Tianlu Mountain

　　Tianlu Mountain, bordered by Xinxing to the north and Kaiping to the south, stands at an elevation of 1,137 meters, making it the highest peak within Xinxing.

　　This majestic mountain towers into the sky, standing tall and verdant all year round, often shrouded in mist. The mountain is scattered with peculiar rocks and numerous spectacular sights, along with beautiful legends. There is the Stone Study where Yuwen Xinzhou climbed Tianlu and read aloud from his scrolls; the White Waterfall that cascades down like a jade belt around Li Bai’s waist, thundering down from above; the Book-Bearing Stone where a heavenly book is said to have been bestowed upon Huang Shijun, the top imperial scholar of the Ming Dynasty; and the ruins of Daishan Temple, a renowned temple in central Guangdong from the Tang Dynasty. The mountain is filled with spiritual energy and vibrant life—azaleas, bellflowers, dragon beard flowers, wild tree ferns, native tea plants, and various rare flora together form a green treasure trove. A spring emerging from the mid-mountain rocks seems to be born from heavenly dew, known as the Fairy Spring. The mountain streams converge to become the Tianlu waters, which join the Lu Stream—hometown of the Sixth Zen Patriarch Huineng—before flowing into the Xinxing River. Poets of the Tang Dynasty such as Du Wei and Feng Fan once left exquisite verses in praise of the heavenly beauty of Tianlu’s Fairy Spring.

　　At the foot of Tianlu Mountain, households are everywhere, and so are plum blossoms, making it the birthplace of the renowned Xinxing preserved fruits in China. Every deep winter during heavy snow, plum blossoms bloom simultaneously across dozens of miles, pure white as snow, crystal clear as jade, a breathtaking sight with their fragrance wafting far and wide. Visiting at this time, urban dwellers can admire the plum blossoms, listen to the sound of springs, sip green plum wine, and taste fresh village vegetables—comparable to a celestial reveler drunk on peach blossoms.

　　The Tianlu Mountain Range runs from north to south and serves as the boundary between Xinxing and Kaiping. The main peak, Tianlu Mountain, lies at the southern end, with an elevation of 1,250 meters, while Shuiyuan Mountain is at the northern end, at 1,137 meters. The straight-line distance between the two peaks is about 10 kilometers, with undulating hills lying in between.

　　The mountain ridges consist of open and gentle grassy slopes, where herds of cattle often roam freely. Along the paths are scattered clusters of azaleas and some unnamed white flowers. On misty days, the two massive rocks of Shuangshi Summit stand atop the sea of clouds, appearing and disappearing intermittently like a mirage.