Mount Tianzhu – Heaven Pillar Mountain

Mount Tianzhu – Heaven Pillar Mountain

Tianzhu Mountain or Mount Tianzhu 天柱山 (literally “Heaven pillar mount”) is a mountain in Anhui, China. Tianzhu Mountain is also called Mount Wan (皖山, from which the provincial abbreviation for Anhui (“Wan”) derives. The mountain locates in Qianshan County, Anqing City. Tianzhu Mountain has 45 peaks which are 1000 meters above sea level. Its highest point has an elevation of 1,760 metres (5,774 ft). There are two paths to reach the top, either from the east or from the west; Dalong will try the west path first because it is the easier one.

One of the famous sites is the Mystery Valley (神秘谷. It is a maze-like valley formed by the rocks falling from the mountain. The valley has 53 caves, which form a very complicated maze.

Tianzhu Mountain has a total area of 333 square kilometers, and its main scenic zone covers 82.46 square kilometers. There are 45 peaks, 17 ridges, 18 cliffs, 22 caves, 86 grotesque rocks, 18 waterfalls and 17 springs. With towering pines, grotesque rocks, running waterfalls and springs, and canyons, secluded caves, defiles and ancient mountain strongholds, the mountain resort combines the features of both Huangshan Mountain and Lushan Mountain, imposing and tranquil.

Tianzhu Mountain is referred to by Taoism as the 14th fascinating place and the 57th Happy Land. The second and the third Patriarch of the Zen School of Buddhism (or the Dhyana School) once lived there. Such cultural celebrities in history as Li Bai, Wang Anshi, Su Dongpo, Huang Tingjian, etc. once admired the beauty there, and left many Cliffside stone carvings in the Shiniu Ancient Cave.

This area is not only have a strong appeal to many famous men of literature and writing such as Wang Anshi, Su Shi and Huang Tingjian, but also is the hometown of the founder of Beijing Opera ¨Cheng Changgeng , the famous writer of traditional Chinese novels-Zhang Henshui ,the acrobatic queen-Xia Juhua and the new star of Huangmei Opera -Han Zaifen.

The natural landscape of Tianzhu Mountain is stunning. Every Peak is odd, every stone is queer, every cave is tranquil, and every river is elegance. The great poet of the Tang Dynasty Bai Juyi once praised the scenery in one of his poems: “the heavenly pillar reaches the sun and the moon and the cave that’s thousands of feet wide blocks thunders.” The famous poet Li Bai also said that: “After my alchemy is finished successfully, I want become a recluse in the mountain.” Su Dongpo once said that: “I love the local conditions and customs of Shu State best all my life, I want be a recluse here when I am old.” They all considered the mountain as an ideal residing place .So you can see its unusual fascination. The mountain both has the magnificent pillar-like shape and 45 marvelous peaks. It also rich in exotic pine trees, queer stones, flowing waterfalls, valleys, tranquil caves, strategic passes and old forts. The third-largest artificial alpine lake “Alchemy Lake” is also located in this area. The eye cannot take it all in — too many things for the eye to see and too beautiful to be absorbed all at once.

Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tianzhu
http://scenery.cultural-china.com/