This attraction introduction is compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · Scenic Spots section). Ticket prices, opening hours, transportation, and contact information mentioned in the text may be outdated. Please refer to the latest official announcements from the scenic area before traveling; some content consists of historical background/cultural introductions and is for reference only.
Shizhu Reading Sounds is at Leida Stone, Xinhu Village, Daolin Township, 45 kilometers southeast of the county seat. The Ningxiang County Gazetteer records: "Around Shizhu Mountain rocks stand in great numbers, and Shizhu Mountain rises tall among them. The mountain's shape is like a platform, more than two zhang square and high, with a broad flat top several zhang wide, and cracks at its waist, giving it a tottering appearance, yet standing on the pillar top one feels firm and unshakable." On windy mornings and moonlit evenings, from the pillar platform there often come murmuring sounds, as if someone were reciting poetry and prose, and within half a li, listeners quietly can hear the sound. Beside the mountain are Xiushi Lake and Xiushi Pond, said to be the places where the Song dynasty recluse Xie Ying fished and wandered. "Shizhu Reading Sounds," with its strange shape and strange sound, together with the strange conduct and strange tales of Recluse Xie, became a famous site in the whole county. The Qing dynasty poet Zhou Shu wrote a poem recording the matter: "Proudly stands the stone pillar at its highest point, where once a recluse read without rest. Who sent the Six Ding to lightly lend strength, and move this pillar to stand in midstream?"
