Since I was a child, I have heard a lot of legends about Yang Xianling, and before 2000, I had never visited there.
In 2001, after returning to my hometown after a twenty-year career as a horseman, I used to wait for a new job at home to swim in the GongJiang River near the town of Meilin, and on the other side of the river were the green mountains that stretched for more than a dozen miles. There is a riverside mountain that points straight to the sky under the background of the mountains, and the bare rocks of the peaks are milky white, and under the sunlight, they are like sparkling gems, dazzling and spectacular. The villagers by the river told me that it was Yang Xianling. According to legend, Yang Junsong, a famous Public Opinion scholar and feng shui ancestor of the Tang Dynasty, once taught apprentices at this mountain.
In The town of Meilin in Ganxian County overlooks YangxianLing across the river. The distant mountain peak is Yangxian Ridge
Yangxianling is located in Shahe Town, Zhanggong District, Ganzhou, across the river from Meilin Town in Ganxian County, at an altitude of 412 meters, because it is bordered to the north by a vast Ganzhou Plain with an altitude of less than 100 meters, and the surrounding mountains are low. So it looks steep and towering.
In Ganzhou, there are mountains higher than Yangxianling, but why is Yangxianling outstanding and famous in the world?
Gannan belongs to the Danxia topography, and the mountains are made of red sandstone, but why is the rock of Yangxianling white?
……。
Yang Xianling has always been a mystery in my heart.
Yangxianling Mountain Peak
On June 17, 2001, under the guidance of my friends, I finally fulfilled this long-cherished wish.
There are two ways to go to Yangxianling: one is to spend two yuan from the south gate of Ganzhou City to Take the "Zhongba" to Yangkeng Village in Shahe Town, and then climb the mountain; the other is to spend five dimes from the ancient wharf of Meilin Town, Ganxian County to transition the Gongjiang River to Hetou Village, and then climb along the Tu'aobei, Shanwozi, and Langzinai Mountains. The previous road is directly from the foot of Yangxianling Mountain, the distance is short, but the slope is large, and the exercise intensity is large. The latter path climbs along a long stretch of mountain beams, which is long and time-consuming.
Overlooking Yangxian Ridge in Yangkeng Village
Yangxianling Mountain is high and densely forested, and there are many wild animals. In November 2000, a villager in Hetou Village, surnamed Li, found traces of the "mountain wind" activity (a type of pit viper) while chopping firewood on the mountain. This snake is highly venomous, biting and killing, but the market price is higher, about 180 to 260 yuan a catty. The villager estimated from the snake traces and feces that the snake was not small, and the estimated value was about 1,000 yuan. In order to make this small fortune, the villager decided to go up the mountain alone to catch snakes. Before leaving, he told the villagers that today he would go up the mountain to catch some "coffin books" and come back (that is, to fish for some pension money to come back). He followed the trail to the snake's den, burned smoke into the hole, and in a moment, a three-meter-long "mountain wind" poisonous snake "roared" out and knocked him to the ground, and when he returned to his senses, the snake had already sprang out of Zhangxu, he was desperate to chase after the sack in his hand, and the snake turned around and bit down hard under duress. The villagers painfully lifted the snake's head and stuffed it into the bag.
After being bitten by a snake, the method of first aid can be used to find a place with water, make a cross on the wound with a knife, and then squeeze the wound with your hand, squeeze out the venom, and rinse it repeatedly with water, and then seek medical treatment.
Villagers were bitten by snakes and hurried to find stream water to rinse their wounds. Because the place where the snake is caught is some distance from the water source, the optimal flushing time is delayed. After that, he endured the pain and returned to the village to find the old snake doctor for treatment, but unfortunately the old snake doctor went out and waited to call the snake doctor back, and the villager was no longer cured. The caught snake was purchased by a Guangdong snake dealer and received more than 1,000 yuan. The snake money was eventually used to give the villager a "fasting meal" (the custom in Gannan is to help the deceased take care of the funeral, and the deceased's family should invite the contributors to eat to eliminate the disaster).
At present, although only one "mountain wind" has been found, according to the zoologist's theory that "a population must continue to exist, at least fifty (horses) or more", there must be many "mountain winds" in the mountains. When I climbed the mountain today, I brought a bamboo stick, which can not only hit the grass and snakes, but also help the mountaineering.
Yang Xianling
Lookout Hill runs dead horses. Standing on the riverside of Meilin Town, the main peak of Yangxianling is within sight, but after the transition by boat, we climbed it hard for more than an hour.
