Yongxi Scenic Area

　　Yongxi Town is the political, economic, and cultural center of Nayong, with rich tourism resources and a long-standing historical and cultural heritage. It is home to three designated tourist hotels: Nayong Hotel, Liangyuan Grand Hotel, and Jinyong Grand Hotel, making it an important window for Nayong County’s opening-up. The central Yongxi scenic area has been listed by the county Party committee and government as one of the four key scenic spots in the county. Centered around Yongxi Park, it radiates outward to include attractions such as Dahaidam and La’aozhong Fish Cave River.

　　Yongxi Park is our first stop. Commonly known as “Shanwang Temple” or “Monkey Rock,” it is famous for its temple fairs and concentrated animal-shaped rock formations. Located north of the county town, it is less than 1 kilometer from the New Square. The completion of the New Square at the entrance has become a beautiful gateway to Yongxi Park. The square is paved with multicolored pentagonal tiles forming various patterns—circles, rectangles, diamonds, trapezoids, and more. At the very center of the square stands a circular fountain, where water droplets sparkle in a dazzling array of colors under the glow of colored lights, creating a spectacular sight. From the square, a winding cement road leads directly to the entrance of Yongxi Park. First, you’ll see a “Great Buddha’s Hall” adorned with red, yellow, blue, and green hues, standing tall amidst thousand-year-old pines. Next, two golden jade pillars display a couplet: “A towering peak stands like a bronze guardian of the northern gate; two emerald gorges resemble the jeweled palace of the South Sea,” highlighting the hall’s majesty and sanctity. Then, to the left of the hall winds a zigzagging path with twelve turns, hence named “Twelve Bends,” which leads all the way to the Danay Highway. The path is flanked by thorny thickets, with year-round dripping rock water, known for its reputation as “purified water from the South Sea.” It is said that since liberation, a Buddhist-devout woman used to fetch drinking water here year-round and lived to over 100 years old before passing away. In her memory, she was buried at “Shanwang Temple,” where a centenarian monument was erected. Though the tomb was damaged during the Cultural Revolution, the story remains widely told. Therefore, on the annual festivals of “February 19,” “June 19,” and “September 19”—the birthdays of Guanyin Bodhisattva—people flock here from all directions to worship, observe vegetarianism, and drink the water, praying for peace and longevity.

　　Detouring around either side of the “Great Buddha’s Hall,” a secluded forest path leads straight to the edge of the cliffs. Standing atop the rocks and looking around offers breathtaking views, especially the vivid animal-shaped rock formations that are truly enchanting. To the right is Tiger Mountain, where the “tiger” shows its two snow-white canine teeth, sticks out its long tongue, and sits quietly against the mountain, guarding the “Great Buddha’s Hall” day and night. In front is Dragon Mountain, with its majestic body and dazzling scales, looking just like a real dragon, its head hidden in the mist. Viewed from the Masanglin Highway, the dragon’s body appears straight, with its mouth, horns, eyes, and whiskers rendered in strikingly lifelike detail. To the left is a standing clam, known as “Little Solitary Mountain,” with its head bowed toward the rapids and its tail lying on the sandbank. It stands dozens of meters high and stretches over a hundred meters long. The edges of the clamshell, where it opens and closes, seem to flex and relax, while the layered soil marks on the shell surface are clear and distinct. By the clam’s head, on the riverbank, a dark gray heron stands on the edge of the gorge, as tall as the clam mountain, stretching its long neck toward the river. Right in front of Monkey Rock, an eagle is taking flight from beyond the mountain, its head and wings visible, and its sharp, iron-like beak faintly discernible—this is the famed “Eagle Mountain.” If you look carefully and stand from different angles, various animal-shaped rock formations will come alive before your eyes, allowing you to fully appreciate the beauty bestowed upon the human world by nature.

　　After visiting Yongxi Park, it’s just a 6-kilometer drive along the road from Nayong County to Zhangjiawan to reach the Dahaidam scenic spot.