Longduo Mountain

　　   Longduo Mountain is about 60 kilometers from the city center, located in Yanzhou Chishui, with an elevation of 624 meters and a relative height of 242 meters. It was under the jurisdiction of Chishui County in Hezhou during the Tang and Song dynasties. At the foot of the mountain lies the site of the ancient Chishui County. The mountain earned its name because its ridges stretch endlessly, as if a giant dragon soaring into the sky. Legend has it that in the third year of the Yongjia era of the Western Jin Dynasty (309 AD), the immortal Feng Gailuo from Guanghan practiced alchemy on the mountain. One day, he and his entire family of 17 ascended to heaven, which made Longduo Mountain famous ever since. When Empress Wu Zetian declared herself emperor, she "imperially decreed" that monks on the mountain build a liberation pond. During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, monks were also ordered to conduct "imperial sacrificial rites" on the mountain.

　　   The attractions of Longduo Mountain can be divided into two categories: historical ruins and legends, and natural scenery. Historical and legendary sites include: Bashu Boundary Stone, Jinglao Cliff, Feixian Spring, Feixian Cave, Feixian Stone, Lingyin Cliff, Immortal Terrace, and Lai Stone. Natural scenic spots include: Vulture Terrace Offering Auspiciousness, Flying Immortals' Flowing Springs, Strange Rocks Holding Pines, Sunny Cliff Wreathed in Green, Yellow Dragon Spouting Mist, Ancient Traces of Chicheng, Horizontal River White Silk, and Peaks Piled with Greenery—collectively known as the Eight Scenic Spots of Longduo Mountain.

　　   The most essential and precious aspect of Longduo Mountain is the ancient stone carving art left over the past thousand years. The earliest works date back to the Eastern Jin Dynasty, most are from the Tang and Song dynasties, and some also remain from the Ming and Qing dynasties. There are currently 76 cliff niches with 1,742 statues (including the Thousand Buddha Niches), but most are damaged due to weathering and human destruction. The "Ten Buddhas Niche" and "Maitreya Buddha Niche," carved during the Tang Dynasty, are particularly valuable. The ancient architecture on Longduo Mountain mainly consists of temples, the earliest built in the Western Jin Dynasty and the latest during the Republican era, but all have been destroyed. Some only have remaining foundations or dilapidated halls, while others have been repurposed as farmhouses. In 1985, the county cultural relics preservation office established a preservation team here and allocated funds for restoration.