Second-level tourists’ service center in the scenic spot: It is encircled by mountains to three fronts. Longpan Peak lies in the west. Zuofo Peak lies in the north. Liuxiu Town lies in the back. Hubei Peak lies in the east. Wang Cheng Peak lies in its back. We will come to Xilian gorge and Guanhou ditch. The two brooks are intersecting in here into the ancient Shimen River. Shimen river is one of the main headstreams for Weihe river.

It is a treasured land. Legend goes that in North Song Dynasty, Shao Kangjie, a famous Neo-Confucianist and mathematician, was great fortunetellers. One day he came over here from Baiquan and was amazed: ‘no wonder Liu Xiu got blessed in here and became the emperor. It is the blessed land from Buddha.’

Two Dragon Mouth Bridge: Now look eastwards. It has a huge scene stone. Some people say it looks like a tiger and some say it is akin to a lion. This stone is called ‘Emperor Helped by Tiger’ Stone. According to legend, Wang Mang claimed the seat as emperor in late West Han Dynasty. He was vicious beyond measure and brutal in governance. Revolt against him was arising with eruption of Luliu Uprising and Red Eyebrow Uprising being examples. Liu Xiu, descendent of Han Dynasty, was a student in the capital city. He tried to enlist talents from all around in an attempt to overthrow Wang’s ruling party. Wang Mang dispatched officers to overthrow him. Liu Xiu fled out of the capital. He tried to enlist soldiers and bought horses in the belt of Mountain Taihang. One day, he came over to Xilian and got both tired and staved. He fainted under a tree. A staved wolf came over from the cliff in the north and tried to leap at him. The Tiger bellowed and the wolf was scared to death. Liu Xiu was thus saved. It got another wolf on the cliff in the opposite. Legend goes that it is the wolf that was scared to death. The tiger was also changed into a rock. This tiger stone gives you bliss. You can get your gut enhanced by riding on its head. Some people say it will dispel troubles. Towering peaks can be seen when looking northwards from the bridge. Liu Xiu Town lies over the peak. When looked down from the imposing peak, the meandering Guanhou Ditch and Xilian Gorge are likened to two giant dragons that are intersecting in here. white stones and the bridge are likened to two dragon heads that are looking into each other. This scene is called ‘Two Dragon Mouth Bridge’.

Xilian Gorge: From Two Dragon Mouth Bridge, we will come to Xilian Gorge. Xilian Gorge spans 8 kilograms from Xilian Scenic spot. Bizarre rocks can be found in the gorge. It has brooks gushing and meandering along the road. After passing Dong An, Wu Li Yao and Zhan Ping villages and walking past the old ladder entrance and Sky Gate entrance, we will come to the Sky Ladder. The essence of Xilian Gorge Natural Landscape lies to the west.

Xilian Gorge gets its name as its rear stars from Xilian Village. To get to the essence of the natural landscape, we won’t pull over our bus. You can appreciate the view from the window.

Xilian Gorge shows varying scene in different seasons.

In spring when trees are reviving, birds are chirping and flowers are in bloom.

In summer, the water is blue and the trees are verdant. It is cool in air and is a perfect place for escaping summer heat.

In autumn, the red stones, red leaves, red hawthorn and red persimmons dye the mountain peak. People feel perked up against the azure sky.

In winter, it got ice hanging at the peak. Brook water is slowly moving forward. Peaks in the mountain, sparse roofs and rime on the branches are picturesque.

The beauty of Xilian is lauded by men of letters. I’ll show you a poetry lauding its beauty. Hopefully it will add some sparkles to your journey:

Jiulian Pond: Now follow me to tour around in Jiulian Pond. Jiulian Pond is linked by nine ponds. Remember, Lian as in ‘Liulian Pond’ means lotus. Legend goes that its name is correlated with mother of Emperor Wanli in Ming Dynasty.

Empress Dowager Ci Sheng, mother of Emperor Wanli, named herself ‘Jiulian Bodhisattva’ in the imperial palace. On hearing about Jiulian Mountain in Huixian city where a Xilian temple lied in the mountain to worship Jiulian Mother and ‘lamp-oil congregation for Jiulian Mother’ was held, she wanted to burn incense to pay tribute. During ‘Lamp-oil Congregation for Jiulian Mother’, she took the imperial maids and eunuchs and came over to Jiulian Pond by being dressed as commoners. On learning that it didn’t have a name, she started by giving the pond under the waterfall He He Pond before naming the other eight ponds respectively as Fu Rong Pond, Han Dan Pond, Shui Yun Pond, Shui Zhi Pond, Jun Zi Pond, Changchun Pond, Yuhuan Pond and Jing Ke Pond.’

Jing You Pond: Lotus is also called Jing You (pure friend) flower. Lotus is innocent and is symbolic of Buddha. It represents innocence and purity, so Buddhas and Bodhisattvas take a seat in lotus. Many men of letters in ancient times make friends with lotus. The Empress Dowager Ci Sheng named the nine pond in Jiulian Pond ‘Jing You Pond’.

Waterfall over 10 meters in width lies above Jing You Pond that sees spraying billows constructed by rocks. Gushing downwards like sea tide, it sends forward both trickles and roaring billows. Many travelers would appreciate it and take group photos. We can take some rest here. You can take some pictures if you like. Be safe.

