Bijun Mountain Wilderness Park

Bijun Mountain Wilderness Park

Bijun Mountain Wilderness Park, commonly known as Erlang Temple, is located at the bordering area thirty li north of Leshan and thirty li south of Jiajiang. The scenic area features the Bijun Pavilion, built in the second year of Jianyan during the reign of Emperor Gaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty (1128). Yang Hui’s “Record of Bijun Pavilion” has inspired visitors for nearly nine hundred years and continues to be passed down to this day.

Park History

In the spring of 1988, the Jiajiang County People’s Government named the park after the pavilion, developed the land, and integrated it with Erlang Temple, thereby restoring this famous ancient site from the dust of time and reviving its ancient cultural brilliance. Erlang Temple houses statues of Li Erlang (Li Bing and his son), Yang Erlang (Yang Jian), and Zhao Erlang (Zhao Yu). “The merits of the three Erlangs are grand and awe-inspiring, long enjoying the offerings of the people; the elegance of the pavilion’s inscription shines through timeless prose.”

Park Features

Bijun Mountain Wilderness Park lies against Jiupan Mountain to the north and borders the Qingyi River to the south, covering an area of about thirteen hectares. With the river winding in front of the mountain, clear waters reflecting light boats, green fields, and scattered villages, the park features meandering mountain paths, peculiar peaks and rocks, natural springs, the rustle of pine and bamboo, hidden temples, and towering pavilions. The diverse scenery makes it another “lovely Qingyi spot” of Jiajiang.

Major Attractions

Notable attractions include: Erlang Temple, Jiupan Winding Path, Bijun Pavilion, Zhangren Peak, Mingmu Spring, Han Cliff Tomb Cluster, Bijun Villa, and Pine Forest Listening to the Wind. Located beside the Chengdu-Leshan Highway trunk road, about ten li from both Leshan City and Jiajiang County, stand the Bijun Pavilion, originally built during the Song Dynasty, and Erlang Temple dedicated to Li Bing and his son. This area has been developed into Bijun Mountain Park. Covering thirteen hectares and situated on Jiupan Mountain, it borders Wanggaoshan to the east, the Qingyi River to the south, Panduhe to the west, and Mianhuapo to the north. The park boasts beautiful scenery, striking rocks, lush pine and bamboo, and captivating wild charm. It guards the Jiayang Post Road and the crucial Qingyi crossing. As the ancients said: “Shielding the southern edge of Yan like a belt of stone, anchoring the northern gateway of Han over the river.” It was once a necessary route from Leshan to Jiajiang, then to Chengdu or Ya’an; it was also one of the important docks along the golden waterway connecting Ya’an upstream and Leshan downstream. From the Song Dynasty to the early liberation period, for several hundred years, it flourished with incense and hosted bustling temple fairs twice a year in spring and autumn. However, with the passage of time and other factors, this scenic gem gradually declined, “hidden away and unrecognized.”

Park History and Culture

Named after the Bijun Pavilion built in the Song Dynasty, the park is known as the “Jiupan Scenic Wonder.” “Jiupan Winding Path” is the sixth of Jiajiang’s top ten scenic spots. This place has attracted merchants and travelers from all directions throughout history, as well as literati who competed to climb the peak and compose poetry. The park features diverse landscapes, strange rocks, winding mountain paths, lush pine forests, elegant beauty, the surging Qing River with light boats, distant mountains like ink washes, drifting mist, and endless pine seas—lush and boundless, with beautiful scenery in all seasons and rich natural and cultural landscapes.

Bijun Pavilion is the iconic structure of the park. Originally built in the second year of Jianyan in the Southern Song Dynasty, the Song Dynasty’s Yang Hui wrote the “Record of Bijun Pavilion,” which has been passed down. The pavilion’s name is derived from Jiang Yan’s poem: “At dusk the blue clouds converge,” expressing longing and farewell, as well as lament for the times. It is a rare masterpiece where a native of Jiazhou depicts the local scenery and pours out emotions. Over time, the pavilion fell into disrepair, and by the Qing Dynasty, only the inscribed stele and ruins remained. In the fourth year of the Guangxu era, Du Bingcheng, a local gentry member, initiated donations to rebuild it. The pavilion is tower-shaped, five zhang high, seven stories and square, without doors or stairs, with the characters “Bijun Pavilion” inlaid in blue porcelain tiles. The pavilion’s prominent location and elegant coloration make it visible from dozens of li away.

