Ailao Mountain

　　Baoshan Ailao Mountain - A Scenic Attraction in Yunnan. Stretching eastward across the fertile plains of Baoshan City in Yunnan Province is a long, undulating mountain range — Ailao Mountain, a name that sounds ancient and majestic. Stories about Ailao have been recorded extensively since the Han and Jin dynasties, and are supported by numerous surface relics, oral traditions, and continuously unearthed underground artifacts. These tales are far from mere "legends."

　　Ailao Mountain, also known as Yuquan Mountain, stretches from north to south in a continuous “one”-shaped range for dozens of miles. Poetic and literary works through the ages describe its dense forests, fragrant flowers, birdsong, and abundant rare birds and animals, making it a sacred mountain and spiritual ridge of the ancient Ailao Kingdom and the “Ailao Yi” people. In front of the Daguan Temple at the western foot of the mountain lies a pool called “Yuquan” (Jade Spring). To the east of the pool stands a rock resembling a nose, with a hole from which two springs emerge — one warm and one cool. The springbed is covered with white sand, surrounded by railings, and the water is exceptionally clear and sweet. Pairs of flounder fish swim among the waterweed, inseparable from each other. On a small hill in the pool stands a pavilion, which legend says was the royal garden of the Ailao King. An ancient couplet at Yuquan reads:

　　The paired fish are like left and right brothers; no matter how the waves churn, they always share a common cause;

　　The split springs run cold and warm, like ice-cold hearts and burning blood; though branching into separate streams, they all ultimately flow to the same source.

　　Deng Zilong, a patriotic general of the Ming Dynasty, composed a poem titled “Temple of Ailao” during his visit to Ailao Mountain:

　　Ailao once a tributary state, its mountains and rivers still hold spiritual power.

　　The pools divide warmth and chill, the golden well conjures shade and sunlight.

　　The paired fish remain, the deities of the Investiture of the Gods recognize Han names.

　　I pity only the battlegrounds, where green grass grows year after year.

　　From the Tang Dynasty (Nanzhao Kingdom) to the Ming Dynasty, the Ailao Temple in Baoshan City, Yunnan, was called the Temple of Ailao. The main hall enshrined statues of the “Goddess of Ailao,” Sha Yi, and the first-generation Ailao King, Jiulong — the latter bare-chested with a skirt of pointed, leaf-like pleats; the second hall featured the tenth-generation king, Jingao, dressed in hemp and cotton garments with kingfisher feathers in his hair; the third hall housed Buddhist statues from the Tang Dynasty (Nanzhao period). Outside the mountain gate of Ailao Temple originally stood two stone tablets, one inscribed “Ancient Temple of Ailao,” the other “The Summer Retreat of Ailao King Liumiao.”

　　The Daguan Temple Village, where Yuquan is located, was originally called “Ailao Village.” The main hall of Daguan Temple houses statues of the Ailao King and the Nanzhao King, with adjacent halls for the Dragon King and the Hall of Descendants; the second hall features “Ailao Officials,” specifically General Guiren of the Dali Kingdom who surrendered; the front hall is a stage. Since the Ailao people were considered descendants of dragons and also worshipped snakes, performances could not involve evil dragons or venomous snakes, lest they incur divine punishment. Outside the mountain gate, a horizontally embedded stone tablet on the stone-paved platform bears five large characters inscribed by Li Genyuan: “Ancient Site of Ailao.” Behind Daguan Temple Village, early stone coffin tombs related to Ailao history have been discovered in recent years. Moreover, many historical texts from the Ming and Qing dynasties record that during the Zhengde era of the Ming Dynasty, the “Tomb Epitaph of Lady Ailao” and surviving fragments of its text were unearthed here. On the eastern slope of Ailao Mountain in Baoshan City, Yunnan, a group of seated statues of the Jiulong family, carved and molded during the Nanzhao era, were also found in a cave.

　　There are many local legends about Ailao in this area. For example, behind Daguan Temple Village is a hillside said to have been the Ailao King’s longevity peach orchard (producing extra-large, aromatic peaches — one such tree still remains today); two li north of the village lies another settlement called Maichang, also known as Maicang, believed to have been the Ailao King’s threshing ground and granary; between the two villages is a sweet, refreshing well called Princess Well, also known as “The Foolish Girl’s Well.” An old temple of the Foolish Girl once stood there. Legend says the Ailao King’s eldest daughter was a foolish girl, and this well was formed when she tripped and broke a pot...

　　Today, efforts are underway to restore the damaged scenic sites of Ailao Mountain in Baoshan City, Yunnan. As the landscape is gradually revived, this place will become a uniquely beautiful destination rich in both natural scenery and historical culture.