Wonderful Mountains and Waters, a Heaven-sent Blessed Land (Part 2)
Section 2: Lofty Hunan Mountains, Benevolence and Cultivation. China's Longevity Mountain — Mount Heng (South Great Mountain). Also called Nanyue, it is one of China's Five Great Mountains, located in Hengyang, Hunan. Its peaks are majestic, with 72 peaks stretching 800 li across seven counties and cities. The main peak, Zhurong Peak, rises 1,290 meters. Since ancient times its scenery has been outstanding, especially its mist and sunrise.
This article has been compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · City Overview section). Some administrative divisions, population, socioeconomic data, and policy information may be outdated and are for reference only; for the latest situation, please refer to official releases by the local government and scenic areas.
Section II
Majestic Xiangshan — Cultivating Benevolence and Character
China's Longevity Mountain — Nanyue Hengshan
Hengshan, also known as Nanyue, is one of China's Five Great Mountains, located within Hengyang City, Hunan Province. The peaks of Nanyue are majestic and imposing, with 72 peaks stretching over 800 li across 7 counties and cities. The main peak, Zhurong Peak, rises 1,290 meters above sea level. Since ancient times, Nanyue's scenery has been outstanding, with its misty clouds and sunrise being especially captivating. Everywhere are dense forests and tall bamboo, green all year round; rare flowers and exotic plants give fragrance in all four seasons. The natural scenery is exceptionally beautiful, earning it the title "Nanyue the Outstanding." Hengshan is renowned worldwide for its "long history and great fame, coexistence of Buddhism and Daoism with wide influence, and the Chinese Longevity Mountain revered by all."
A Mountain of Eternal Fame — Ningyuan Jiuyi Mountain
Jiuyi Mountain is a mountain of eternal fame, located 30 kilometers south of Ningyuan County seat in Hunan Province. It is celebrated worldwide for its rich cultural relics and historic sites, unique natural scenery, extraordinary karst caves, and distinctive folk customs. It is a national 4A-level scenic area, one of Hunan's new "Eight Views of Xiaoxiang," a provincial key scenic area, a national forest park, a national cultural heritage protection unit, and a Hunan provincial patriotism education base. The developed scenic spots within its jurisdiction include dozens of sites: the First Mausoleum of China — Emperor Shun's Mausoleum; the Famous Cave of Southern Chu — Zixia Rock; China's Second Largest Confucian Temple — Ningyuan Confucian Temple; the peak with fantastic rocks and secluded forests — Shunyuan Peak; cliff inscriptions — Yuguan Rock; the ancient Shun Temple ruins; Phoenix Rock; Peach Blossom Rock; Yongfu Temple, and more. It is a comprehensive scenic area integrating human history, ecological leisure, and natural scenery. On September 8, 2009, Hunan Province's grand public ceremony honoring Emperor Shun was successfully held at Jiuyi Mountain.
The "Natural Barrier" Mountain Range — Xiangxi Xuefeng Mountains
The main body of the Xuefeng Mountain Range is located in central and western Hunan and is an important mountain range within Hunan. Xuefeng Mountain gets its name because its summit is covered in snow year-round. The main peak, Subao Peak, rises 1,934 meters above sea level, located between Moyang and Jiankou. In January 2008, it was officially named "Hunan Xuefeng Mountain National Forest Park" by the State Forestry Administration. Xuefeng Mountain has long been known worldwide as a "natural barrier," serving since ancient times as a natural shield between the Central Plains of China and the Great Southwest. The Japanese invaders halted here, unable to break through this natural barrier. In 2007, the Shaoyang–Huaihua Expressway passed through Xuefeng Mountain, requiring the excavation of the dual-bore, dual-lane Xuefeng Mountain Tunnel. The tunnel is 6,950 meters long, currently the third-longest expressway tunnel in China, transforming Xuefeng Mountain's "natural barrier" into an open thoroughfare.
The Mountain of Medicine Under Heaven — Lianyuan Longshan
Longshan is located in the southern part of Lianyuan City, 45 kilometers from Loudi urban area, with a total area of 9,280 hectares. It has 48 mountain ridges, a massive and imposing body, towering and steep peaks, and stretches out in the shape of a dragon, hence its name. Within its territory, streams and ravines crisscross, forests are lush, scenery is extraordinarily beautiful, and there is no summer heat. The forest coverage rate reaches 88.9%. Longshan preserves several historical sites from various dynasties, the most famous being the Medicine King Hall. The Medicine King Hall at the top of Yueping Peak (1,513 meters), the main peak, was built to commemorate the Tang Dynasty medical sage Sun Simiao. The hall still preserves 3,000 medicinal prescriptions and is a provincial key cultural heritage protection unit with great prestige in China. In 2007, the State Forestry Administration officially approved the Longshan Forest Farm of Lianyuan City as a national forest park.
