Er Lang Mountain Cave Cluster

Er Lang Mountain Cave Cluster

Er Lang Mountain is located about 3 kilometers southwest of Guanyinchang, roughly 25 kilometers west of Yilong County. At the foot of Er Lang Mountain, by following the mountain ridge path and hiking upward, you’ll reach the first key pass leading to the mountaintop. Beside the path lies a massive boulder, its top flat and smooth, resembling a polished cushion. This unusual rock also has a fascinating legend: in ancient times, during a war that threatened the lives of the mountain residents, the deity Erlang Shen (Yang Jian) displayed his divine power. He transformed into a giant reaching to the sky and earth, sitting on this large rock with his feet dangling over the Huanggua Beach hundreds of meters down the mountain, continuously washing them. This caused the river to swell several feet, frightening enemy soldiers so much that they dared not cross the river to climb the mountain, and instead fled under cover of night. As a result, the lives of the mountain residents were saved. Later, in gratitude for Erlang Shen’s life-saving act, the locals built the Erlang Temple on the mountain, crafted a golden statue of Erlang Shen, and worshipped it devoutly with prayers. The mountain was then renamed Er Lang Mountain, and the large rock where Erlang Shen once sat became known as “Erlang Stone.”

After passing Erlang Stone, follow a stretch of flat mountain path, and not far ahead you’ll find the Erlang Temple.

Outside the Erlang Temple is a long section of cliff face, as if cleaved by an axe or sword, smooth and straight. Starting from the late Ming Dynasty, people began carving caves into this cliff to take refuge from war. This continued into the early years of the Republic of China, with no fewer than several hundred people coming to dig caves over time. In total, nine stone caves were carved into this cliff, resembling nine stone chambers, with a combined length of 43.5 meters. The caves are divided into upper and lower levels: the upper level has eight caves, while the lower level has just one. The lower cave is narrower, measuring 7 meters in length, 1.6 meters in height, and 3 to 4 meters in depth. It serves as the only passage to the cave entrances on the upper level. Inside this cave, there are two inscriptions. One reads: “On the 19th day of the fifth month in the ninth year of the Chongzhen era (1634 AD), due to rampant banditry, caves were excavated on Laojun Mountain for refuge…” The carver signed as “Qianzong Xianyu Zhen.” This cave has now existed for 365 years. According to the historical text “Ancient and Modern Official Positions,” during the Ming Dynasty, a “Qianzong” was one of the leaders of the three major military camps stationed in the capital. This indicates that Xianyu Zhen was a military officer serving in the capital during the Chongzhen era of the Ming Dynasty. For some reason, he came to Baoning Prefecture in northern Sichuan, and later fled to the border of Lang and Yi during the war, carving out this cave to survive and protect his family. To the left of the “Chongzhen Seventh Year Inscription” is another inscription that reads: “At the end of the Qing Dynasty and the rise of the Han, chaos and banditry spread everywhere. The Pu and Zhou families built new caves — upper and lower halls — forever marking this place as a refuge for their descendants to escape turmoil.” It ends with the inscription “Established on the 24th day of the first month of the first year of the Republic of China.” This record clearly shows that at the time of the successful Xinhai Revolution and the establishment of the Republic, when the new government was still in turmoil, remnants of the Qing Dynasty along with local reactionary forces fiercely opposed the democratic revolution. Taking advantage of the chaos, they incited rebellion, causing great suffering among the people. This forced prominent clans to carve refuge caves into the cliffs in the mountains, temporarily escaping the chaotic era.

Passing through the narrow lower cave, walk to the right for just over 10 meters to reach the entrance of the upper caves. Grab the cliff wall, press your body close, steady your breath, and leap upward to enter. Upon closer inspection, this row of long caves consists of eight consecutive chambers, stretching over 40 meters in total. The outer wall of the cave entrance is reinforced by stone blocks, forming a thick, sturdy wall 35 meters long and 2.5 meters high. Every 4 to 5 meters along the wall, there is a 40-centimeter square hole, designed for firing earth cannons to repel attackers — a clever defensive structure devised by the cave builders.

Between the stone wall and the cave chambers lies a 2-meter-wide, 30-meter-long corridor. Inside the corridor are the eight cave chambers, each with a specific purpose. From left to right, they are: “The first chamber is the water well room; the second, third, fifth, and sixth chambers are bedrooms; the fourth chamber is the storage room for grain, gold, silver, and clothing. This room has secret niches and shrines for storing valuables and ancestral tablets, measuring 4.5 meters wide and 2.5 meters high. On the right and left walls outside the cave entrance is a horizontal rectangular frame, 1.93 meters long and 0.66 meters high, bearing an inscription: ‘Renovated in the second year of the Tongzhi era of the Great Qing, in the spring month of the Guihai year, by the clan members. Carved by Wang Bing, a scholar from Langyi.’ Below are the names of over 2,000 members of the Wang clan. This is ample evidence that during the late Qing Dynasty, a large-scale cave excavation project led primarily by the Wang clan took place here, laying the foundation for the grand scale of the cave complex on Er Lang Mountain. Looking at the last two chambers, the seventh and eighth, the former serves as a kitchen with remaining traces of a stove, while the latter functions as a toilet with a rudimentary latrine pit. This entire cave cluster, covering everything from daily living to safety and defense, can be said to be fully equipped and comprehensive — making long-term residence in the caves not only possible but safe.”