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| Mt. Hengshan |
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Hengshan, named the Southern Mountain of the Five Sacred Mountains,
is located in Hengyang County, the middle part of Hunan Province.
It has 72 peaks and extends 150 kilometers, with 800 miles in circumference.
The Huiyan Peak is the south end of the peaks, Yuelu Mountain in Changsha
City is the north end, and the Zhurong Peak is the highest, with 1,290
meters above sea level. On the top, the Shaolin Temple and the Watching
Sunrise Platform are the best scenic spots.
Besides marvelous temples, the mountain also boasts 9 ponds, 9
wells, 9 pools, 10 caves, 15 rocks, 25 streams and 38 springs, in
harmony with green forests and fragrant flowers and grass. Grand,
graceful, sequestered and culturally abundant, Hengshan leads the
five sacred mountains by its gracefulness.
As early as 2,000 years ago, many emperors and celebrities visited
Hengshan and left quite a lot of stone inscriptions of poems, including
that of famous poets: Libai, Dufu and Zhuxi. With beautiful scenery
and rich cultural heritage, the mountain attracts travelers home
and abroad.
The biggest temple in the mountain is the Nanyue Temple, which
is the largest group of ancient buildings in Hunan Province, covering
an area of 100,000 square meters. Among the temples in the mountain,
the Fuyan Temple is known as the nation's "First Temple of
Buddhist Doctrine", with a maidenhair tree of 1,400 years old;
the Nantai Temple has a history of over 1,400 years and is regarded
as the origin of a Buddhist branch in Japan; the Tripitaka Temple,
famous for its delicacy and enfeoffed Confuian classics, is surrounded
by such oddly-shaped ancient trees like Money Tree, Tree of Love,
etc., and many historic sites like Shuzhuang Tai and Diaoyu Tai
and Yunchun Pavilion. The Fangguang Temple, which is quiet with
a forest of ancient trees, and the Water-Screen Cave, which is mysterious,
are all spots of interest.
The renowned Four Wonders of the Southern Mountain are, namely,
the loftiness of Zhurong Peak, the delicacy of Tripitaka Temple,
the quietness of Fangguang Temple and the mystery of Water-screen
Cave.
- Nanyue Temple
The Nanyue Temple has nine courtyards and the main hall is 22 meters
high, supported by 72 stone pillars, which symbolize the 72 peaks
of the mountain. Glazed in red and yellow, the temple, covering
98,500 sq. meters, is linked with many other buildings and represents
a grand palace complex.
The gate of the Nanyue Temple is a 20-meter-high stone gate called
Lingxing Gate. The main hall of the Nanyue Temple is called the
Shendi Hall, over 30 meters high and over 50 meters wide, which
looks magnificent and has two layers. In the middle there consecrates
the figure of Nanyue God Emperor. With 72 large stone poles supporting
the hall, it looks magnificent and characteristic. Passing the God
Emperor Hall, it is Mausoleum with the sitting figures of Saint
Father and Saint Mother. Besides, there are two halls, one is the
Zhusheng Hall, belonging to Taoism, and the other is the Xiashen
Hall, belonging to Buddhism.
-- Water-Screen Cave
The Water-Screen Cave, lying under the Zigai Peak, is an irresistible
attraction. The most famous in the Water-Screen Cave is foundation.
Walking along the brook and past the stone bridge, you can see stones
with different poses and different carvings. The falling foundation
falls into a stone pool. |
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