Renzu Mountain

Renzu Mountain

East of the Hukou Gorge, about 20 kilometers from the riverbank, lies an ancient and majestic mountain. Here, endless millennia-old trees stretch as far as the eye can see, their lush canopies shielding the sunlight and creating pleasant scenery. Coupled with numerous legends, this is the renowned Renzu Mountain, located at the southwestern edge of the Loess Plateau in southern Shanxi. The earliest historical record of it appears in “Records of the Grand Historian” (Shiji), which describes it as a desolate place called Dicheng or Zhai Cheng. When Duke Wen of Jin sought refuge during the Li Ji Rebellion, he stayed here for five or six years, although the text does not mention the name of the mountain.

By the year 527 AD, when Li Daoyuan wrote the Commentary on the Water Classic (Shui Jing Zhu), it was referred to as Fengshan (Wind Mountain). Legend has it that the goddess Nüwa belonged to the Feng clan, and later generations (around the Song Dynasty) sought to establish a connection between the mountain and the Feng people by claiming, “The ancestor of humankind once resided in Jizhou,” thus renaming it Renzu Mountain. Although these claims are somewhat far-fetched and fabricated, the area’s scenic beauty has been preserved. Structures have been continually added, gradually developing the site into what legends describe as Renzu Mountain, leaving behind a wealth of valuable cultural heritage. The main peak of Renzu Mountain is home to the Renzu Temple, standing at an elevation of 1,742.4 meters, surrounded by 16 large and small temples.