China Popular Itineraries |
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Natural Scenic Spot-Mount Song |
Mount Song, one of the Five Sacred Mountains, lies in Dengfeng County of Henan Province. It was called Mount Waifang in ancient times. After Ern, peror Pingwang of the Zhou Dynasty moved the capital eastward to Luoyang city, Mount Song was named Central Mountain, for it was thought that, with Mount Tai on the left and Mount Hua on the right, Mount Song seems located in the middle of the earth, the center of the sky and the land. It was renamed God Mountain in the Tang Dynasty but regained its former name after the Northern Song Dynasty.
Mount Song consists of Taishi and Shaoshi mountains, which contain 36 peaks each, each of which has its own name, legend and charm. The highest one is the Junji Peak, which is 1,512 meters above sea level. Scattered on Mount Song like stars in the sky are scenic spots and historic sites such as Three Ques (A Que is a watchtower on either side of a palace gate) on Mount Song from the Han Dynasty; the Songyue Tower of the Northern Wei Dynasty; Observatory of the Yuan Dynasty; Shaolin Temple, Central Mountain Temple, Fawan Temple, Huishan Temple, Chuzu Nunnery, Erzu Nunnery and Mount Song Academy -- all of which greatly appeal to the tourists.
The Songyue Tower, the oldest extant tower made of bricks in China, is 1,470 years old. The tower is rare for its delicate shape and sublimity. It is about 40 meters high with 5 stories, the plane of which has 12 angles. In its four sides there are entrances, through which people can walk up to the top. All the stories are octagons except the first story which has 12 angles.
The observatory was built in the early Yuan Dynasty. It was made of bricks and stones and consists of two parts: a foundation and a stone sundial. The observatory is 9.46 meters high, 13.7 meters wide from east to west and 9.9 meters long from south to north. Each side of its base is 16.7 meters long. In the south is a survey terrace made of stone on which stands a stone gnomon.
The Shaolin Temple, lying below the Wuru Peak in the north side of Mount Shaoshi, is one of the temples famous both at home and abroad. Its name comes from the deep forest of Mount Shaoshi in which it lies. The temple was built in the 19th year of Emperor Taihe Regime of the Northern Wei Dynasty for Indian Buddha Ba Tuo. Its purpose was to spread Buddhism. The temple was renamed the Douhu Temple and then regained its former one in the Sui Dynasty. It was burned later and renovated in the period of Emperor Zhenguan of the Tang Dynasty. The former temple with its more than 1,000 halls was larger in size than that which exist now, since only the central part of it remains.
The Central Mountain Temple below the Huanggai Peak on the south side of Mount Song was built in the Qin Dynasty and got its name in the Northern Wei Dynasty. Its site had been changed several times untill it was established in its present location during the period of Emperor Kaiyuan of the Tang Dynasty. The temple was renovated twice. And palaces, pavilions housing tabllets, and murals were extended each time. The extant temple with 400 rooms is over 100,000 square meters or so. It is the largest temple in scale among the buildings of Five Sacred Mountains and is honored as "Little Imperial Palace."
Lying at the foot of Mount Song, Songyang Academy shares the name of "Four Great Academies in China" with White Deer Cave, Yuelu, Suiyang Academies. Its predecessor is the Taiyi Temple or Chongfu Palace of the Tang Dynasty and Songyang Temple of the Northern Wei Dynasty. Taiyi Academy was built early in the Five Dynasties and renamed Taishi Academy in the early Song Dynasty. Its name was changed to Songyang Academy in the 2na year of Emperor Jingyou's Rule in the Song Dynasty. Through continuous expansion in the Ming and Qing dynasties until the period of Emperor Guangxu, it formed the present arrangement and scale. The main building includes Xianxian Hall, Sanxian Hall, Lize Hall, Guanshan Hall and Furen Hall, etc. Many famous scholars since the Song Dynasty have lectured there. The academy, backing on the Mount Song with its secluded surroundings and beautiful scenery, is a good place for viewing the landscape.
Mount Song enjoys great prestige both at home and abroad for its beautiful mountains, long-standing culture and natural landforms. |
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