun. She entered the temple on Wangtian View to practice Buddhism for several years, keeping her chastity intact. When the Jade Emperor heard of this, he doubted that any mortal woman could be so devoted. He sent an immortal in disguise as a handsome man to test her. To prove her loyalty and resist temptation, the nun jumped off the cliff to her death, preserving her purity. Touched by her devotion, the Jade Emperor granted her immortality and she ascended to heaven. To this day, visitors can still see the nun’s footprints—especially the patterns of hemp rope on her shoe soles—on the cliff where she ascended to the heavens.

In the past, the temple of the nuns held great prestige, believed to be miraculously efficacious, drawing countless pilgrims and flourishing in incense offerings. It was a grand complex of three courtyards. However, during the 1930s, bandits frequently hid out in the temple. To eliminate these criminals, the Nun Temple was destroyed in warfare.

On another cliff, there is a giant footprint, said to have been left by Han Xiangzi.

Long ago, Lady Chenmu practiced Buddhism on Wangtian View. That year, a severe drought struck, and famine spread across the land. She began steaming buns for the people, but without water to mix the dough, she asked stonemasons to dig a well in the rock. However, the stone was too hard, and despite many attempts, only a small dent was formed. Seeing people starving, Lady Chenmu grew desperate and wept by the rock. Her tears pooled into the hollow. Strangely, the pool never dried up—no matter how much was scooped out, it refilled. Using this water, she mixed dough and baked buns every day, saving the lives of those suffering from hunger.

One morning, just before dawn, Lady Chenmu went to fetch water again. By chance, Han Xiangzi passed by and tried to flirt with her. Furious, she grew dizzy with rage and shattered the water jar she carried. Grabbing a rolling pin, she chased after him. Han Xiangzi turned and fled, slipping and tumbling down the cliff. As she saw him fall, Lady Chenmu thought, “If I drive someone to their death, what’s the meaning of my cultivation?” So she, too, leaped off the cliff. But Han Xiangzi had not died—he had landed with one foot on Wangtian View and the other on Xuantan Temple, then escaped. Thus, his footprints remain clearly visible on both sides of the cliffs, now known as “Immortal’s Foot.”

The Guanyin Sacred Water located halfway up Wangtian View’s peak is also famous far and wide. Amazingly, no matter how heavy the rain or how dry the riverbeds, the water in a stone depression remains crystal clear, brimming yet never overflowing. Legend says this is “Guanyin’s Water,” capable of curing a variety of afflictions—such as back pain, headaches, and infertility. Drinking just half a bowl can relieve symptoms and even help one conceive.

The mountaintop of Wangtian View is thickly forested, lush and dense, with ancient pines up to 20 meters tall and one meter in diameter numbering more than ten. Most striking of all is the smooth bark of these old pines, free of scars, resembling glistening golden fish scales—an extraordinarily beautiful sight.

In May every year, the hills burst into seas of azaleas—vast expanses of red blossoms hidden amid emerald shrubs. Standing within this sea of color is like wandering through a fairyland, refreshing the soul and lifting the spirit. Even more widespread are night-blooming cereus flowers scattered across the mountains, fragrant in the August nights, filling the valleys with sweet perfume that invigorates and transports visitors. There are also attractions like Water Curtain Cave and Pig God Temple… Wangtian View is full of beauty, myths, and poetic wonder at every turn.

Standing atop the mountain and looking southeast, you’ll see a rock formation resembling a massive Buddha’s head, with facial features vividly rendered and remarkably lifelike. It appears to be gently tilting its head, as if benevolently gazing toward Wangtian View. To the left, beneath Shanwangding, lies a barren, eroded hill known locally as the “Loess Plateau,” spanning approximately 500 acres. Barren and devoid of vegetation, with ravines crisscrossing the landscape, it strongly resembles the Loess Plateau of China’s northwest. These peaks echo each other from afar, together forming a breathtaking section of our country’s magnificent rivers and mountains.