Chaoyang Phoenix Mountain

Chaoyang Phoenix Mountain

Chaoyang Phoenix Mountain is a national AAA-level tourist attraction.

Phoenix Mountain, anciently known as Longshan or Helongshan, is a national forest park and a national AAA-level scenic area. It is located 4 kilometers east of downtown Chaoyang City in western Liaoning, covering an area of 55 square kilometers, with its highest peak reaching an elevation of 660 meters.

Phoenix Mountain is not only a historically renowned mountain in western Liaoning but also a Buddhist sacred site of great fame during the Yan and Liao dynasties. As early as 1,660 years ago, King Murong Huangguang of the Yan Kingdom built Longxiang Temple on the mountain—the earliest Buddhist temple recorded in historical texts in Northeast China—making it the “origin of Buddhism” in the region, and Longxiang Temple on Phoenix Mountain became the first major Buddhist temple in the northeast. Through subsequent construction over the dynasties, it developed into a complex featuring three pagodas (the surviving ones being the Moyun Pagoda, Dabao Pagoda, and the rebuilt Lingxiao Pagoda after the original collapsed) and four temples (Yanshou Temple, Tianqing Temple, Yunjie Temple, while Huayan Temple no longer exists). Other historic relics include Northern Wei Dynasty cliff Buddha niches, the Liao Dynasty ancient incense path of the Eighteen Bends, the Qing Dynasty Reversed Guanyin Cave, and the Reclining Buddha Cave. The mountain boasts lush vegetation and serves as an important habitat for the endangered black stork. Natural attractions mainly include Golden Camel Gazing at the Moon, Elephant Trunk Mountain, and the Natural Great Buddha. The Longshan scenic area of Phoenix Mountain features steep cliffs, narrow valleys, and perilous ravines—some peaks stand alone in majestic beauty, others form rolling green ranges, some resemble dragons soaring through clouds, and others look like mythical beasts lying across the ridges. Being there offers endless wonder and fascination.