Mountain Deity Temple: Then you will come to Mountain Deity Temple section. Mountain deity is the lowest-ranking deity and mountain deity temple is the smallest temple. Mountain Taihang consists of many famous or non-famous mountains. Each mountain used to contain a mountain deity temple worshiping mountain deity. These temples are mostly scattered by the two sides of precipitous mountain-climbing tracks or around the precipice. Compelled to make a living, residents in the mountain would climb over the mountain and peaks for firewood and drugs. They would confront the danger of falling to the precipice and getting their lives claimed. To secure safety, they have to lavish hope on mountain deity to pray for blessing from mountain deity. Brand new buildings are built up for mountain residents to encourage them to develop tourism projects and get engaged in tourism industry. Mountain residents thus live a comfortable life.

Preach by Lao Zi: If you can relish in waterscape in Peach Blossom scenic spot, you can appreciate mountain views here in the mountain deity temple. It is known for its bizarre image and elephant-shaped rocks with towering peaks in varying shapes being erected. A peak in the front looks like an old man with kerchief on the head and silk ribbon around waist. He seems like an old man who is gushing out sutra on the back of a cow. It is the legendary ‘Preach by Lao Zi’. Lao Zi was born in Luyi county of Henan. His Tao Te Ching makes him a great philosopher and ideologist in ancient China. Legend goes that Lao Zi realized the Taoism theory of ‘conquering rigidity with flexibility’ by observing the gushing flowing water in Baligou. Lao Zi is still observing the view throughout years and witnessing vicissitude with passing years.

Guest-greeting by Immortals: Marching forward, you will see an isolated peak by the precipice. It looks like an immortal in long gown. With one hand cupped, it looks respectful and cautious. It seems to greet travelers. It is ‘Gust-greeting by Immortals’, another famous scenic spot.

Mediation Pond: Mediation waterfall is not big, but it is dexterous. Against the set-off of several giant rocks, it looks small and exquisite. Mediation pond lies above Mediation Pond. ‘Tranquility’ is engraved in the isolated rock in front of the pond. A flat giant rock is engraved with poetry by Zheng Banqiao, a poet from Qing Dynasty that goes by the meaning as ‘the pine rooted in the green mountain is quite tenacious despite bad weather. It is used to portray bamboo for its tenaciousness. It is also spirits of mountain residents in Baligou who are firm, adamant, studious and simple. A doggerel is popular that goes by the meaning as below: your worry will be dispelled by washing hands in Jingxin pond. You will become beautiful after washing your face here.

Tipsy Immortal Bridge: It is teetering when walking on the road. It feels like tipsy and wafting in the cloud. It merits the poetry of ‘living an unfettered life when walking past the Tipsy Immortal Bridge’.

Nine-Buddha Niche: After passing through the Tipsy Immortal Bridge, you will enter Rock Garden in Baligou. It contains many queer rocks. A poetry in seal character can be seen in this rock. Its meaning is ‘chirping birds in the scene can be enhanced. Reflection in the pond can bring a calm mind. It is quiet and tranquil. Only the bell sound can be heard. It is a poem by a poet in Tang Dynasty. The first three sentences portray landscape in Baligou and the last sentence refers to Mountain Watch in the opposite that looks like a hanged watch. A corrie can be seen in Mountain Watch. It is called Nine-Buddha Niche. Nine Buddha figures are worshiped in the niche. You will get luck after watching the first Buddha. You will get your luck doubled after watching the second Buddha. You will get more luck after watching more Buddha figures. It would be okay as long as you have Buddha in your mind. Hopefully you will get Buddha karma and live a long life.

After walking some stone step, you will see two tea houses by the west of the ditch. They are respectively Mountain Deity Tea House and Tranquility Manor.  

Jade Emperor’s Palace: The place where Jade Emperor lies is called Da Huang Niche. It has towering and precious mountains that surge to the sky. Legend goes that it is the place where Goddess Nv Wa amends the sky. In ancient times, Gong Gong Clan in Huixian and Xinxiang used to jostle for supremacy of the world with Yellow Emperor clan. They were engaged in a fierce battle. Their battle lingered from the territory to the immortal world and from the east to the west all the way to the hillside of Mountain Kunming. But they were still on a tie. The irritated boss of Gong Gong cut through Mountain Kunlun. Mountain Kunlun is the pillar supporting the sky and earth. After the pillar was fractured, the heaven palace got a thumping crack and the earth was tilting to the southeastern corner. Mankind was up against the disaster of being eradicated. The beautiful Goddess of Nv Wa did not want to see eradication of mankind and thus collected five-colored rocks from Mountain Taihang to amend the sky. The chromatic red flow from the sun you see in the sky is the five-colored giant rock amended by Nv Wa. It is also the holy land for Fu Hsi and Nv Wa to give birth to the later generations. Fu His was stalwart and Nv Wa was delicate and beautiful. Fu Hsi Peak was famous for its ‘queer precipice, hanging palace, queer pond and bizarre rock’. Jade Emperor’s Palace tops the four.

