Pingtian Mountain Forest Park

　　Pingtian Mountain is located 4 kilometers north of Guigang City proper, also known as Beishan (North Mountain), and anciently called Yigui Mountain. It was established as Guizhou Prefecture during the Tang Dynasty, named after one "Gui" character. Due to its height and grandeur, standing tall and majestic with a imposing momentum, and resembling a dragon’s head, it is also called Longtou Mountain (Dragon Head Mountain). Its main peak, Dapingtian Mountain, has an elevation of 1157.6 meters, towering over the northern bank of the Yu River, making it one of the highest points in Guigang. It was also a historically contested military site. Both the Yao people's uprising in the Ming Dynasty and the peasant uprisings in the Qing Dynasty used this mountain as their base of operations.

　　In 2003, Pingtian Mountain was approved as a national forest park. Pingtian Mountain features overlapping peaks and boasts magnificent landscapes such as “- Spectacular Scenery,” “Mist-Rain Cloud Waves,” “Five Horses Returning to the Valley,” “Pingtian Waterfall,” and “Pingtian Panorama.” There are also fascinating legends full of mythical charm, such as “Beiyue Immortal Pool,” “Beiling Immortal Chess,” “Longtou Silver Mine,” and “Huangsan Palace,” each spot and tale captivating and enchanting visitors.

　　- Spectacular Scenery

　　The Pingtian Mountain State-Owned Forest Farm was established in 1960 when 40 state cadres and technicians from the Yulin region, following the orders of Commander-in-Chief -, came to build it for the development of military industry. The Pingtian Mountain Forest Farm is rich in forest resources, covering a total area of over 5,000 hectares. It hosts over 1,000 species of plants from the southern subtropical zone, including fir, pine, and camphor trees, among which is the first-class nationally protected rare plant Alsophila spinulosa, known as the living fossil of plants. There are also more than 100 kinds of precious trees, grasses, and medicinal herbs, such as kiwi berries, white spruce, wild lychee (the flesh is like lychee, but the seed is like longan), wild ginseng, azaleas, and iron grass. The average annual temperature here ranges from 16–22°C, with a minimum of -5°C, and the air is rich in negative ions and oxygen. The forest is lush and verdant, with towering ancient trees, hanging vines, blooming flowers of various colors, fragrant blossoms, rustling pine waves, and birdsong. There are streams and springs in the valleys that flow year-round, clear and beautiful, making it a rare destination for summer retreats, convalescence, and tourism. There are car-accessible mountain loop roads within the forest, and tourists come in an endless stream every day to enjoy the scenery.

　　Pingtian Waterfall

　　Pingtian Mountain is especially rich in hydraulic resources, with numerous waterfalls. Currently, there are 12 hydropower-generating sites, with the largest being Zhuangtan Waterfall. Water cascades down from high cliffs, just like the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai wrote: “Its torrent dashes down three thousand feet from high, As if the Silver River fell from the blue sky.” These waterfall clusters have a flow rate of 0.5 m³ per second, capable of supporting a power station with an installed capacity of 250 KW, and can irrigate 500 acres of farmland. There are waterfall spots on the mountain such as Shanglonglou, Xialonglou, Dakeng, and Beishan, where small hydropower stations have been built, enabling rural families in the mountainous areas to have electricity and enjoy the fruits of modern civilization.

　　Pingtian Panorama

　　The towering and vast Pingtian Mountain features mountain upon mountain, each grand and majestic, with steep cliffs, secluded mountain paths, winding ridges and valleys, and bizarre rocks. Roaming the summit, the mountaintop is like a platform, with rosy clouds brushing sleeves, white clouds swirling around the feet, giving a sensation of floating in the heavens. At dawn, watch the sunrise, with red mist billowing and radiant sunlight, dazzling and resplendent. At dusk, admire the setting sun, with the remaining glow like blood, the mountain cradling the fading light, transforming in myriad ways.

　　Gazing southward, the Yu River resembles a ribbon, undulating across the Xunyu Plain; the 24 peaks of Nanshan look like maidens draped in green veils, standing gracefully and vividly. The celestial map of the Three Kingdoms' upright official Lu Ji, and the ruins of Huang Sanqi's mountain fortress from the Dacheng Kingdom, are clearly visible. The iron bridge spanning the Yu River, along with the First Highway Bridge and Second Highway Bridge, are majestic in presence. The Guigang Sugar Company and Xianyitan Power Station are grand and spectacular. To the west, on the emerald waters of the Liuban Reservoir, birds gather in flocks, creating a breathtaking scene.

