Doudou Mountain

Doudou Mountain

Doudou Mountain, also known as Damao Mountain or Damao Shan, is located in Manao Town, 14 kilometers east of the county seat. The 1875 edition of the Jiangyou County Annals · Mountains and Rivers records: “Damao Mountain, 160 li east of the county (referring to the east of Jiangyou County; during the Qing Dynasty, Damao Mountain was jointly administered by Jiangyou, Zitong, and Jiange counties), is also known as Doudou Mountain. Legend has it that the Five Laborers who opened the Shu Road left behind a doudou (an ancient warrior’s helmet, known as doudou), hence the name. Locals also call it Damao Shan (Big Hat Mountain).” The Revised Zitong County Annals · Mountains and Rivers states: “Nineteen li southeast of the county, southeast from Wulian Post, a range of peaks stands tall, resembling a doudou. There is a Dragon God Temple on top. It is commonly called the Doudou God.” The Shu Water Classics records: “When Emperor Ming of Tang visited Shu, he saw Damao Mountain in the distance, which closely resembled the helmet of a military general, and thus bestowed upon it the name Doudou Mountain.” The Yi Di Ji Sheng (Records of Famous Sites) states: “Nineteen li east of Zitong County lies Doudou Mountain, home to the Dragon Temple, commonly referred to as the Doudou God. Old tales say that in ancient times, living people were sacrificed here (on the 19th day of the sixth lunar month each year, a living person was thrown into the Black Dragon Pool at the foot of the mountain to appease the dragon), otherwise, epidemics and floods would wreak havoc. Zhang Daoling put a stop to this practice, and it ceased. After that, Zhang Daoling set up a Taoist practice site here to teach and recruit disciples. The leader of the disciples was called the ‘Ghost Official.’ The Ghost Official of the Doudou Mountain Dragon Temple was named ‘Erjiu.’ Erjiu often led the disciples in performing good deeds and exorcising demons. After Erjiu’s death, the disciples built a statue in his honor at the Dragon Temple. Gradually, locals began referring to this deity as ‘Lord Erjiu.’ The ritual implement held by Erjiu was a curved object, neither quite a plow nor an bow, nor a hoe. Based on this implement, locals also called him the ‘Pecking God.’ In the old days, whenever there was a drought, villagers would invite Taoist priests to dress up as the ‘Pecking God,’ who would dance and beat drums and horns to pray for rain. According to these accounts, the Dragon Temple on Doudou Mountain was likely first built during the Han Dynasty, later suffering damage and undergoing multiple reconstructions. In the Tang Dynasty, it was renamed the Ancient Doudou Temple. The ancient hall once bore couplets, with the upper line reading: ‘The present is no different from the past, the past no different from the present, all under heaven converges to the same,’ and the lower line: ‘The Way is the heart, the heart is the Way, the empty mountain has no companion’; the horizontal plaque read: ‘Going Alone.’ The ancient temple from the Tang Dynasty was destroyed in the Yuan Dynasty. In the third year of the Jingtai era of the Ming Dynasty (1452 AD), it was rebuilt and renamed the ‘Da’an Temple.’ During the Qing Dynasty, under the reigns of Qianlong, Jiaqing, Daoguang, and Xianfeng, the temple underwent various renovations and expansions. Structures included a bell and drum tower, the Mahavira Hall, the Guanyin Hall, the Ox King Hall, the Horse King Hall, the Lingguan Hall, and the God of Wealth Hall. The highest peak of the mountain hosts the Jade Emperor Hall, and to the right of the Jade Emperor Hall is the ‘Doudou God (Lord Erjiu)’ hall. All halls were destroyed during the Cultural Revolution, leaving only three ancient stone steles, as well as three seated musical performer carvings of great artistic and archaeological value engraved on square stones—depicting one playing a horizontally held curved pipa, one blowing a sheng (mouth organ), and one playing a konghou (harp)—which are preliminarily identified as shallow-relief Tang Dynasty musical figures. They provide tangible evidence for the study of folk customs and music. After 1987, local villagers restored most of the halls based on their original appearance.