Shaoguan Guide

Danxia Mountain is nine kilometers south of the Renhua County town and 56 kilometers from Shaoguan City proper in Guangdong Province. This red sandstone forest area has numerous precipitous cliffs, and the mountain itself has a level summit, steep slopes and gently inclined terrain at its foot. The lineaments of exposed red stones here have been given the geological term, "Danxia Landforms." It is also called China Red Stone Park.

 

At the entrance to the mountain, the Jinjiang River flows gently by and the reflections of beautiful peaks in the crystalline river water seem even more beautiful than the scenery of Guilin, resembling landscape paintings rich in poetic and artistic conception.

 

The mountain has luxuriant growths of trees, and bushes grow out of crevices on the cliffs and along the stone steps leading to the summit, adding a green vigor to the scenery. As I climbed to the summit along the dark-red stone steps cut into precipitous peaks, all I could hear was my own footsteps and the chirping of birds. Inscriptions on the projecting cliffs by poets from the past centuries, and the rustling of leaves in the breeze gave me a strong feeling of the timeless quality of this historic site.

 

According to legend, the name of the mountain stems from a love story. There was once an honest and hardworking young man called Dan Zai. A fairy named A Xia fell in love with him, and came down to the world of mortals and married him. The couple lived a happy life until the Jade Emperor ordered the fairy to return to his palace. The fairy refused and, in his rage, the emperor turned the fairy into a beautifully reclining stone statue by the Jinjiang River, and the man into the Monk-hood Peak on its opposite bank. So, the mountain gets its name, Danxia, from the first syllable of the man's name and the last of the fairy's name.

 

Today, this love story still lures numerous tourists to the Danxia Mountain Scenic Area, which consists of three parts: its summit, halfway point mountain slopes and its foot. The main peaks are Zhanglao (Abbot), Hailuo (Conch) and Baozhu (Precious Pearl). In a broad sense, the 215 square kilometers of red sandstone are included in the Danxia Mountain area.

It was getting dark when I reached the Watching Sunrise Pavilion at the summit. As I looked around the lineaments of the layered red sandstone forests were still visible. To the west in the distance stood the isolated Sisters Peaks, where the red sandstone rocks glitter through the mist and clouds at sunset. To the right of the Sister Peaks is the new vista of the Yunulanjiang (Jade Fairy Blocking the River) within the Yangyuan Mountain Scenic Area. The Jade Fairy lying along the Jinjiang River seems to constrain the river. Her slender body, long flowing hair and the reflections of mountain ridges in the gently flowing river creates an impressively esthetic juxtaposition of firmness and gentleness.

 

Yangyuan Mountain is separated from the Danxia Mountain Scenic Area by the Jinjiang River, and is famous for the fantastic shape of its rocks. The towering Yangyuan boulder has been eulogized as the ancestral rock of the mountain. To the north of the boulder is Zhanglao Peak with its famous view of the Jade Fairy Blocking the River.

 

Half way down the mountain I visited the 300-year-old Biezhuan Temple. It is said that Dan Gui was the first-generation abbot of this temple. After the Qing troops passed through the Shanhaiguan Pass in the late Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), he led a group of followers to Danxia Mountain where he shaved his head and became a monk. Shortly before his death, he left an iron box to his disciples, asking them to hand it down from generation to generation. During the reign of the Qing Emperor Qianlong, an official toured the temple and, on finding the box, ordered it opened. It was discovered to be full of documents plotting against the Qing Dynasty and reinstating the Ming Dynasty. The official thereupon ordered the temple to be burned to the ground, and all 500 monks perished in the flames.

 

The temple I visited had been reconstructed, and as one of 10 Buddhist temples south of the Five Ridges, it daily attracts a large number of pilgrims. Standing in the temple is a pair of ancient trees, and it is said that an incompatible couple can solve their problems and become devoted to the end of their lives after walking around them hand in hand.

An ideal place from which to view the sunrise and the sunset is Zhanglao Peak, and the best season is from August to September. Visitors to the area may enjoy not only the magnificent views of sunrise and sunset but also those afforded by other scenic spots.

On my descent of the mountain, I passed through Yixiantian (A Shot of Sky) scenic spot where is rarely visited by tourists. I experienced a full appreciation of the joy of a winding path that leads to a secluded, quiet place. As I advanced along the mountain valley, I suddenly came to a stretch of open ground, and as I turned back to look at the peaks in distance, they appeared as a splashed-ink landscape, constantly altering as the clouds and mists shrouded over.

 

The Jinjiang River flows peacefully and eternally to the far distance. The scenic wonders hidden deep in the Danxia Mountain represent the life force. (Source: China Today)