　　Before your eyes, the sea of fog churns, sometimes thick and covering the sky, sometimes dispersing to reveal blue skies. Visitors feel as though they are in a heavenly paradise. A famous poem reads: “Ascending with joy, I gaze into the distance, while wild geese cut across the sky. Distant peaks drift with lingering mist, nearby mountains howl with valley winds. Stream waters compete in beautiful rhythms, - waves surge with might. Gazing afar at the Yu River’s banks, long bridges transform into rainbows.”

　　Beiyue Immortal Pool

　　Beiyue Immortal Pool is located on the mountainside of the northern side of Pingtian Mountain, accessible by a mountain-loop road. In 1989, it was listed as one of Guigang’s New Eight Scenic Spots. At the entrance of the valley by the roadside stands a screen wall, with the plaque inscribed: “Beiyue Immortal Pool,” and the couplet on both sides reading: “The Cowherd sends words back to Beiyue, the Fairy descends to the pool to wash her fair skin.” The calligraphy is simple yet vigorous, with bold strokes.

　　Entering through the wall gate and following a winding path while holding onto vines and trees for 30 meters, you will reach the immortal pool. The pool is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with dense woods providing cover. From the cliff, a stream murmurs as it flows, like a silver ribbon pouring into the natural pond, with crystal-clear, greenish water. Here, green trees and red cliffs create a tranquil environment, with sunlight reflecting off the blue sky and moonlight casting upon it at night, embodying the essence of Lingnan landscape scenery. Legend says that the Seven Fairies of Heaven admired this place, and on every seventh day of the seventh lunar month, they would come to Beiyue Immortal Pool together. They would take off their clothes and skirts, swim and play to their heart’s content, then climb ancient vines to swing, enjoying earthly pleasures. The youngest of the fairies, charmed by the happiness of mortal life, did not wish to return to Heaven with her sisters and stayed behind to marry a cowherd. Unfortunately, the Heavenly Queen Mother found out and sent heavenly soldiers to command the fairy to return immediately, cruelly separating the heavenly-mortal couple. However, today, the pursuit of marriage freedom has been realized. A later poem goes: “Blushing, she loosens her silk skirt by the jade pool, washing rouge till she’s tipsy and her brows blush. She pins her golden hairpin early, reapplies powder, and mustn’t miss the cowherd’s tryst.”

　　Beiling Immortal Chess

　　Folklore says that during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, in a certain mountain village of Guixian County, there was a Feng Kelì, ranked fourth and also called Feng Si. While picking herbs on Pingtian Mountain, he suddenly saw flashes of radiance, continuous laughter from the mountaintop, and sounds of shouting and fighting, which were loud enough to be heard ten li away. Feeling puzzled, Feng Si climbed trees and vines with effort and hurried up the mountain to see what was happening. He saw two burly men, round-faced with wide ears, straight noses and square mouths, wearing black kerchiefs around their heads, with robes exposing their shoulders, red sashes around their waists, and beards hanging to their chests, with piercing eyes. They turned out to be two immortals, sitting cross-legged facing each other, intently playing chess. Feng Si quietly approached, crouching beside them to watch, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

　　At dawn, as the sun rose red in the east, a cloud descended, and a gust of wind blew. The two chess-playing immortals gave Feng Si a seamless immortal robe, left the chessboard as is, and then rode the clouds and mist away. When Feng Si woke up, he packed his bag, brushed off the thick dirt on himself, and went down the mountain. But when he got home, the house was the same, yet everything else had completely changed. Little did he know that “a day in the mountain is a thousand years in the world,” and centuries had passed, with descendants of generations who no longer recognized him. The village chief, seeing his strange appearance, thought he was a monster, and had him locked in a huge iron pot, burning him for three days and nights, thinking he had turned to ash. But when the pot was opened, there sat Feng Si, wearing the immortal robe, meditating calmly inside the pot unharmed, frightening the village chief into fleeing for his life. Since then, Feng Si traveled around, practicing medicine to help others, and eventually ascended to immortality. The imperial court learned of this and conferred upon him the title of Third-Class Sage, with temples and statues of Sanjie Ye built everywhere, with incense burning year-round.

　　When the 1893 revised “Guixian Annals” was compiled during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty, “Beiling Immortal Chess” was listed as one of the original Eight Scenic Spots of Guixian. Today, the remnants of this chess game site still exist, and visitors to this place can't help but sigh in awe.

　　Huangsan Palace

　　In the second year of the Tongzhi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1863), Huang Dingfeng, the leader of the peasant uprising (ranked third, also called Huang San), led his troops up to the top of Pingtian Mountain to establish a base, naming it Pingtian Fort, and proclaimed himself the King of Jianzhang of the Dacheng Kingdom, where he built a palace.

