Yangti Junling

Yangti Junling

Yangti Junling is located at the junction of Chishi, Houmen, and Meilong towns in Haifeng County. It is an extension of the Lotus Mountain Range, and its peaks resemble carambola petals. Before the Ming Dynasty, it was called “Carambola Ridge.” Due to its high elevation and treacherous paths, it was renamed “Yangti Junling” (“Goat Hoof Rugged Ridge”) during the Qing Dynasty.

This mountain pass was an important ancient route connecting various counties in eastern Guangdong to Huizhou and Guangzhou, originally carved out during the Han Dynasty. It became impassable during the Three Kingdoms period. From the Two Jin Dynasties to the Song Dynasty, bandits occupied the ridge as a stronghold, causing the pass to be open and blocked intermittently. By the Jingtai era of the Ming Dynasty (1450–1456), a post road was built, and a nunnery was constructed at the top of the ridge, along with a small pavilion nearby to serve tea to travelers. During the Wanli era, Chen Rufeng, the magistrate of Haifeng County, renovated it. In the winter of the ninth year of the Kangxi reign in the Qing Dynasty (1670), Xu Yangren, the provincial grain intendant, passed through this ridge while inspecting the Chaozhou Prefecture. Moved by the hardships of the travelers, he funded the renovation of the nunnery and instructed the then Haifeng County Magistrate Fan Fengchun to oversee the project. A revered monk also provided tea to aid travelers. In the third year of the Qianlong reign (1738), E'erdaren, the Viceroy of Liangguang, visited the site and pointed out that “with its overlapping high and steep peaks, situated along the vital Huizhou-Chaozhou corridor and in a strategically perilous location, a fortress should be established here, with a garrison stationed for defense. The nunnery should be relocated elsewhere to ensure both security and public safety.” In the fifth year of Qianlong (1740), Li Guanghua, the magistrate of Haifeng County, followed imperial orders to select a new site for the nunnery. He oversaw the construction of a mountain pass fortress and 23 barracks at the ridge top (the original nunnery site), installing eight defensive cannons, assigning one company commander and fifty soldiers for garrison duty. The mountain path stretches over 20 kilometers and connects five fortresses in sequence, presenting an imposing sight. To this day, remnants of the Yangti Ridge path and its stone steps still remain. Only the foundations of the fortresses and nunnery on the ridge, along with three historical stone inscriptions, survive.