In the midair of the bizarre precipice of Da Huang Niche, people build the ancient Immortal Cave into a palace of art. Sculptures of three emperors, five sovereigns, sages of Buddha, Taoism and Confucianism could be seen. Large-scaled reliefs tallying 499 including Pan Gu’s creation of heaven and earth, Fu Hsi’s drawing of Gossip, Shennong’s tasting of hundreds of herbs, Yellow Emperor’s fight against Chi You and so forth. In a newly-renovated palace, people can cherish the memory of forebears, get drenched in rumination and listen to the remote myths and legends.

Wentian Pavilion: It is a hexagonal stone pavilion. Legend goes that Liu Xiu got guidance in here after he overthrew Wang Mang. The Jade Emperor used to show up in his dream and ordered him to take Ma Wu to launch a revolt in Nanyang before rising to supremacy.

South Sky Gate: After passing Wentian Pavilion, we will land in South Sky Gate. South Sky Gate is a stone-engraved artistic building combining stereoscopic sculpture with relief. It is 12.99 meters in height and 77.99 meters in width. The overall relief is 364.99 square meters and uses 129.99 tons of rocks. The image of cloud dragon implies the meaning of infinity in South Sky Gate. Four brave and fierce heavenly kings stand up on four cloud dragon stone pillars.

Bluestone huge sculpture in South Sky Gate is magnificent and imposing. It is delicately designed and has lingering implication. It is elaborately engraved and calls for painstaking care from myriads craftsmen. It can be taken as a bright peal in stone.

Sincerity Stone: It is a red ‘heart-shaped’ giant rock behind South Sky Gate. It is called Sincerity Rock. It implies that people have to be sincere in the first place. People usually put their palms together devoutly to pray for safety.

You will access the sky border after entering South Sky Gate. After watching Sincerity Stone, you will walk to the street of the Heaven World. A stone bridge lies between the paradise street. Clusters of magpies are engraved in the blue stone panel at the two sides. It is called Bridge of Magpies. A saying is popular in the local place: you will live happily forever after when walking on the Bridge of Magpies.

You can then walk a section of Sky Street Road and climb for 180 stairs before reaching the Heaven Palace. You can watch its instruction first. The palace in the picture is called lunar seal cutting. Due to weathering out of years, some words are ambiguous. The instruction is passed down today that adds radiance to the palace.

After walking past Chilongkou, you can ascend the rotating terrace. Then you can watch 8 five-meter-tall Dharma Protectors. Nine-dragon deities lie in the middle. Three-double-weave monastery towers can be reached from the terraces at the two sides of the deity. It is resplendent, magnificent and imposing with delicate environment and modelling inside the palace and vivid and natural models of figures. Jade Emperor Palace, Palace for Queen Mother and Palace for Sakyamuni are gorgeous. It is deemed as ‘holy land for religion and gem for art’.

Petal Spraying Waterfall is hanging above Yellow Niche. Hundreds of Mu of red autumnal leaves dye Nv Wa Valley red. You can get your dreams realized in Sky Gate. Green Dragon Wingceltis, Guest-greeting Wingceltis and Wentian Pavilion and other scenic spots and legends are pleasing to your eyes and would help you get drenched in traditional culture and the extensive nature of the Jade Emperor Palace.

Natural Reserve of Macaque: Macaque in Mountain Taihang falls to Second-Grade National Protection Animals. Taihang Macaque in Baligou is a cluster that lives in the most north and has high economic, conservative and scientific experiment values. This reserve is settled as A-level protection area with national and global significance by the World’s Natural Fund Organization. The protection area is precipitous in mountain and dense in forest with flowing water and clusters of macaques showing up. It has four to five clusters of macaques with each cluster containing dozens or over a hundred macaques. They are vivid and vibrant and are into playing and jumping around. Each cluster has a monkey king and has its own turf.

For the convenience of appreciation, around a hundred macaques are raised in the mountain. They would be caged in the mountain at ordinary times. If they are staved, they would throng downwards to snatch for maize, peanuts and other food. With their comical and fun look and actions, they are favored by travelers. Some monkeys are trained to dance, somersault, pull cart and play balls for travelers. They are charmingly naive and fun.