Zhongnan Mountain

　　   Beautiful, also known as Taiyi Mountain, Difei Mountain, Zhongnan Mountain, Zhou South Mountain, abbreviated as Nanshan, is often honored as the "Capital of Immortals," the "Crown of Cave Heavens," and the "Foremost Blessed Land Under Heaven." Its main peak is located within Zhouzhi County, with an elevation of 2,604 meters.

　　   Zhongnan Mountain is one of the birthplaces of Taoism. Legend has it that during the reign of King Kang of Zhou, the astronomer and astrologer Yin Xi served as the magistrate of Hangu Pass. He built a thatched hut on Zhongnan Mountain to observe the stars and divine the weather. One day, he suddenly saw a purple aura coming from the east and auspicious stars moving westward. He foresaw that a sage would soon pass through the pass, so he waited at the gate. Soon after, an elderly man dressed in multicolored clouds and riding a green ox arrived—it was Laozi traveling west into Qin. Yin Xi hurriedly invited Laozi to the hut, showed him the respect of a disciple, and asked him to preach scriptures and write books. Laozi then taught Yin Xi the 5,000-character "Tao Te Ching" on a high ridge south of the hut before disappearing into the mist. It is said that the Scripture Lecture Platform at Louguantai today is the very spot where Laozi once preached. After Taoism was established, Laozi was revered as the Patriarch of Taoism, Yin Xi as the Celestial Master Wenshi, and the "Tao Te Ching" as the fundamental scripture. Thus, Louguantai became the "Foundational Site of Taoism Under Heaven."

　　   Since Yin Xi first built the thatched hut at Louguan, successive dynasties have constructed various buildings on Zhongnan Mountain. Emperor Qin Shi Huang built a temple south of Louguan to worship Laozi, while Emperor Wu of Han erected an ancestral shrine for Laozi north of the Scripture Lecture Platform. During the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties, renowned Taoists from the north gathered at Louguan, expanding the temples and founding the Louguan School of Taoism.

　　   In the Tang Dynasty, because the Tang imperial family regarded Laozi, the founder of Taoism, as their sacred ancestor, they greatly revered Taoism. Especially since the Louguan Taoist Qi Hui had supported Li Yuan’s uprising, after Li Yuan ascended the throne, he showed special favor toward the Louguan sect. In the early years of the Wude era (618–626), the grand Zongsheng Palace was built. At that time, the main structures included ancestral halls for Wenshi, Sanqing, and Xuamen, as well as the Ziyun Yanzhi Tower and Jingyang Tower, making it the center of ancient Louguan. Although subsequent dynasties carried out renovations from time to time, the site suffered repeated damage from wars, and by the end of the Qing Dynasty, Zongsheng Palace was reduced to ruins and broken walls. Thereafter, the focus of Louguan shifted to the Scripture Lecture Platform. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, the ancient Louguan site underwent multiple renovations, forming a complex of buildings centered around the Scripture Lecture Platform.

　　   The Scripture Lecture Platform has four main halls: the Laozi Ancestral Hall, Doumu Hall, Jiuku Hall, and Lingguan Hall. There are also two auxiliary halls: the Taibai Hall and the Four Saints Hall. On both sides of the mountain gate stand bell and drum towers, facing each other. In front of the mountain gate, there is a winding stone stairway leading up to the top of the platform. Not far to the west of the gate is a stone-built spring pool called Shangshan Pool, which features a stone-carved dragon head that continuously spouts water. Legend has it that in the second year of the Yuanshi era (1283) during the Yuan Dynasty, a plague struck the Zhouzhi area, leaving no cure and causing countless deaths. At the time, the supervisor of Louguan, Zhang Zhijian, dreamed one night that the Supreme Old Lord told him: “There is a stone slab in front of the mountain gate, and beneath it lies a spring. Inside the spring is an elixir I refined that can cure the plague.” When Supervisor Zhang woke up, he found it strange and ordered young Taoist priests to search. Sure enough, they dug out a spring under a stone slab to the west. The supervisor immediately had the water distributed to infected Taoists, and within two hours, the plague miraculously subsided. When the news spread, people from near and far came to draw water to cure their illnesses, and the plague eventually receded. Three years later, the Hanlin academician Zhao Mengfu visited the site and, upon hearing the story, was astonished. He asked for paper and brush and wrote the three characters “Shangshan Pool” (Pool of Supreme Goodness), inspired by the phrase “Supreme goodness is like water” from the "Tao Te Ching." To this day, during temple fairs, worshippers still compete to drink its water for healing and longevity.

　　   On a steep peak south of the Scripture Lecture Platform stands an octagonal alchemy furnace, said to have been used by Laozi himself for refining elixirs. Southeast of the platform is the “Yangtian Pool,” believed to be the pool where Laozi quenched his forged tools. Nearby is the “Qizhen Pavilion,” where Laozi cultivated his spirituality. To the west of the platform is the Huannü Spring, where Laozi taught a lesson to his disciple Xu Jia. Legend says that during his journey west, Laozi transformed a white skeleton into the handsome youth Xu Jia. Upon arriving at Hangu Pass, Laozi turned seven fragrant grasses into a beautiful woman to test him. Xu Jia, tempted, was about to act when Laozi pointed at him, instantly reverting him back to his skeletal form. Fortunately, Yin Xi pleaded for him, so Laozi transformed the bones back into Xu Jia and angrily struck the ground with his staff, causing the beautiful woman to turn into a clear spring. This spring remains fresh and drinkable to this day. Northeast of the platform lies Laozi’s tomb, oval in shape, four meters in diameter, covering an area of twenty square meters. In front of the tomb is a stone stele inscribed with “Laozi Tomb” by the Qing Dynasty scholar Bi Yuan.