The Mighty Pillar of Zhanguan

　　The scenic spot of the Mighty Pillar of Zhanguan, which has a mysterious legend about its reproductive origins, is located approximately 4 kilometers directly south of Yeliguan. Nestled within lush, dense forests, it is embraced by its surrounding vegetation and the intimate valley. Traveling south along the main road of Dingxin Highway will take you directly to the site.

　　This is yet another splash of red amid the greenery of the Yeliguan tourist area. It’s unclear who placed this Danxia landform here amidst the surrounding verdant landscape, forming a red cliff and an open cave, as well as a towering pillar with a diameter of 20 meters and a height of 50 meters, the two of which lean intimately against each other. Cloaked in raw wilderness, it is named the Mighty Pillar of Zhanguan. Some even more directly refer to it as the "Yin-Yang Stone."

　　Like a proud banner, its cave resembles the source of life, and its pillar the root of life, attracting onlookers and sparking the imagination. It brings the topic of phallic culture out of the shadows—no longer a subject for night walkers or something hidden behind curtains—but displayed beside a bustling thoroughfare and visible atop a nearby mountain peak. Some may call it vulgar or inappropriate for open discussion. Yet the worship of reproductive organs has existed since ancient times; phallic reverence can be said to represent some of humankind’s earliest understandings of nature and society. Numerous sites of male phallic totem culture remain across the land of Shu. Around the world, in the Amazon Basin and Oslo’s Vigeland Sculpture Park, artificially carved standing phallic forms stand as deities of life that people come to worship. Humanity continues to thrive through the union of this root and source, from ancient times to the modern era, even forming halls of scientific study around it. To call it vulgar would be to cloak genuine morality and ritual propriety in an air of pretension. For no one can deny that life originates from this primal simplicity.

　　Behind this entirely natural landscape lies an ancient legend. It is said that long ago, Yeliguan was called Wild Forest Pass—a feng shui treasure land abundant in clear waters, lush mountains, rich resources, and peaceful people. But even in this idyllic setting, a sudden wave of licentious and evil energy descended upon the area, and a cliff cave suddenly emerged in Qingya Gully. From then on, this beautiful place was shrouded in gloom, and disasters struck frequently. Especially after that, the local population saw more girls born than boys, and those few boys who were born often died mysteriously in their prime. Over time, even livestock had more females than males, and outsiders entering the area often disappeared without a trace... Most of the local people fled elsewhere. The suffering of the people moved the heavens, and the Jade Emperor learned of it. He dispatched a divine patrol to investigate and discovered it was caused by demonic energy. He then sent down a mighty phallic pillar to suppress it—that pillar is the Mighty Pillar of Zhanguan. Once erected, it subdued the evil forces, the oppressive licentious energy dissipated, and the land returned to its former tranquility and beauty. The gender ratio became balanced, with strong men and graceful women. Wild Forest Pass was renamed Yeliguan, and Qingya Gully came to be known as the harmonious Intimate Valley. The origins of this legend are unknown, but from today’s perspective, it offers the best explanation for the existence of this landscape.

　　This landscape also resembles a giant “0” and “1.” From this perspective, it is also the very origin of human existence. Without these “0” and “1,” cycles and connections cannot form. They constitute the brilliance of the numerical realm, just as the continuous existence of the realm of life depends on these shapes of “0” and “1.”