Jinhua Mountain Scenic Area

　　    Jinhua Mountain is located nine kilometers southeast of Lingyuan City center. It stretches 3.5 kilometers from north to south and 3 kilometers from east to west, covering a total area of over 20,000 mu. In 1994, it was designated as a provincial forest park by the Provincial Forestry Department (Liao Lin Pi (1994) No. 45).

　　    The main peak of Jinhua Mountain stands at an elevation of 919 meters, making it the highest peak near Lingyuan City. It resembles a house ridge, with steep sides all around. Notable rock formations include the Maitreya Stone, Rabbit Crouching, Stone Tiger, Wind-moving Rock, Mountain-guarding Halberd, and Monkey-top Lamp. Not far below the main peak lies a man-made stone cave called “East Cave.” Nearby is a well known as the “Sacred Spring.” This spring is situated halfway up the mountain at an altitude of 800 meters. The well is about five feet deep, with stone walls and a stone base. The water is as clear as a mirror, visible to the bottom. It never dries up in droughts or overflows in floods, remains unfrozen in severe winter, and doesn’t spoil in the height of summer. Visitors who drink this water often feel instant relief in their abdomen, as if all ailments vanish and their strength greatly increases—hence the name Sacred Spring. Three temple halls, covering an area of 200 square meters, have now been built there.

　　    The Jinhua Mountain Scenic Area has a forest coverage rate of 98%, staying green all year round with birds singing and flowers blooming continuously. In the vibrant spring, it becomes a sea of flowers, fragrant for miles. In the golden autumn, the branches are laden with fruits. Jinhua Mountain’s fruits are famed both domestically and internationally for their high sugar content and excellent taste, becoming a branded product in the fruit market. Millions of pounds of fresh and dried fruits are produced here annually and sold across the country. The area boasts lush forests with a rich variety of species, including pine, cypress, poplar, willow, elm, and locust, along with dozens of rare tree species. There are also thousands of varieties of shrubs and herbaceous plants, as well as dozens of species and thousands of wild, rare birds and animals.

　　    Existing ancient architectural ruins include Huishan Temple, Mountain God Temple, East Temple, and a small pagoda. These temples were first built in the third year of the Qianlong reign of the Qing Dynasty (1738), which is 273 years ago. According to historical records and legends, Emperor Shengzu of the Qing Dynasty granted permission to build a temple on Jinhua Mountain, named Huishan Temple. The temple was grand and magnificent in structure, with a glorious history, and captivating legends helped make Jinhua Mountain famous in all directions. At its peak, the temple housed over 300 monks, held dozens of Buddhist ceremonies each year, each attracting tens of thousands of participants, creating a spectacular scene. It was acclaimed as the “Number One Mountain Outside the Pass.” In 1947, it was destroyed in a great fire. To this day, legends about Huishan Temple on Jinhua Mountain still circulate in places like Heilongjiang—for example, the tale that 360 monks once ate from one pot of porridge, and a young monk fell into the pot without anyone noticing until the porridge was all gone. The large pot from that time is still preserved on Jinhua Mountain, with a diameter and depth of about two meters each.

　　    According to "Records of Tazigou": “Jinhuang Mountain, thirty-five li southeast of Tazigou (also known as Lingyuan), from afar the mountain appears golden yellow, hence its name. The circumference measures seventy li. There is a stone cave on the mountain, eight chi wide and one zhang deep.

　　    - Luoboseng built a Guanyin Hall in the cave during the tenth year of the Qianlong reign, and constructed two living quarters on either side outside the cave. Less than one li southwest of the cave entrance, in a crevice, flows a stream that runs continuously winter and summer without ever increasing or decreasing.” The present-day “Jinhua Mountain” is suspected to be a misheard version of “Jinhuang Mountain.” Also, according to Volume 67 of the "Imperially Commissioned Gazetteer of Rehe": “Golden Mountain, thirty-five li southeast of Jianchang County (also known as Lingyuan), extends seventy li. The mountain rocks are..., appearing golden yellow when viewed from afar. Halfway up the mountain there is a stone cave, and about half a li to the southwest, a spring gushes out, never drying up winter or summer.” The stone cave mentioned in the record is the present-day East Cave. Probably during the Qianlong era, the names “Jinhuang Mountain” and “Golden Mountain” were used interchangeably, and after more than two hundred years of oral transmission, “Jinhuang Mountain” was mistakenly referred to as “Jinhua Mountain.”