Cupressus Corridor

Zitong Cupressus Corridor

Traveling south along the ancient Jinniu Road from Qin into Shu, passing through Ningqiang, Lizhou, the ancient city of Zhaohua below Jianmen Pass, then through Jiange County, heading south to Langzhong and west to Zitong, there lies a 300-li-long ancient post road paved with flagstones. Lining both sides of the road are ancient cypresses with iron-like trunks and gnarled branches that soar high into the sky. Stretching for hundreds of li, the verdant corridor is shrouded in mist and clouds, creating an immersive experience like walking through a green tunnel where travelers are “enveloped in thick shade.” Even in the height of summer, the air remains cool and refreshing, with all heat dissipated. The *Jialing River Annals* record: “From south of Sword Prefecture to the borders of Zitong County, there were thousands of ancient cypresses, many tens of spans in girth, with bizarre shapes.” This emerald corridor of the ancient post road is what people acclaim as the wonder of the Shu Road—the Cupressus Corridor.

Within Zitong, the Cupressus Corridor extends for 42 kilometers, stretching from Yanwu Pu in the north to Shiniu Fort in the south. It features intermittent flagstone paths covered with ancient cypresses, and some remnants of ancient plank roads carved into cliffs can still be seen along the Qiqu Mountain section.

The Cupressus Corridor boasts a long history. Legend has it that when King Hui of Qin sent Zhang Yi and Sima Cuo to attack Shu via the Shiniu Road, they admired the robust cypresses of Shu. Later, when Emperor Qin Shi Huang built the Epang Palace, he ordered large-scale felling of the ancient cypresses along the Shu Road, leading to the saying “With Epang built, the mountains of Shu stood bare.” Outraged, the people of Shu prompted the imperial court to mandate mass tree planting along the route. Another legend tells of the Three Kingdoms period, when Zhang Fei, a general of the Shu Han, stationed his troops in Mashi (Langzhong). Due to the intense summer heat, he commanded soldiers to plant trees along the post road to provide shade. It’s also said that due to rugged roads and steep mountains, Zhang Fei had cypresses planted along the way as route markers to ensure swift delivery of urgent military messages. Over time, these trees grew into a dense forest, hence later generations dubbed them “Imperial Cypresses,” “Zhang Fei Cypresses,” or “General Cypresses.”

Historical records indicate that since the Qin Dynasty, through the Three Kingdoms, Eastern Jin, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, with official encouragement for planting, public contributions, strict bans on logging, and the care of local people, some of the ancient cypresses along the Cupressus Corridor have survived for over 2,000 years, with trunk circumferences of 4–6 meters, yet remain lush and vigorous.

The name “Cupressus Corridor” was coined in the third year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1664 AD) by Qiao Bo, then magistrate of Sword Prefecture. In the preface to his work *Cupressus Corridor*, he wrote: “From south of Jiange to Langzhong, and west to Zitong, spanning over 300 li.” During the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty, Magistrate Li Bi paved the road with stones and planted hundreds of thousands of cypresses on both sides. Now these trees stand thick and embracing, like coiling green dragons, casting no sunlight even in summer. In admiration, he named this ancient post road the “Cupressus Corridor” and composed a poem in its praise: “The Sword Gate Road, rugged with uneven stone, / Who planted the ancient cypresses lining either side? / A thirty-li stretch with one hundred thousand trees. / Cupressus Corridor, shaded in emerald mist, / Moss and rain-dappled blooms dampen clothes, / Cascading branches and leaves bring cooling shade. / Where there's no rock, you can still lie down, / Every spot inspires a verse. / Dragons and serpents entwine through crisscrossing hills, / Said to be trodden by the poet Li Bai, / Whose legendary deeds stir envy. / Don’t speak of the difficulty of the Shu Road, / You’ve misjudged the Sword Gate Trail.” The beautiful and enchanting mountain scenery flows vividly from his brush. The name “Cupressus Corridor” has endured for nearly 500 years and spans a route of more than 300 li.

The ancient cypresses of the Cupressus Corridor have been documented throughout history in texts such as *Records of the States South of the Yangtze*, *Book of Jin*, *Book of Shu*, *Traces of Southern Dynasties History*, and *Miscellaneous Accounts of Long and Shu*. Descriptions of these cypresses abound in the writings of literati and poets across the ages. Li Bai wrote: “Only the mournful birds cry amid ancient trees, / Flying in pairs through the forest.” Du Fu penned: “Frost-pale bark, sleek with the rain, girth of forty spans; / Dark-hued, soaring two thousand feet to the skies.” Wang Yan of the Former Shu Dynasty wrote: “Cold mist clusters around towering cliffs, / Secluded trails climb into the chill of the heavens,” and “Looking back at the city path, / Clouds heap in layers over the treetops.” The Qing dynasty writer Zhang Bangshen described the shape of the ancient cypresses: “...Some like mountain spirits raising fists to the sky, / Some like green bulls amid jade trees, / Some like dragon claws grasping clouds, / Some like yellow kudzu spreading emerald canopies, / Iron-hard trunks untangled by withered vines, / Twisting branches spreading out like circling cloud peaks.” On Qiqu Mountain in the Cupressus Corridor, the ancient cypresses with “frost-pale skin and dark hues reaching the sky” stand tall and majestic, graceful and expressive, each with a unique posture and imposing presence—some resembling the Thousand-Hand Guanyin, others stacked ancient pagodas, some with drooping branches like arches, some coiling like mighty dragons. Some are like loving couples, known as “Husband-and-Wife Cypresses”; others have flat, curved trunks with edges sharp as blades, nicknamed “Sabre Cypresses.” There are also those known as “Zhang Fei Cypresses,” “Sleeping Dragon Cypresses,” “A-Dou Cypresses,” and “Jin Cypresses,” among others. After millennia of vicissitude, it’s estimated that roughly eight thousand large, embracing ancient cypresses still stand along the Shu Road of the Cupressus Corridor.

The Cupressus Corridor is home to the Langdang Post, where Emperor Xuanzong of Tang heard the bell while traveling into Shu. A massive stone stele inscribed with the words “The Place Where Emperor Minghuang of Tang Heard the Bell on His Journey into Shu” still stands. From the northern side of the stele, one can glimpse the Sword Gate Mountain Pass; looking west reveals Zhulong Mountain and Zhuge Fort within view; and looking down, the Tong River mirrors the landscape, winding eastward, with green trees and light mist along its banks and endless fertile plains.

After the founding of New China, the Communist Party of China and the Chinese government strongly promoted afforestation and greening initiatives. Along the Cupressus Corridor, party committees and governments at all levels consistently protected the ancient cypress trees while persistently carrying out tree planting efforts. Starting in 1961, Zitong County established a state-owned forest farm 10 kilometers north of the Qiqu Mountain Grand Temple, covering an area of over 13,000 mu, and newly planted over 12,000 mu of forests, mainly cypresses, expanding the total area of the Qiqu Mountain National Forest Park to over 30,000 mu. Strict enforcement of national forestry regulations ensured the protection of ancient cypresses and the healthy growth of young forests, preserving a fresh and beautiful green world for future generations.