Since the reform and opening up, public enthusiasm to restore Bijun Pavilion has grown. After the park’s establishment, with leadership attention, enthusiastic planning, multi-channel fundraising, and strong support from all sectors of society, construction began in the winter of 1994, and the restoration was completed by summer 1995. Visiting the park and ascending Bijun Pavilion offers a six-sided view of rivers and mountains: “Green villages ripple like dance, tea bushes dyed red for miles, floating as if in a painting.” It is truly refreshing. Beside the Panhe River in the park stands the natural wonder Zhangren Peak, a towering rock several zhang high that resembles “an old man gazing down at the river.” Yang Hui wrote in the “Record of Bijun Pavilion”: “A rock juts out beside the mountain, twelve chi tall, round as if polished, sharp at the top and wide at the bottom, covered in speckled marks like holding a bamboo shoot, commonly called a stone bamboo shoot.” The stone bamboo shoot is spindle-shaped, about 12 meters tall. Close up, it has a mouth, ears, nose, and mouth; from afar, it looks like an old man standing beside the mountain.

Next to the park, on the mountain cliff, are vertically inscribed regular script characters “Zhangren Peak,” each about a foot tall, with powerful strokes that catch the eye. Small characters nearby have been eroded by wind and frost, becoming illegible. Local legend says the three characters “Zhangren Peak” were inscribed by the patriotic Song Dynasty poet Lu You. As a result, what was originally the name of the mountain peak, Zhangren Peak, became mistakenly associated with the “stone bamboo shoot.” “The body has left the mountain but remains connected to it, as if mounted on a carved saddle yet not yet riding. Why linger so long by the river’s edge, watching lone sails pass Ya’an?” This is a modern depiction of the scene. The unique stone Zhangren Peak stands tall beside the cliff, weathered by a thousand years, silently witnessing the vicissitudes of life, majestic and uniquely twisted—it is a true marvel of southern Sichuan.

Architectural Features of the Park

The existing ancient architecture in the park is the Sichuan Lord Ancestral Hall built in the Qing Dynasty, now called Erlang Temple. In recent years, the Wenchang Palace, an ancient building relocated from Muncheng Town Primary School, has been moved to Erlang Temple and converted into the Jade Emperor Hall. Erlang Temple mainly enshrines Li Bing and his son, “whose merits benefited Shu Commandery and whose grace showered the people of Sichuan,” as well as historical figures such as Zhao Yu, the Jiazhou governor of the Sui Dynasty known for water management, and the Song Dynasty famous physician Huangfu Tan. There are also statues of folk deities such as the Jade Emperor, Queen Mother, Fire God, Wealth God, and Grain King, all exquisitely crafted, lifelike, with highly artistic poses, expressions, and attire. The park also contains many Han cliff tombs, some only a few meters deep and the deepest reaching 29.5 meters. One tomb chamber bears an inscription: “Built on the 23rd day of the 12th month of Yuanhe [year],” confirming it as a relic of the Eastern Han Dynasty. There are also several cliff niches with Buddhist statues and the large characters “Dragon Roar Tiger Cry,” believed to have been engraved during the Jiaqing era of the Qing Dynasty. According to the Republican-era Jiajiang County Annals, Erlang Temple would gather crowds on the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month, as well as during the June “Sichuan Lord Festival” and September “Lantern Festival” (temple fairs in both seasons), bustling with activity.

The park is richly vegetated, dominated by pine trees. Hidden valleys hold clouds, and streams between rocks and valleys converge into springs, called by locals “Mingmu Divine Water.” Among the trees are thermophilic firs, bighead hawthorns, and emerald cypresses, with wild azaleas, gardenias, roses, and ferns under the forest. “Jiupan abounds in green pines, covering hills and peaks. Lush green shade inspires poetic mood. Sipping tea under the branches, playing in the woods. Longing for the beautiful scenery upon return, coming back to listen to the pine wind.” After more than ten years of development, Bijun Mountain Park has become an ideal destination for leisure and vacation, attracting up to 100,000 visitors annually. In recent years, the park has adhered to the mission of “providing leisure space and enriching people’s cultural life,” improving the environment, increasing investment, and adding supporting facilities such as meeting rooms, guest rooms, restaurants, and parking. It has also introduced children’s play equipment, a 0-style leisure room, a peach orchard, a new Divine Water Hall, renovated toilets, and hardened parts of the grounds, giving the park a completely renewed look.

“Gazing at the autumn hues of the Qiang River, the green wilderness is pristine, a natural painting, with timeless emotions.” “Setting sail at dawn, looking back with boundless thoughts.” Every visitor to Bijun Mountain Park leaves with wonderful memories.