Wudingguan National Aerial Seeding Afforestation Reserve

　　    Wudingguan National Aerial Seeding Afforestation Reserve is the largest aerially seeded pine forest in the province. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, King Hui of Qin, in his campaign to conquer the State of Shu, sent the Shu king stone oxen that could excrete gold. The Shu king dispatched the Five Strong Men to open a path, after which the state was conquered by Qin. One of the ancient routes into Sichuan, the "Jinniu Path" (Golden Ox Path), passed through this area, and remnants of its plank roads still remain. The scenic area features the Jinniu Gorge along the Sichuan-Shaanxi Road, where the sky appears as a narrow ribbon when viewed from below. The road winds along the mountains and rivers, with sheer cliffs on both sides that look as if hewn by axe and chisel, piercing straight into the clouds. The path twists and turns, often making one doubt there's any way forward—truly a place where one man could hold off ten thousand. As the Ming Dynasty poet Xue Xuan wrote in his poem “Jinniu Gorge”: “A grand gorge thirty li long, opened by heaven for myriad years; springs spray from treetops like rain, clouds gather as if in a celestial flute.” The road winds upward, and upon reaching the summit of Wudingguan, one looks out to see mountains stretching endlessly below, while the Wudingguan aerial seeding forest spreads out like vast green waves, lush and vibrant. In the mountain hollows, where white clouds rise, the scene resembles a floating gossamer veil, with morning glow and evening mist creating ever-changing vistas; in the woods, maple leaves blaze red in autumn and peach blossoms flame pink in spring, their reds and greens complementing each other in a picturesque, poetic scene. The Wudingguan Scenic Area boasts deep valleys and majestic peaks, with narrow paths coiling through the clouds, secluded streams gushing like snow, and grotesque rocks jutting everywhere. It is said to be the most treacherous part of the ancient Shu Road. A stone tablet once stood at the pass inscribed with the words “Site Where the Five Strong Men Opened the Pass,” and there was also a Temple of the Five Strong Men, enshrining the five brave heroes. Along the way, many cliff inscriptions on the rugged rocks record the long and storied history of this ancient pass.