China's Best Forest Park — Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain
The earliest famous mountain in Zhangjiajie to be recorded in historical annals is Tianmen Mountain, 1,518.6 meters above sea level, towering at the edge of Zhangjiajie's urban area, like a natural painted screen for Zhangjiajie and one of its most representative natural landscapes. Tianmen Mountain was called Songliang Mountain in ancient times, named for its towering height resembling Mount Song. The world's longest high-mountain sightseeing cableway, the Tianmen Mountain Cableway, and the Tongtian Avenue, known as "the Number One Highway Wonder Under Heaven," have been built and opened. In July 1992, Tianmen Mountain was approved by the Ministry of Forestry as Zhangjiajie's second national forest park. In September 2005, Tianmen Mountain was selected as "China's Best Forest Park" by the Asia-Pacific Tourism Federation and the World Overseas Chinese Tourism Cooperation Organization.
China's Largest Danxia Landform — Xinning Langshan
Langshan is located within Xinning County, Hunan Province. It is a national geological park and the largest area of Danxia landform in China and rare in the world. Langshan combines red cliffs, green ridges, fantastic peaks, secluded valleys, magical caves, and beautiful waters in one place. Within the area is the "Heavenly Bridge," 64 meters long, 6.5 meters wide, 7 meters thick, and over 20 meters high—majestic and the largest in Asia. There is the "General Rock," sitting on the bank of the Fuyi River—a river not the Li River yet surpassing it—75 meters tall with a circumference of over 40 meters, vividly lifelike and standing alone beyond the heavens. There is the "Camel Peak," 273 meters long and 187.8 meters high, strikingly realistic. There is the "Number One Lane Under Heaven," 238.8 meters long, 0.5 meters wide, and over 120 meters high. There is a Danxia peak forest spanning over 40 square kilometers, perpetually shrouded in mist and clouds, appearing under sunlight like "ten thousand horses galloping" or "whales frolicking in the sea"—truly a wonder of the world.
Hunan's Number One Cultural Mountain — Changsha Yuelu Mountain
Yuelu Mountain is located on the west bank of the Xiang River in the ancient city of Changsha. It is the tail of the 72 peaks of Nanyue Hengshan and has been a famous scenic spot since ancient times, known as "Hunan's Number One Mountain." Yuelu Mountain brings together famous academies, pavilions, temples, palaces, springs, and ancient trees. Its natural scenery is wondrous, rare, secluded, and beautiful, while its cultural landscape is unique, distinctive, brilliant, and splendid. Nearly a hundred scenic spots—including Qingfeng Gorge, Aiwan Pavilion, Lushan Temple, White Crane Spring, Cai E's Tomb, Huang Xing's Tomb, King Yu's Tomb, and Yunlu Palace—are all captivating. One-fifth of Changsha's oxygen supply comes from the vegetation of Yuelu Mountain, truly making it a natural oxygen bar. Aiwan Pavilion, as a symbol of the ancient city of Changsha, is a typical Chinese classical pavilion. Its name comes from the Tang Dynasty poet Du Mu's poem "Mountain Journey": "I stop the carriage, loving the maple grove at dusk." The pavilion is both a scenic historic site and a revolutionary shrine. When Aiwan Pavilion was rebuilt in 1952, Li Da, then president of Hunan University, asked Chairman Mao to inscribe the pavilion's name. Chairman Mao gladly took up his brush and wrote the three large characters "Aiwan Pavilion."
Dongting Tea Island — Yueyang Junshan
Junshan was originally called Xiangshan, also known as Dongting Mountain. It is a small island in East Dongting Lake, facing Yueyang's urban area from afar, 15 kilometers by water from Yueyang Tower. In Wang Jia's "Records of Gleanings" from the Eastern Jin Dynasty, this mountain was listed as one of the eight immortal mountains within the seas, called "Immortal Dongting." Legend also says that Emperor Shun's two concubines, Ehuang and Nüying, came here and after death became goddesses of the Xiang River, known as "Xiangjun," hence the name Junshan. Junshan is surrounded by water on all sides, shrouded in mist and clouds, with beautiful scenery and captivating stories. Junshan is also known as "Dongting Tea Island." Junshan tea is famous at home and abroad, among which "Junshan Silver Needle" was designated as a tribute tea as early as the Tang Dynasty and won a gold medal at the 1956 Leipzig World Expo, praised as "gold inlaid with jade."
A World-Rare Species Gene Bank — Sangzhi Badagong Mountain
Badagong Mountain is located in Sangzhi County in northwestern Hunan. Before the Qing Dynasty, eight major landowners demarcated boundaries here to determine ownership, and the land thus became public mountain, hence the name. The Badagong Mountain Nature Reserve contains the most intact and largest area of primary evergreen broad-leaved forest preserved in the subtropical zone, praised as a "world-rare species gene bank." In July 1993, it was listed as one of the first 45 network members of UNESCO's "Man and the Biosphere" program. Badagong Mountain is rich in insect resources, with 4,175 species in 417 orders and 77 families, of which 34 species were newly discovered. The wild black bear population exceeds 2,000.
