Shimenyan Scenic Area

　　Shimenyan has a long and rich cultural history. In 1986, stone adzes and pointed stone tools unearthed from the Water Curtain Cave in the scenic area were identified as artifacts from a Neolithic cave dwelling site. During the Tang Dynasty’s Chuigong era, the story of Chen Yuanguang quelling uprisings in Fujian and the local She ethnic leader Liu Xie leading his people to occupy these strategic caves and roam the mountain valleys and forests to resist government forces is still widely told among locals. Later, the eminent Tang Dynasty monk Chan Yuan came here on a fundraising pilgrimage from Jiangxi. Captivated by the serene mountains, lush forests, unique caves, and beautiful scenery, he built a hut on Shiyin Mountain within the scenic area. He raised funds to develop the caves, clear paths, dig ponds for lotuses, plant plum trees and bamboo, and construct pavilions and temples, thus establishing the earliest attractions of Shimenyan. He is remembered as the “founding patriarch.”

　　The unique landscapes of Shimenyan seem naturally divine. They include the Spiral Cave, stretching over 400 meters, and the Huaiyin Cave, which remains warm in winter and cool in summer. The cave scenes are ever-changing: in early spring, the grass is green, flowers bloom profusely, the mountain air is fragrant, springs trickle gently, creating an otherworldly paradise; during the transition from winter to spring, mists shroud the layered cliffs and pavilion-like rock formations that appear and disappear like a mythical mountain rising from the sea. In the 25th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1886), Nanjing County Magistrate Meng Zhenyu inscribed the words “Deer Park” and “Leopard’s Hideout” on the rocks; Wu Duo, father of Huai-Xu-Hai Dao Vice Commissioner Zhuang Hengyang, composed “Song of Shimen” and “Ode to Shimenyan,” vividly describing the scenic wonders of Shimenyan.