Yujishan Scenic Area

Yujishan Scenic Area

Yujishan Scenic Area is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Yujishan Scenic Area

Yujishan is located in Beiyuan Town, Nanbu County, over 20 kilometers from the county seat. Situated in the middle reaches of the Jialing River and belonging to the offshoots of the Daba Mountains, it stands at an elevation of 655 meters. The mountain gets its name from the legendary footprints left by Yu the Great during his efforts to control the floods, with remnants of his presence still visible today. As an important millennium-old scenic site in northeastern Sichuan, Yujishan has long been honored with titles such as the “Fairyland of Langnan” and “The Finest Mountain on the Jialing,” and has served as a Buddhist pilgrimage destination for worshippers throughout the ages. Nestled on the eastern bank of the Jialing River, Yujishan is surrounded by rolling peaks, majestic and winding, presenting a grand sight reminiscent of “nine dragons holding up a sacred peak.” To the east are the elegant views of Yuchi Mountain and Golden Rooster Ridge, while to the west lies the peculiar Flying Rock. Verdant pine forests stretch as far as the eye can see, complemented by the glow of Buddha’s light and vast sea of clouds. Among the “Fourteen Scenic Spots of Nanbu,” the “Yujishan Clear Haze” adds a unique charm. The area is dotted with remarkable rock formations such as Yushi Stone, Seven-Star Stone, the Union of Two Immortals, and the Golden Turtle Paying Homage, especially the large-scale continental sedimentary landforms on the mountaintop, which constitute a major geological wonder. The 18-meter-tall Yujishan Giant Buddha, carved in the late Tang Dynasty, is a provincial-level cultural relic protection unit and the largest free-standing stone-carved Buddha in China. Alongside the Leshan Sitting Buddha and the Dazu Reclining Buddha, it is known as one of the “Three Great Buddhas of Bashu.” Its grace and spiritual aura rank it among the finest examples of Buddhist statues in Sichuan. The “Five-Gate Encirclement” Yujishan Fortress and its ancient secret passages form the largest and most intact ancient military defense system still preserved in Sichuan, creating the unique spectacle of “the mountain being a fortress, and the fortress being a mountain.” In 2008, Yujishan was successfully designated as a national AAA-level tourist attraction, becoming a religious and cultural tourism destination in northeastern Sichuan that integrates scenic tourism, religious culture, and leisure sightseeing.