Jiulaoren Mansion

Jiulaoren Mansion

Jiulaoren Mansion is the collective name for Xianfeng Temple and Jiula Cave. “The temple is named Xianfeng, the cave faces Jiulao; the mountain welcomes the Buddha’s Summit, the terrace connects to the Three Sovereigns.” This stone couplet carved on the stone pillar in front of the first main hall of Xianfeng Temple summarizes the main attractions of “Jiulaoren Mansion”

. The most attractive site for tourists is Jiula Cave, located 0.5 kilometers to the right of Xianfeng Temple, officially known as the Cave of the Nine Immortals.

Legend has it that Jiula Cave was a gathering place for immortals, and many mythical tales have shrouded it in an air of mysterious wonder. The cave is situated on the mountainside to the right of Xianfeng Temple, with vines hanging upside down and sheer cliffs below. The cave entrance is shaped like a “人” character, about 4

meters high.

Inside, the cave is dark, damp, and eerie, with only 120 meters of passage where one can walk upright. Beyond that, branching tunnels crisscross in deep mystery—few dared to venture in before it was explored.

During the Ming Dynasty's Chongzhen era, Hu Shian, who served as both the Junior Guardian of the Heir Apparent and Reader-in-waiting at the Hanlin Academy, visited Mount Emei three times. In his work “Record of the Route to Mount Emei,” he wrote: “The most extraordinary [site] is none other than the Cave of the Nine Immortals. It is said that the Yellow Emperor once visited the Celestial Master Guangcheng and the Heavenly Sovereign here. Outside the cave, he met an old man who asked, ‘Do you have companions?’ The man replied, ‘Nine.’ Hence the cave gets its name.” The so-called Nine Elders refer to Tianying, Tianren, Tianzhu, Tianxin, Tianqin, Tianfu, Tianchong, Tianrui, and Tianpeng. Travel accounts of Mount Emei from the Ming and Qing dynasties often describe experiences such as “walking alone with a candle for over thirty li, hearing the sounds of chickens, dogs, and drums,

and seeing bats swooping at the torch like crows”—accounts often contradictory. The modern poet Lin Sanzhi wrote in his poem “Jiula Cave”: “Mountain rain refuses to clear, autumn paths lost in weeds. Daping stands stark, Jiula remains wondrous. The cave is ancient, hiding dragons and spirits, winds and clouds linger. Pines green as waves, half the sky rises in terraces. Here tame apes dwell, often crying mournfully. An old monk calls them over, feeds them green plums. They nuzzle close, affectionate as infants. I sigh at the world, how all things urge each other on. Man and beast unlinked, yet why does beast distrust man?”

Jiula Cave is located at an altitude of 1,752 meters beneath Jiulaofeng Peak. After passing Jiulian Pool and walking about 500 meters through dense thickets of azaleas and arrow bamboo, you will reach the cave entrance. The entrance sits high on Xianfeng Rock, overlooking Black Dragon Pool, with steep natural stone steps leading into the cave. Stone pillars along the steps provide sturdy railings, connecting all the way to the entrance, making the perilous path feel secure.

After entering 130

meters, the passage averages about four to five meters in height and width, making it comfortable to walk. As soon as you enter, large cave bats resembling crows and flocks of swifts may swoop toward you, making cold sweat bead on your forehead. After a while, things calm down. Further in, you’ll find features like stone beds, Dragon Spring, and Fairy Bridge... said to be created by immortals, though they are actually natural formations. At the end of the main passage is a stone shrine housing a deity. According to one book, he was Zhao Zhongming, the governor of Meizhou during the Sui Dynasty’s Kaihuang era in the mid-8th century. He was revered by locals as the God of Sichuan for controlling floods in the Min River, Baoxi River, and Dadu River basins, bringing benefits to the region. Hence, he was enshrined here. Folklore also identifies him as the God of Wealth, Zhao Gongming, from another text. Further ahead lie 67 branching caves of varying sizes, crisscrossing chaotically—entering recklessly is strongly discouraged.

Jiula Cave is a famous karst cave on Mount Emei. Along its 1,500-meter-long downward passage, there is a fully enclosed viewing space that first presents a beauty of ever-changing spatial forms. The first section is the shallow part, where one can walk upright. It includes relatively spacious chambers and corridor-like caves, such as Crystal Cave and Swallow Cave. The second section is the middle part, where branching caves begin to appear, and the passage becomes narrow enough that one must crawl. This section is the main body of Jiula Cave, mostly consisting of interconnected, network-like palace-type caves—with caves within caves, caves below caves, overlapping vertically and crisscrossing horizontally. Only at intersections do larger chambers or vertical shafts form, such as Tiger Fang Cave, Stone Bamboo Shoot Cave, and Labyrinth Cave. The third section is the deep part, mainly consisting of fissure-type caves, where an underground river occasionally seeps through cracks or winds and disappears beneath the cave floor. Even more striking are the naturally sculpted karst formations on the cave walls and ceilings—exquisitely varied, sparking free and vivid associations. The cave's stalactites, stalagmites, stone pillars, stone sprouts, and stone flowers resemble thousands of swords hanging down or bamboo shoots after rain; or giant potted plants and miniature stone forests; or exotic flowers, rare beasts, and birds; or fairies descending from heaven, monks chanting scriptures… It is truly an ancient yet novel, elegant yet solemn

art palace, startling and delighting visitors in turn.