Hunan's Largest Danxia Peak-Forest Landscape — Tongdao Wanfo Mountain
Wanfo Mountain Scenic Area is located in Taipingyan Village, Linkou Town, Tongdao County, 20 kilometers from the county seat of Shuangjiang. It is one of the largest Danxia peak-forest landscapes in the country and a rare, exceptionally large Danxia landform cluster discovered in recent years in China and even worldwide. Professor Huang Jin, a renowned Chinese Danxia landform scholar, conducted surveys of Wanfo Mountain on multiple occasions and left behind these lines: "Northeast of Tongdao stands Wanfo Mountain, ten thousand red peaks embraced by green rings; of the five hundred Danxia sites across the land, this mountain ranks among the top ten." Wanfo Mountain blends peaks, forests, caves, and waters into one, combining majesty, steepness, ruggedness, and elegance in a single body — a scene at every step — and is hailed as the "Green Great Wall." It has a long history, a typical Dong culture, rich ethnic customs, abundant products, and a pleasant climate.
Hunan's Only Ancient Mountain Named After an Emperor — Dong'an Shunhuang Mountain
Shunhuang Mountain National Forest Park is located within Dong'an County, Hunan. It was named because Emperor Shun, one of the Five Emperors and an ancestor of the Chinese nation, was drawn by the wondrous scenery here during his southern inspection tour and hunted and stayed here. It is the only ancient mountain among the many famous mountains and great rivers across the country named after an emperor. Shunhuang Mountain has layered green ridges, secluded valleys and perilous peaks, crisscrossing waterfalls, and magnificent lava formations. Mountains, waters, rocks, and forests combine ingeniously into scenery; cliffs, springs, trees, and vines form natural delights — truly a masterpiece of nature that leaves visitors awestruck. It is hailed as a "Natural Wonderland" and a "Fairyland on Earth." Its main peak rises 1,882.4 meters above sea level and is praised as "Hunan's Number One Peak, Set by Heaven." The scenic Shunhuang Mountain is a national forest park and nature reserve, long known as a "Green Pearl," an "Ecological Kingdom," and a "Kingdom of Butterflies."
A Blessed Land Under Heaven — Changde De Mountain
De Mountain is located within the Changde De Mountain Development Zone, two kilometers from the central urban area. In ancient times it was famous for the legend of the virtuous scholar Shanjuan; today it is widely known for the saying "Changde's De Mountain has virtue in its mountain; Changsha's sandy waters have no sand in their water." De Mountain is renowned for its long history and beautiful scenery and is hailed as the "Fifty-Third Blessed Land Under Heaven." On De Mountain stands Gufeng Pagoda, from which one can overlook the modern urban landscape and the leisurely Yuan River. The original pagoda on Gufeng Ridge was first built in the Ming Dynasty and faced Bijiage City on the north bank of the Yuan River from afar, symbolizing that Changde produces outstanding people and enjoys flourishing culture. It was rebuilt several times afterward; the current pagoda is 33 meters tall with a base diameter of 7 meters, seven stories and eight faces, with bronze bells hung on the eight corners of each eave. When a gentle breeze blows, the bells ring with crisp, pleasant chimes.
China's Best-Preserved National Forest Park of Biological Species in the South — Chenzhou Mangshan
Located in Chenzhou, Hunan, Mangshan is named for its vast sea of forests and the pythons that roam there. It is the largest national forest park in southern China and the one with the best-preserved biological species. It is famous for its uniquely beautiful scenery and pristine natural ecology. "Mangshan's grandeur astonishes the world; the number one mountain of pristine ecology" is the most true and vivid portrayal of it! It is hailed as a "Natural Museum of Flora and Fauna," a "Species Gene Bank of the Nanling Mountains," and a "Second Xishuangbanna."
Hunan's Most Ecologically Beautiful Mountain — Shimen Huping Mountain
Shimen Huping Mountain is a provincial key nature reserve. It covers an area of 150 square kilometers, with a core protection zone of 53 square kilometers. The main peak of Huping Mountain rises 2,099 meters above sea level, the highest peak in northwestern Hunan, and is named because the summit is high all around with a low center, shaped like the mouth of a bottle. The famous Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai visited here and left behind the lines "Huping flies its waterfalls; at the cave mouth fall peach blossoms." Because Huping Mountain was only weakly affected by the third great sea transgression in Earth's history and the Quaternary glaciation, it became an ideal "refuge" for terrestrial organisms. There are 98 rare tree species and 1,019 kinds of precious medicinal herbs. With more than 150 species of rare animals, Huping Mountain is a rare biological gene bank and natural forest park, praised by biologists as a "treasury hiding ten thousand treasures."