Xinzhi Jialing River Li Dui

Xinzhi Jialing River Li Dui

Xinzhi Jialing River Li Dui is a cultural tourism attraction.

Xinzhi Jialing River Li Dui, located about 60 kilometers southwest of Yilong County in the northern part of Xinzhi Town, is one of the Four Great Inland Li Duishui in Sichuan, along with the Dujiangyan Li Dui in Guanxian, the Min River Li Dui on Wulong Mountain in Leshan, and the Min River Li Dui in Gongya County.

Xinzhi Li Dui, backed by Lingbao Fort, faces Huofenshan Mountain, borders Qiuzi Stream upstream, and connects to Bailuba Dam, is an oval-shaped peninsula. The turbulent waters of the Jialing River surge fiercely, hugging the base of the Li Dui and swirling around its hundred-foot cliffs. With water on three sides, the Li Dui creates swirling currents—boats must circle back three times before they can pass and continue downstream. The peaks of the Li Dui are elegant, the cliffs rugged, the pines lush and green, and flowers and grasses vie in color. Whether visiting in early spring for an outing or climbing in late autumn for the Double Ninth Festival, when viewed from the summit of Niutou Mountain in Xinzhi Town, the Li Dui appears shrouded in mist, blending sky and water, evoking the feeling that “this storied, ethereal site floats above auspicious clouds, a solitary mound seemingly climbed only by immortals.”

Li Shuguo, the magistrate of Xinzhi, composed a regulated poem titled “Li Dui Linked with Clouds,” praising it:

The abrupt Li Dui reflects the slanting sun, as distant mountain peaks are crowned with unbroken clouds. Among the ranges, none rival the famed Seven-Mile Mist; these peaks seem home to the Three Immortal Lords.

The forested ridges stand uniquely unmatched; exiled scholars who came here were equally extraordinary. Amid bitter rain and bleak winds in the thorny thickets, cliff inscriptions gather mossy veins.

Cross from Xinzhi Port to the opposite bank’s Chang’er Rock, then take a small wooden boat downstream along the river for about three li to reach the side of Li Dui Rock. Disembark, climb the steps, and after several hundred steps, you’ll arrive at the summit of Li Dui. Walking along the mound, you’ll see it backed by Fuzhong Mountain and facing the Jialing River; the northern and southern wings are separated by ravines, forming a peninsula that seems both connected to and detached from the main mountain.

Historical records state that when Xianyu Shijian served as Prefect of Longzhou (now Nanbu County in southern Sichuan), he relocated his entire family to Xinzhi. Shijian, a bold and extraordinary figure, was known for his generosity, using his wealth to aid scholars across the land. Together with his brother-in-law Yan Conggao, an imperial historiographer from Guanghan, and He Qianli, an imperial censor, all shared a lofty spirit and refused official positions, eventually passing away in peaceful old age. Since Xianyu Shijian settled here, within a decade his descendants succeeded one another; three generations served as capital magistrates, two sons governed key cities, and the whole family earned great honor, becoming a prominent clan in Bashu.

Xianyu Shijian’s eldest son, Xianyu Zhongtong, in his youth loved chivalry and amused himself with falconry and hunting dogs. Arrogant and dismissive of study, he was over twenty yet still illiterate, often scolded by his father. So he carved a chamber out of the rocks at Xinzhi Li Dui, cutting himself off from worldly affairs, and devoted himself to diligent study. When sleepiness overcame him while reading, he would prick his knees with needles until blood dripped to his feet, declaring, “How could there be anyone who studies diligently but cannot master ten thousand volumes?” Finally, in the 20th year of the Kaiyuan era (732 AD), Zhongtong achieved top honors in the imperial examinations. He successively served as Magistrate of Xindu in Dianzhou, Investigative Delegate of Jiannan, Investigative Delegate of Shannanxi, Left Guard Infantry Commandant, Censorate Investigator, Inspector of Western Mountains, and Deputy Military Commissioner of Jiannan. Later, he was honored as Minister of the Court of Imperial Granaries, posthumously awarded the title of Minor Defender of the Heir Apparent, and granted the rank of Central Gentleman of the Capital Commandery.

In the first year of the Baoying era (762 AD), he was demoted for opposing Yang Guozhong, first as Prefectural Sima of Shaoyang, then as Prefect of Hanyang for a year, and later as Prefect of Tianshui. He passed away in office at the age of 60.

In the 15th year of the Tianbao era (756 AD), Xianyu Zhongtong’s younger brother, Xianyu Shuming, while serving as Prefect of Shangzhou, established the “Jingfu Palace” on Li Dui Mountain on the western bank of the Jialing River in Xinzhi. It was later renamed the “Loyal and Wise Shrine” and commonly called the “Li Dui Temple” by locals.

On the eastern cliff of Li Dui Mountain, atop a flat rock by the Jialing River, lies the Nine-Bend Flowing Cup Pool. Its water comes from Osmanthus Well, seeping through stone crevices—clear, cool in summer and warm in winter, ideal for brewing tea and cooking. To the left of the cup pool is a small stone chamber that could fit one person—it was where Xianyu Zhongtong studied in those years.

In the first year of the Shangyuan era (760 AD), Yan Zhenqing, the eminent calligrapher and then Vice Minister of Justice, was demoted to Prefect of Pengzhou (today’s Dayin Town in Yilong) for submitting a memorial that offended the emperor. Traveling to his post via the Jialing River, he stopped in Xinzhi and composed the 790-character “Record of the Xianyu Family Li Dui.”

To commemorate Yan Lugong’s presence and calligraphy at Xinzhi Li Dui, the “Yan Lugong Shrine” was later built on Li Dui Mountain, with a stele erected to document it. In the 13th year of the Zhengde era (1518 AD), Censor Lu Yong inscribed and wrote the “Record of the Yan Lugong Shrine” by Song Ma Cun. This was carved onto a stone stele measuring 2.1 meters long, 0.805 meters wide, and 0.164 meters thick, with an arched top, standing inside the shrine and thus named the “Stele of the Yan Lugong Shrine.” The front of the stele bears the “Record of the Yan Lugong Shrine,” while the back features a standing statue of Guanyin painted by Tang dynasty artist Wu Daozi.

At the summit of Li Dui stood the Loyal and Wise Shrine, which was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times during the Ming and Qing dynasties and was dedicated to Yan Zhenqing and the Xianyu brothers.

Inside the shrine stands an inscribed stone tablet erected during its reconstruction in the Daoguang era of the Qing dynasty. The tablet is 1.42 meters high and 0.85 meters wide, with fairly well-preserved text. It was inscribed in commemoration of the shrine’s completion on the Dragon Boat Festival of the 20th year of Daoguang (1840 AD). The text was composed by Li Yide, Instructor of Baoning Prefecture, and written in clerical script by Shen Shourong, Assistant Magistrate of Xinzhi Ba, making it the shrine’s founding stele.