From Mangdang Mountain to the north, about ten miles away, you will reach Yushan, known as "Sleeping Beauty".
Yongcheng Uoyama
Yushan, also known as Yushan, Nuwa Mountain, and Mermaid, is the remnant vein of the Mangtang mountains. From afar, it looks like a graceful sleeping beauty, lying safely on her back on this fertile field north of Yongcheng. 此山虽无泰山之雄、华山之险，但因与中华民族人文始祖女娲缘殊，又处数省结合部，素有“鸡鸣闻两省，一山望七县”的美誉，吸引着周边商徐宿淮等地的驴友。
"Mangtang Mountain, a thousand zhang high, less than half the mountainside of Yushan", this saying is used by locals to describe the height of Yushan. In fact, the altitude of Yushan Mountain is only 145 meters, which is slightly lower than the main peak of Mangtang Mountain. Why this puzzling saying?
Yongcheng Uoyama
Yushan is not high, let's not say for the time being. The steepness of Yushan Mountain is indeed incomparable to other peaks in the Mangtang Mountains. If you like to climb, it is best to start at the west end of the steepest Yushan Mountain. Halfway up the mountain, there is a place called "Stone Goose", which is a must-see spot in Yushan "Wind Swing Stone". It is composed of two huge stones above and below, like the fairy stone that gave birth to Sun Wukong in Huaguo Mountain, and it looks like it is in danger of falling at any time.
Uoyama wind swinging stone
Legend has it that there was a big hole in the sky, the rain was endless, the Central Plains was a country of ze, and people lived in misery. Nuwa Niangniang could not bear the suffering of the people, so she refined colorful stones here to make up for the sky, and after seven seven forty-nine days of hard work, she finally made up the heavens, but she also exhausted her heart's work, lying on this side of the earth and could not sleep for a long time, turning into a mountain to forever guard the world, this is Yushan. The remaining stone in the sky, after hundreds of millions of years of wind and sun, has become the current "wind swing stone".
It is said that in ancient times, two foreign merchants passed by this place and were very curious when they saw this strange stone. One of the merchants climbed on it and tried to push the stone down, and when he pushed hard, the stone shook and he saw that it was about to fall. He quickly called out to his companions to help, but the two pushed together, and the stone did not move. I don't know if the legend is true or false, but it's not easy to verify, although I don't have the power to bind the chicken, but if I miss and get the stone down, wouldn't it be a sin.
Watch the wind swing the stones, cut through the thorns, find the way, stick to the stones, continue to climb, and it took a lot of effort to reach the top of the mountain. At this point, I kind of understand the meaning of the saying, probably because the steepness of Yushan Mountain is much higher than that of Mangtang Mountain, and the climb takes a long time and appears high.
Yongcheng Uoyama
There are many strange stones on the mountain, with different shapes, some like birds and finches closing their eyes to raise their minds, some like turtles leisurely exploring the sea, some like golden toads leading their necks to look at the moon, and some like husband and wife snuggling affectionately. Especially the husband and wife stone, born from the same root, relying on each other, as if they are telling each other endless love words. There is also a rock, like the palm of a Buddha, five fingers together straight into the sky, is it not here to hold that fairy stone?
Usayama is like the palm of the Buddha
Regarding the husband and wife stone, there is such a legend circulating among the people of Yushan. According to legend, a long time ago, a pair of young people named Liu Long and Mandarin Duck fell in love in Yamashita Village. One day, Mandarin Duck's father was beaten to death by vicious officials because he delayed paying taxes, and Mandarin Duck was also robbed of tax deductions. When Liu Long learned the news, he wanted to cry without tears, telling that every day should not be, and that the earth was not working.
In desperation, Liu Long went to the county office with a machete that night, wanting to rescue the mandarin ducks. At this time, the mediocre county prince was drinking and having fun with his subordinates, discussing the mandarin duck as a concubine. The angry Liu Long kicked open the door, cut off the head of the county prince, and rescued the mandarin duck, and the two ran towards Yushan.
The officers and soldiers chased all the way to Yushan, and saw that the mountain was full of strange rocks, dense forests, and wild beasts, and it was impossible to find them. In the end, the angry and corrupted officers and soldiers set fire to the mountain, and suddenly Yushan was in a sea of fire, and Liu Long and Mandarin Duck in the flames hugged each other tightly, protecting each other with their own bodies, and both died in the sea of fire.
The following year, after a spring rain, Yushan grew a mountain full of vegetation, lush greenery that covered the scars left by the fire. Liu Long and Mandarin Duck were buried, and miraculously raised two huge stones nestled to each other, looking like a pair of lovers who were attached to each other from afar, and they would never be separated in life. The descendants were full of emotion, so they called these two stones born of roots "husband and wife stones".
Uoyama couple stone
There are two trees in front of the couple's stone, one is a locust tree and the other is also a locust tree. It's just that one tree has lush foliage, and the magpie nests on it, and the other tree has become a dead and decaying tree, lifeless. Two trees, one in life and one death, accompany the husband and wife stones together, and they interpret what it means to never leave and rely on life and death.
Yushan has a deep cultural heritage, it is said that there were three temples, seven temples and twenty-four scenes on the mountain, and the Chu coin "Shubu Dangjian" was also unearthed, but many landscapes have been annihilated in the long river of history, and only a few relics such as the totem "Yuyu" cliff carvings of the Yu clan have survived to this day. Now the construction of Baiguo Temple, imitation Tang brick pagoda and Shengzu Palace has resumed. It is said that Li Zicheng, the king of the last chuang, led his troops to march into Beijing, passed through Yushan, and once stayed in the Baiguo Monastery, and there is still a story of "Li Chuangwang Baiguo Tree Reparations".
Uoyama Baiguo Zen Temple
Various legends cast layers of mystery on Yushan, attracting people to come to play and explore. After playing, look for a stone on the top of the mountain, sit down and drink saliva to rest your feet, enjoy the south wind, admire the strange stone wonders, sigh the ups and downs of the world, and watch the clouds roll around.