　　In front of and on both sides of Pingtian Fort, stone walls rise up more than thirty zhang high. The mountain has springs and flat ground, usually used for garrisoning troops and farming, and for attack and defense during wartime. The fort was equipped with inner and outer gates, with a 4-ton cannon placed at the gate. Three layers of fortifications were built all around, with artillery platforms and gun ports densely distributed. The front gate was difficult to assault from above, and the sides were even harder to climb. A poem reads: “Three thousand brave guards secure the realm, the dragon soars to establish the world.” Back then, Huang Dingfeng used Pingtian Fort as the center to establish bases in over 700 villages spanning more than 300 li around Qintang, launching attacks from Qintang into Guixian, Shanglin, Binyang, and Hengzhou counties, declaring a march toward the Yangtze River to echo the Taiping Rebellion and completely overthrow the Qing Dynasty. Today, the ruins of Pingtian Fort at the top of Pingtian Mountain still have relics such as oil pits, artillery platforms, and trenches used at the time. The heroic image and spirit of Huang Dingfeng remain deeply engraved in people’s hearts.

　　Longtou Silver Mine

　　The “Guixian Annals” compiled during the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty recorded: The Longtou, Liuban, and Sancha mountains of Pingtian in Guixian County stretch for hundreds of li, with exceptionally rich deposits of gold and silver, and a long history of mining and smelting these metals. In 1956, four silver ingots were unearthed in the suburbs of Xi’an, Shaanxi Province. One of them was inscribed: “Langning Prefecture Governor’s Office, Tang Tianbao Second Year (743 AD), tribute silver ingot, weighing fifty taels, presented by Prefect Huai Ze.” During the Tang Dynasty, Guixian County (now Guigang City) belonged to Huai Ze Prefecture, showing that silver production in Guigang City has a long history. In the 24th year of the Jiaqing reign (1820), County Magistrate Jiang Qingsi hired workers to mine silver, but the miners suffered unbearable hardships and banded together to become “bandits.” During the Daoguang reign, County Magistrate Wang Ji recruited merchants to operate the silver mine. With land highly concentrated in the hands of landlords in nearby counties such as Wuxuan and Guiping, farmers lived in poverty, coupled with frequent natural disasters and rampant banditry. Starving people flocked to Longtou Mountain to mine and smelt gold to make ends meet. During the Taiping Rebellion, Shi Dakai from Nabang Village, Qishi Township, came to the mines to rally support, and more than two thousand miners immediately followed him to Jintian to join the uprising, joining the anti-Qing movement. Today, the ruins of Pingtian Fort at the top of Pingtian Mountain still have remnants such as oil pits, artillery platforms, and trenches used at the time. The heroic image and spirit of Huang Dingfeng remain deeply engraved in people’s hearts.

　　Huang Dingfeng (1830～1864)　　Huang Dingfeng (1830–1864), of the Zhuang ethnic group. His childhood name was Tepang San, also called Huang San. He was from Guixian (now Guigang). In 1849, he joined the Triad Society and participated in the peasant uprising army led by Triad leader Zhang Jiaxiang. In 1850, he followed Zhang Jiaxiang in surrendering to the Qing army. In the summer of 1853, he escaped from Wuhan back to Guixian, later setting up a Heroes Hall in Qintang Market and a Hongshun Hall in Huanglian Market, recruiting righteous men to fight against the Qing and restore the Ming. He established a mountain stronghold in Huanglian Gorge. In the summer of 1855, when Chen Kai occupied Xunzhou (now Guiping) and established the Dacheng Kingdom, he responded in allegiance. Assisting the Dacheng Kingdom’s Li Wenmao forces in defeating local militias, after capturing Guixian City, it was renamed Huai City, and he was appointed as General.... More+

　　Shi Dakai (1831～1863)　　Shi Dakai (1831–1863), nicknamed Yada and also known as Shi Gandang, was a Hakka from Guixian (now Guigang) in Guangxi. He was a famed general of the Taiping Rebellion and a renowned military strategist, statesman, and martial arts master in modern China. Initially appointed as the “Left Wing Commander, Prince of Wings,” he was later granted the title of “Holy and Divine Commander-in-Chief, Prince of Wings” during the Tianjing Incident, and was revered by both civilians and soldiers as the “Prince of Righteousness” (though he humbly declined the title). Shi Dakai is one of the most legendary figures of the Taiping Rebellion. At the age of sixteen, he was “summoned to rise,” by nineteen he commanded thousands of troops, by twenty he was made a prince, and he died a martyr at only thirty-two. Throughout his life, he achieved numerous military successes, often victorious in battle, securing crucial victories over the Xiang Army such as the Battle of Hukou and the Battle of Zhangshuzhen... Details+