Mazu Hermitage

　　Mazu Hermitage is surrounded by lush bamboo, clusters of tea trees, towering boulders, and continuous ridges of strange peaks, with winding waterfalls. Peaks such as Xiangzi, Screen, and Stone Dragon stand in front, while peaks like Tianmen, Tianwa, and Jiandan are arranged slightly further back. In front of Mazu Hermitage lies Mazu Cave, said to be the resting and meditation spot of the Taoist hermit Mazu, with a serene spring inside the cave. Exiting the cave and ascending the stone steps, on the right stands a stone pillar, standing proudly against the sky, inscribed with the four characters “Pillar of the Southern Sky” (南天一柱) by Yang Sen, a Sichuan warlord. Further to the right is Lotus Cave (also called Alchemy Room), believed to be the place where the Han dynasty Taoist Zuoci practiced alchemy. Nearby lies a massive round stone covering an area of one acre, smooth and glossy, split cleanly in half from top to bottom as if cut by a knife—commonly known as “Thunder-split Rock.” The Qing dynasty scholar Li Yunlin inscribed the four characters “Primordial Haze and Mist” (混元霞雾) on it. To the south of Mazu Hermitage is Snowfall Waterfall Cliff, where a waterfall cascades down spectacularly, its roar shaking the hillsides for miles around.