Dui Fengtai Scenic Area

　　The Dui Fengtai Scenic Area includes: Steel Drill Piercing the Throat, Immortal Dwelling Place, Altitude, Natural Stone Guanyin, Dingfeng Cave, Shaolin Qigong, Dripping Water Guanyin, and more.

　　Dui Fengtai is one of the long-renowned, towering, and magnificent peaks in Zhashui. Visitors who come to tour the caves all make their way down the mountain to gaze up in admiration. It is “more beautiful than Mount Emei, superior to Mount Hua,” and is called the “Wonderful Peak” by locals.

　　Dui Fengtai is located in Shi Weng Township, 35 li south of the county town. The peak rises abruptly, steep and difficult to climb, with a Niangniang Temple built at the summit. Two peaks stand tall on either side, and at the foot of the mountain to the northwest lies a cave. According to an inscription in Baishen Cave: “It is said that in the mid-Ming Dynasty, ‘the cave roared for three days, then suddenly split open, revealing sacred water that answered prayers for rain.’”

　　Legend has it that during the Tianxi era of Emperor Zhenzong in the Song Dynasty, local scholars and residents spent three years building the Ancestral Master Temple on Dui Fengtai. By the end of the Yuan Dynasty, one day, a woodcutter went to Brush Rack Mountain to chop firewood. While resting, he leaned against the mountain, facing Dui Fengtai, and suddenly saw a woman on the hilltop combing her hair while facing east. He found this very strange—why would someone comb their hair on the mountaintop instead of at home? Though puzzled, he didn’t think much of it. The next day, after breakfast, he picked up his axe and returned to the same mountain to chop wood. After chopping and bundling, bundling and chopping, he took a break and once again saw the woman combing her hair. This time, he was both astonished and frightened, so he ran straight back and told everyone: “There’s a woman combing her hair on Dui Fengtai…” Everyone was very surprised and believed it was the manifestation of a bodhisattva. Therefore, during the Ming Dynasty, a Guanyin Niangniang Temple was built on the mountain. In the center sat the South Sea Guanyin, enthroned on a lotus base, adorned in golden regalia; in front was the image of the Monkey King; to the left was the Child-Giving Goddess; and to the right was the 0 Goddess. There were incense burners, oil lamps, ironware, divination tubes, and divination books; to the left were a gong and a drum, and the walls were painted with murals. The lattice windows and doors had couplets carved on the doorframes: the upper one read, “This mountain is Mount Putuo—why travel far to seek immortals?”; the lower one read, “As long as mortals have kind hearts and repent, they become immortals.”

　　In the old days, after the temple was built, pilgrims flocked from the surrounding areas. On the first and fifteenth of each month, elderly men prayed for longevity, elderly women brought their daughters-in-law to pray for children, young couples led their children to fulfill vows; merchants prayed for wealth, farmers sought blessings for bountiful harvests—the incense wafted mysteriously as everyone had their own requests. Moreover, two grand festivals were held each year, on the second day of the second lunar month and the eighteenth day of the ninth lunar month, each lasting three days, with monks invited to chant scriptures. To accommodate the pilgrims, three guesthouses were built in Xi Gan’gou at the foot of the mountain, staffed with a superintendent, accountant, and reception personnel.

　　Dui Fengtai is a major wonder of the county, described as: “Four peaks stand in array, eight ren high and level.” The front peak is Brush Rack Mountain, resembling and even surpassing a brush rack, with the two mountain backs curved and the central peak stacked straight. From afar, it looks like a glossy black mountain with two peaks. The rear peak, Tao’er Mountain, looks somewhat like a peach but not quite, resembling the graceful form of a May fairy peach, with green mountains and red cliffs revealing its true nature as a peach. To the east, south, and north, there are eight hilltops facing Dui Fengtai; the Qianyou River, Xi Gan’gou River, and Dong Gan’gou River flow around Dui Fengtai toward the east.

　　Legend has it that Dui Fengtai was originally called Bifengtai (Wind-Sheltering Platform). The temple gate faced east, and no matter how strong the east wind blew, sending dust swirling, the temple lamp’s flame would not flicker at all. It was said to be because there were two wind-shielding pearls inside the mountain.

　　On the mountainside of Dui Fengtai, there is a small path leading to the mountain peak and Xi Gan’gou. Legend has it that in the late Song Dynasty, when the court was in turmoil and the common people bore heavy burdens, peasant uprisings sprang up everywhere, raising large rebellion banners. One Xu woman’s husband was conscripted into the army by government troops, her children were killed, and she herself escaped a close brush with death. With no other choice, she gathered a crowd to rebel. The court sent troops to suppress Xu Guafu (Widow Xu), and when she led her troops past this path, they encountered a young woman sitting on the mountainside, with one foot stepping from one mountain to another, blocking their way. Xu Guafu had no choice but to lead her troops back and head downstream along the Qianyou River. Hence, this path is called Chang Tui Wan (Long Leg Bend).

　　Dui Fengtai has many scenic spots. To the east is Yu Cave, which yields fish between Qingming and Grain Rain, producing over ten thousand pounds annually. In 1980, it was destroyed due to road construction. To the south in Xi Gan’gou are Jiusan Cave, Tanqi Cave, Yuxia Cave, and Ma’anzi—all spectacular and highly attractive. To the west is Baishen Cave, which features Two Dragons Playing with a Pearl, Dragon Pool, and an underground river, drawing endless visitors in recent years. To the northeast are Fo Ye Cave, Feng Cave, and Tian Cave, containing Wind-Passing Tower, Dripping Water Cliff, Yanwang Bian (King of Hell Slope), Qinglong Pool (Azure Dragon Pool), Dayang Slope, — Slope, First Heavenly Gate, Eight Mu Field, Lotus Pond, Ten Thousand People Pit, Chen-Yang Two Paths, Coffin Stone, Second Heavenly Gate, Qinling Pit, and Hanging Cave. Truly, the mountain peaks are majestic, the scenery spectacular, the rugged ridges form barriers, caves cluster together, the landscape is picturesque—it’s a unique wonderland.