Yu Huan Pond: It is Yu Huan Pond. It is also another name for Lotus. It’s the eighth pond of Jiulian Pond. Yu Huan is Yang Yuhuan, concubine fancied by Emperor Xuan Zong in Tang Dynasty. Yang Yuhuan is one of the four most beautiful women in history. Why do we call lotus Yu Huan flower? According to legend, Yang Yuhuan, in her attempt to please Emperor Xuan Zong in Tang Dynasty, asked him what the most beautiful flower was in his eye. Emperor Xuan Zong mentioned lotus. Yang Yuhuan wanted to rival with lotus. One day after dressing up, Yang Yuhuan and Emperor Xuan Zong came over to the lotus pond in the imperial harem. Lotuses were in bloom. Yang Yuhuan took a boat and held a lotus in hand. She asked Emperor Xuan Zong whether she could eclipse lotus in beauty. The lotus got its petals withered. He exclaimed, ‘you are better-looking.’ Emperor Xuan Zong was a great fan of lotus. He then continued, ‘Let’s call lotus Yu Huan Flower’. That’s the origin for another name for lotus.  

Changchun Pond: The seventh pond of Jiulian Pond was named after Chang Chun Flower. Why do we call lotus Chang Chun flower? When lotuses are in bloom, they look like Fu Rong in water and send forth fragrance. After bloom, they will produce pearl-like lotus seeds. Lotus seeds are rich in nutrition and got crisp stem under the ground. Lotus is treasure all around. It contains high medicinal values and it can be used entirely for medication. It is the best thing for cool yourself. Lotus seeds are high nutrition-enhancement objects. It can be used for body building, longevity enhancement. Often taking of stems helps whiten your skin. So Lotus got itself another name as Chang Chun flower.

Jun Zi Pond: The sixth pond is called Jun Zi Pond. Jun Zi is also another name for lotus. According to Notes on Love of Lotus by Zhou Dunyi, a Neo-Confucianist in North Song Dynasty, ‘lotus is the gentleman (Jun Zi) of flowers’. Men of letters throughout generations would compare lotus to gentleman in poetry. June 24 in the lunar calendar is settled as the birthday for lotus by the masses. As lotus is symbolic of a gentleman (Jun Zi), it is also called Jun Zi flower.

Wang Zhi Pond and Shui Yun Pond: Shui Zhi Pond and Shui Yun Pond are respectively the fifth and fourth ponds. Shui Zhi Flower and Shui Yun Flower are also other versions of lotus. As is widley shared, lotus is a perennial root aquatic plant. Ancient man compared lotus as in aquatic plant, so lotus is also called Shui Zhi Flower or Shui Yun Flower. In Praise of Lotus by Cao Zhi, a litterateur during the Three Kingdoms Period, lotus was compared to lucid Ganoderma in water.

Han Dan Pond, Furong Pond: The third and second ponds are respectively called Han Dan Pond and Fu Rong Pond. Han Dan and Fu Rong are both other versions of lotus, as can be known by many. But few people know about their origin. Interpretation for lotus in Shuo Wen Jie Zi goes, ‘lotus bud is called Han Dan and lotus in bloom is called Fu Rong’. Sima Xiangru a litterateur in Han Dynasty, used to compared Zhuo Wenjun, his wife, as Fu Rong in water. A poetry by Su Shi, a great master in Song Dynasty, goes ‘Fu Rong is the only flower that sends forwards fragrance’. These celebrities all call lotus Han Dan or Fu Rong. That’s the origin of lotus being called Fu Rong.

He He Pond: It is the first pond of Jiulian Mountain. It is called He He Pond. Water Lily is also called Lotus. As He in ‘He Hua’ (Lotus) is phonetically identical with He in He Ping (peace). Lian in Lian Hua (lotus) is homophonic to ‘Lian’ in Lian He (unity). In traditional Chinese culture, lotus is embolic of peace, harmony, cooperation, concerted effort, unity and alliance.

People rubber along by the side of He He Pond. They demonstrate a picture of ‘congruity between man and nature’. ‘Congruity between man and nature’ is to go after harmony between human race and the nature. You can get yourself fully engaged in the landscape and enjoy the picture of ‘lotus and harmony’.

Sky Pot Waterfall: He HE Pond is the sky pot waterfall. A great pond lies above the waterfall. It resembles a kettle. According to legend, Jiulian Mother used the pot to contain water in order to alleviate the drought. She would spray waterdrops to the earth and left the kettle in here. It turned into a pot-shaped water pond. The waterfall is ejected from the spout. So it is called Sky Pot Waterfall. 100 meters in fall, it is both magnificent and reserved.  

Sky Ladder: After we appreciate the Sky Pot Waterfall, we can come over to the Sky Ladder. It has 999 stairs. We got 200 stairs here. We will climb for 799 stairs later. It got a stone tablet in the middle. Though its characters are ambiguous, it registers history of the sky ladder. Incense burners and travelers call it the Sky ladder. You can look downwards. The hill of the mountain is distance away. The sky ladder is called Xin Jin Ladder. A track leading to the mountain lies some 10 Li away. The stairs are precipitous and narrow. It’s quite dangerous. people in the mountain would use that ladder. It’s called Jiu Yuan Ladder. The ladder has been discarded. Only fans of mountain-climbing and adventure would climb it to hunt for the sentiment of toiling efforts for mountain climbing by forebears. The Jiu Lian Ladder or old distance ladder echoes Xin Jin ladder or new near ladder at a distance. The Xin Jin ladder was renovated in 1972. It took 12 workers for 146 days. Free from whizzy apparatus or financial support, they did it by hand entirely. They built up the road without adequate or ample food or clothing. It took them a lot of guts to do so. It portrays the heroic act by people in Huixian city.