Taohuajiang Phoenix Mountain

　　Phoenix Mountain is situated at the northeast corner of Taohuajiang County. With its head raised and tail spread, it resembles a phoenix standing gracefully by the river. The Zi River flows quietly at its feet, curving gently to form a vast deep pool. Along the riverbank are towering cliffs, several zhang high, as if hewn by axe and knife. The mountain is covered with ancient trees that reach to the sky, creating a tranquil environment that attracts countless birds to nest here. The Long Tower, built in the 14th year of the Daoguang reign during the Qing Dynasty, stands majestically by the riverside, like a sword pointing to the azure heavens.

　　　According to legend, during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, Qu Yuan, a minister of the Chu Kingdom, was exiled to the shores of Dongting Lake after being framed by villains. Traveling up the Zi River, he arrived at Phoenix Mountain in Taohuajiang. Filled with concern for his country and people, he wrote the timeless masterpiece "Heavenly Questions." To commemorate this great patriotic poet, a Tianwen Pavilion was once built on the mountain. Though the pavilion collapsed during the Daoguang reign of the Qing Dynasty, a stone tablet inscribed with “Site of the Ancient Tianwen Pavilion” still remains. Tao Shu, Governor-General of the Two Jiangs during the Qing Dynasty, visited Phoenix Mountain and composed a poem titled “Ode to Tianwen Pavilion”: “The Heavenly Questions are silent; here Qu Yuan once left behind stone drums; fortunate is the traveler today who visits the fisherman’s rocks.” Below Tianwen Pavilion along the Zi Riverbank lies a roughly four-meter square stone platform, extending horizontally beneath the cliffs. It is said to be the spot where Qu Yuan fished, historically known as Quzi Fishing Terrace. Tao Shu’s “visit to the fisherman’s rocks” refers to this place. Together with Jiang Taigong’s Fishing Terrace by the Wei River in Shaanxi and Yan Ziling’s Fishing Terrace by the Fuchun River in Zhejiang, Quzi Fishing Terrace is counted among China’s three ancient fishing terraces.