Longcheng Ancient Village

Longcheng Ancient Village

At the border of Tieshan and Yilu townships in Yilong County, there stands a mountain over 600 meters above sea level, anciently known as Longcheng Mountain. Rising abruptly from the surrounding hills, it towers high above the nearby peaks. At its summit are two peaks: the main peak is majestic and steep, rugged and striking, resembling a proud, raised dragon’s head; the secondary peak is tall and graceful, with a long, narrow ridge, like a returning phoenix. In terms of landform, it is truly a renowned mountain blessed with “a dragon and phoenix bringing prosperity.” People, seeing its shape and understanding its symbolism, thus named it “Longcheng Mountain.” During the Ming Dynasty, four indestructible stone fortress gates were built on the mountain—east, west, south, and north—and from then on, it came to be called “Longcheng Fort.”

The fort is covered with lush bamboo and dense forests, with pine and cypress trees towering into the sky, the entire peak hidden beneath a canopy of green. Viewed from afar, Longcheng resembles an untamed steed with dark mane, unable to adapt to the loneliness of the heavens, galloping fiercely down to the human world to work for the benefit of mankind. On the northeastern slope of the fort, there is a narrow, winding path that serves as the main route to the two peaks. Following this path as it twists up from the mountain’s base and passing through the north gate, you will reach the ridge at the top of the peak, where the main peak stands to the left. Climbing about a hundred steps up the stone steps, you will find yourself at the ruins of the ancient Guanyin Temple. Although the temple has collapsed, among the scattered foundation stones lie two stone tablets—the only historical evidence of the “Longcheng Ancient Fort” exploration. One is the “Record of the Newly Built Guanyin Temple on Longcheng Mountain.” The tablet is 160 cm tall, 95.5 cm wide, and 16 cm thick, with an arched top engraved with patterns of dragons playing with pearls and dancing auspicious clouds, flanked by continuous wave and diamond floral motifs. The inscriptions on the tablet have faded due to weathering and are barely legible, but some fragments can still be made out. The text reads: “This mountain was established in the Ming Dynasty; the front and rear halls were both magnificent, the east and west corridors all splendid, among which the statues of Guanyin and Laojun were the most efficacious…” and so on, briefly describing the form and scale of the temple.

At the end of the tablet is the inscription “The 36th Year of Qianlong Reign, Year of Xinmao, Middle Ten Days of Winter, Auspicious Morning,” informing us that the Guanyin Temple on Longcheng Mountain was completed in the early lunar December of 1771, making it over 220 years old to date. The other tablet has long been broken in two, with only the upper fragment lying flat on the ground. The top of the fragment is inscribed with four large regular script characters: “Lantern Festival Eternal,” suggesting that the “Longcheng Fort” may not only have held grand incense-offering temple fairs since ancient times but also hosted magnificent annual mountain fort lantern festivals. In the past, holding entertainment activities such as lantern festivals in temples was a rather rare and extraordinary event. This shows that in the old days, Longcheng Mountain was enveloped in incense and ablaze with lights, becoming a famous ancient fort mountain in central Yilong.

Today, Longcheng Fort remains majestic and spectacular. Local residents have built antique pavilions on the fort, erected vivid and diverse statues of Guanyin and other bodhisattvas, constructed a road leading to the mountainside, and added some service facilities. Throughout the year, especially during holidays, visitors flock to the fort for sightseeing, worshiping, and praying.