Golden Mountain

Golden Mountain

The Golden Mountain Scenic Area is situated in the southern part of Qingchuan County, adjacent to Jiange to the east, Jiangyou to the south, Zhuyuan to the west, and Guangyuan to the north. Spanning 20 square kilometers with a forest coverage rate of 59%, it is traversed by the Mianyuan–Guangyuan Expressway and lies just 3 kilometers from the Baoji–Chengdu Railway Line. As one of the seventy-two peaks of the Jianmen Mountain Range, the area features imposing mountain ridges, bizarre rock formations, uniquely jutting peaks, terraced cliffs, rare birds and animals, chirping birds and leaping deer, lush greenery, and fragrant flowers and fruits. It serves as an ideal destination for leisure vacations, eco-tourism, and spiritual rejuvenation.

Embracing the essence of nature, the Golden Mountain Scenic Area boasts a long history, simple and honest folk customs, a land rich in talent and culture, and breathtaking beauty. Legend has it that when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl, a pair of star-crossed lovers, were forcefully separated by the Goddess Queen Mother, the heartbroken Weaver Girl, in a fit of grief and anger, attempted to give the Cowherd her golden hairpin as she was being taken away—but accidentally dropped it from mid-air. The shattered pieces of the hairpin scattered across the land, giving rise to multiple places in the region named after “gold,” including not only Golden Mountain but also Golden Hill, Golden Rock, and Golden Courtyard.

Back then, the old ox sacrificed itself to help the Cowherd chase after the Weaver Girl, willingly offering its hide for the Cowherd to ride in pursuit. Its remains turned into rocks—now known as Ox Horn Rock, Plow Tip Peak, Ox Hoof Rock, and Ox Nose Cave. Later, the ox’s act of loyalty moved the Jade Emperor, who privately allowed it to be reincarnated as the son of a family surnamed Li, who had been tea farmers for generations. This boy later achieved scholarly honors and became known as “Scholar Li.”

The Golden Mountain Township scenic tourism area is home to a rich diversity of plant species, including ancient, unique, famous, precious, and rare trees and flowers. There are 28 families and 50 species of main timber trees, and 2 types of bamboo. The main economic forest trees consist of 12 families and 19 species. Shrubs make up a significant proportion of the vegetation and are key components of the forest landscape, with 25 families and 62 species. According to incomplete statistics, the area has at least 25 kinds of valuable medicinal herbs such as gastrodia elata, eucommia, scutellaria barbata, and lily.

The scenic area is alive with the calls of golden pheasants and the flight of eagles and pheasants. It is also habitat to 12 kinds of rare and precious animals including musk deer, rhesus monkeys, golden cats, tufted deer, and yellow muntjacs. There are over 30 types of cherished bird species such as golden pheasants, bamboo partridges, kites, eagles, junglefowl, and Eurasian cuckoos. There are also 2 types of amphibians and 9 types of reptiles.

When spring blossoms arrive, the scenic area is filled with blooming wildflowers, the fragrance of orchids, and tall stands of lilies perched on steep cliffs. The sweet scent of jasmine wafts through the air, roses bloom in thickets, and magnolia flowers shine brilliantly. By autumn, when chrysanthemums turn golden, the mountains are fragrant with wild fruits, red leaves dress the treetops like brocade, the rustling of pine waves fills the ears, and distant mountains fade gently into the landscape—it is a scene so enchanting that visitors find it hard to leave and never want to depart.