The Lishan Mountain is a tourist attraction of both natural scenery and cultural relics. It is situated in the Litong district of Xi An, close to the world renowned Terracotta Warriors Museum. The peak of the mountain, the Jiulong Summit, reaches a height of 1301.9 meters. The lofty verdant mountain looks like a gallant war-horse from a distance. Thanks to its scenic beauty, it is also known as “the Elegant Mountain”. The most breathtaking sight in the Lishan Mountain presents itself at every sunset when the whole area becomes gilded by the afterglow, which is a marvelous feast for the eyes.
Apart from its natural charms, the mountain is also a museum of historical relics. If you do not want to miss any of them, just follow the stepped path to the top of the mountain which will take you onto an amazing sight-seeing trip of about 3,200 meters. The first attraction you come to is Bingjian Pavilion. It was built on the mountainside in memory of the Xi An Incident of the year 1936, a military remonstration of immense significance in the Chinese history. To its west stands the Sunset Pavilion which offers a perfect platform for you to enjoy the splendid view of the crystal-clear Huanqing Pond. Further along the path is the Hall of Lao Zi, a Taoist temple in honor of the founder of the Taoism. It is said that E
mperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty twice witnessed the descent of Lord Lao Zi in the hall, so he named it “Jiangsheng Hall”, meaning “the hall where the God appears”. There used to be a white marble statue of Lord Lao Zi enshrined inside. However, during a military revolution in the Tang Dynasty, the statue was damiaged and the hands of the statue stolen. Now the remains are kept in the Shanxi Museum. Nearby the Hall of Lao Zi there is the Hall of Nv Wa, a goddess who, according to legend, devoted herself to mending the torn sky in order to protect the people. The next stop is the famous Beacon Tower. In the ancient China, if the empire was invaded and the situation was dire, the emperor would light the beacons as a sign of danger, and all the lords loyal to him quartered around his domain would assemble their armies and come to his rescue. However, the last ruler of the Zhou Dynasty (BC.1046-BC.771), Emperor Youwang, once lit the beacon just to coax his favored concubine into smiling. His ridiculousness enraged the lords which caused his empire to downfall. Then the path will take you to the Stone Jar Temple in the Dongxiu Hill. It is named “stone jar” because the rocks to the west of the temple adopt the shape of jars through long-standing erosion of water. Your tour will come to an end at Yuxian Bridge, literally meaning “the bridge where you meet the gods”. The 5 meters long and 2.4 meters wide single-arch stone bridge was built in the Tang Dynasty. It connects the Xixiu Hill with the Dongxiu Hill. According to local legend, a man who was on his trip to the country’s capital for the imperial examination met a god on the bridge. The God enlightened him with advice which later helped him pass the exam. Hence its name “Yuxian Bridge”. If you are not for climbing, you can take the funicular and enjoy the wondrous sceneries and attractions on the mountain easily.
The landscape of the Lishan Mountain is so beautiful and impressive that many emperors built their temporary imperial palace there. Unfortunately none of them has survived the wars or natural forces during a long period of time. Now at the foot of the mountain there is only a recently constructed Huaqing-Pond Park and a sanatorium.
The Lishan Mountain Attractions
The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor
The Lishan Mountain Story
1. The Beacon Tower and the Emperor Youwang of the Zhou Dynasty
The Beacon Tower had been an indispensible military installation in the ancient China. In times of war, the emperor would light the beacon to call upon the lords for help. The lords would assemble their armies, rush to the site of war and follow the order of the emperor. The Lishan Mountain Beacon Tower is related to a legendary tale of the downfall of the Zhou Dynasty.
Baosi is a favored concubine of Emperor Youwang. She was extremely beautiful but never smiled after she married the emperor. The emperor was desirous to see her smile. One day, he came up with a ridiculous idea. He lit up the beacon in the tower. The lords rushed from around with numbers of soldiers as quick as possible. When Baosi saw their anxiousness, she smiled a little. Emperor Youwang was so happy that he did the same several times, which made the lords were so furious with him. In BC 771, a neighbouring country invaded the empire. Emperor Youwang lit up the beacon in the tower again. However, this time no one answered his call. The empire was soon destroyed.
2. The Jinsha Cave
The Jinsha Cave was a rendezvous of Emperor Xuanzong in the Tang Dynasty and his concubine, Yang Guifei. When Emperor Xuanzong stayed in the temporary imperial palace on the Lishan Mountain, he ordered his servant to decorate the cave secretly so that he could enjoy some private time with Yang. The cave was kept a secret until the Ming Dynasty when a man discovered the place on his trip there. He was surprised to find in the cave a large amount of vivid statues; some of them were of Yang Guifei and Emperor Xuanzong, and others were of their servants. The looks of Yang’s statues shows tenderness and softness while those of the emperor express lovingly affections. The Jinsha Cave and all the elegant statues are symbols of the true love between the famous imperial couple.
3. Why the name “Lishan”?
In Chinese, “lishan” means a handsome horse. Why is the mountain named a horse? It has something to do with the legend below.
Once upon a time, the world was in peace and the people lived a happy life. However, one day, the sky suddenly caved in and everything was in a mess. The villages caught fire and were burnt down, and all the vicious beasts came out from mountains to attack people. A goddess living in the Heavenly Palace saw the disastrous sight and was determined to help them. She came down to the earth with her two daughters. They picked up colorful stones from the river and melt them down. They used them as glue and sealed up the sky little by little. The younger daughter noticed that they had to quicken their pace or the world would be ruined before they finish their repairs. She turned herself into a horse so that she could carry a large amount of glue to the sky in one trip. Thanks to her effort, the hold in the sky was blocked and the world saved. By that time she had become so exhausted that she took a nap. She never woke up from the slumber which continued for centuries during which she became the mountain that we know as the Lishan Mountain.
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