Luotianyan

　　Yudu Luotianyan is situated on the south bank of the Gong River in the county town, beside National Highway 323 in Zhalin Village, about 1 kilometer from the county center. It is a historic scenic area renowned for its abundance of cliff inscriptions by notable figures throughout the dynasties, as well as its picturesque red cliffs and clear waters. With its serene lakes and mountain vistas, the area offers delightful scenery. First developed during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, it gained fame starting from the Northern Song Dynasty, when the “Huayan Chan Monastery” was established. It became widely celebrated at that time and is the site where the famous essay “In Praise of the Lotus” (“Ai Lian Shuo”) was inscribed on a stele—a renowned literary work known both in China and abroad.

　　For thousands of years, many distinguished scholars, officials, poets, artists, visitors, and pilgrims have been drawn here to admire the scenery or to build retreats for lectures and study. Within a 2.5-square-kilometer area of cliffs and precipices, there are over 100 inscriptions carved since the Tang and Song dynasties by historical figures such as Yue Fei, Wen Tianxiang, Zhu Xi, Bada Shanren, Wang Maode, Wang Yangming, and Luo Hongxian. There are also more than 80 poems and essays written specifically about Luotianyan. The site features cliff inscriptions by the famous Northern Song Dynasty philosopher, thinker, and foundational figure of Taoism and Neo-Confucianism—Zhou Dunyi—whose thinking influenced Chinese intellectual history for eight to nine hundred years. It also includes his lecture site and memorial locations: the “Lianxi Academy” and “Lianxi Pavilion.” Other attractions include a thousand-year-old cypress tree, the ancient Luotianyan Temple, the Rice-Leaking Rock, the “View of Yuyang,” the Emperor’s Pavilion, the Cloud-Reclining Pavilion, the Lofty Aspirations Pavilion, the Surprising Pavilion, the View-Need Pavilion, statues of Zhou Dunyi and Yue Fei, tunnels, leisure areas, recreational activities, and nearby attractions such as Guancaizhai and Tongxin Rock—both of which feature uniquely stunning landscapes reminiscent of a fairyland on earth.

　　Luotianyan is gradually being developed into a comprehensive provincial-level scenic area for sightseeing, leisure tourism, and vacation entertainment. The total planned area of the scenic zone spans 20 square kilometers and is divided into eight distinctive functional zones, with Luotianyan as the central representative.