Lanke Mountain

　　   Lanke Mountain was originally called Kongshi Mountain more than two thousand years ago during the Spring and Autumn Period. It came to be known as Lanke Mountain due to the myth from the Jin Dynasty about “Wang Zhi encountering immortals and watching a chess game, only to find his axe handle rotted away.” With a history of over 1,670 years, Lanke Mountain integrates the cultures of Taoism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. In the “Record of Grotto-Heavens and Blessed Lands,” Du Guangting of the Tang Dynasty referred to Lanke Mountain as one of the Seventy-Two Blessed Lands, naming it the “Blessed Land of Lanke.” Taoism regards this mountain as a sacred site for spiritual cultivation, ranking it as the “Eighth Grotto-Heaven of Qingxia.” The Baoyan Temple on Lanke Mountain was built in the seventh year of the Datong era during the Liang Dynasty (541). During the Tang and Song dynasties, many eminent monks resided here to preach Buddhism. Due to the beautiful legend of “Wang Zhi encountering immortals and watching a chess game, only to find his axe handle rotted away,” the site became renowned as a celestial Go destination where “a day in the cave equals a thousand years in the world,” gaining fame across Japan, Korea, and Southeast Asia. In May 1993, the National Go Championship was held here. In June 1995, the Sixth National “Tianshen Cup” Chinese Weiqi Champions Tournament commenced once again. In September 2006, the Lanke Cup Chinese Weiqi Champions Tournament took place at this Go paradise, where chess master Ma Xiaochun and seven other top players brought the Go culture of this sacred site to new heights.