Mountaineering is not only a review of a person's physical fitness, but also a test of will and perseverance. As the mountain road gradually steepened, we had a feeling of rapid heartbeat, panting, sore waist, weak legs, and weak strength. Before he reached the middle of the mountain, he rested two or three times, and due to fatigue, he had the idea of returning home.
On the way up Yangxian Ridge
Thanks to the excellent mountain views along the way, it strengthened the confidence and determination to climb upwards. Along the way, the ancient wood vines are rich and dense, the mountain springs are dingdong, and the birds such as golden chickens, spotted doves, and thrushes are in the forest, and they are free to fly; azaleas, golden cherry blossoms, wild mountain chrysanthemums, dry golden lotuses, hibiscus flowers, camellias and other flowers are blooming; "seven leaves and one branch flower" (local special Chinese herbs for treating snake bites), wild angelica, wild goji berries, five plus peel, cloves, euphorbia and many other precious Chinese herbs loom in the air.
Climb Yangxian Ridge
There is a family living on the top of the mountain, the man is called Li Yuanzhou, and the hostess is called Liu Guiling. It is understood that in their sixties, they and their one-year-old grandson responded to the call of Shahe Township to develop the Yangxianling Tourist Area in 1998 and set up camp on the top of the mountain to provide services for tourists. The water at the top of the mountain is inconvenient, and it takes more than 40 minutes to eat water to go to a spring puddle on the mountainside. Due to the height of the mountain and the lack of lightning protection devices, thunder and lightning are often rolling on rainy days. In mid-April 2001, a giant thunderstorm split a large rock at the top of Yangxianling Mountain in half, and also knocked out a hole as big as a basketball in the old man's earthen wall house.
In 2007, the house of the elderly in Liyuan Prefecture was located on the top of Yangxianling Mountain
After tasting the lunch made by the old man, we began to explore the top of the mountain.
Standing on the highest peak of the mountain, bird's eye view of the northwest, ganzhou plain, the urban area and the county seat of Ganxian are like a treasure gourd, the urban area is located at the large end, and the Gongjiang River is like a jade belt tied between Zhanggong District and the county seat of Ganxian County; in the southeast is the Mountains, and climbs south, connecting the Jiutan Mountain and Fengshan Mountain that are inserted into the clouds. Around Yang Xianling, the rocks have different shapes, like people, beasts, birds, and objects, some are very prominent, as if they are about to collapse; some are recessed, as if there are deep caves inside; some are lying on their backs, such as singing platforms, and some are towering, such as sharp knives. Each has its own strange posture, each with its own wonderful color, which is heart-warming and reverie.
In 2007, he rested at the top of Yangxianling Mountain
At the top of the hill there are ruins of old temples. On the remaining incense burner, it was seen that there were seven big characters engraved on it: "Yang Xianling in the Ninth Year of Tongzhi". The old man said that this temple was dedicated to Yang Junsong Guoshi. It was built in the last years of the Tang Dynasty. The original Yanggong Temple, The Hall of the Heavenly King, the Guanyin Pavilion and other buildings were grand in scale, but they were repeatedly built and destroyed due to repeated lightning strikes.
More than ten years ago, from the top of Yangxianling Mountain, I overlooked the town of Meilin in Ganxian County
On August 25, 2021, at the top of Yangxianling Mountain, overlooking the town of Meilin in Ganxian County
Yang Junsong was the first person in China's feng shui culture to go to the folk, and also the founding father of the situation school of feng shui from Gannan Province. According to legend, Yang Gongyuan was the Golden Purple Guanglu Doctor of the Tang Dynasty and was in charge of the geographical affairs of Lingtai. In 880 AD, that is, in the early years of Emperor Guangming of the Tang Dynasty, in order to avoid the Huangchao Rebellion, he smuggled the forbidden books such as the "Secret of Heaven" and the "Yuhan Classic" of the imperial treasury, went out of the capital, crossed the Yangtze River, traced the Ganshui River, surveyed the mountains, searched for the dragon vein all the way south, fled from Chang'an to Ganzhou, he had no intention of staying, but he saw that the land of Ganzhou was poor, and a large number of refugees who had moved south urgently needed to choose a new place to live and live, so he decided to stay and save the people.
Yang Gong is good at feng shui, he traveled through the landscape of Ganzhou, found that Yang Xianling is the best point to observe the confluence of the three dragon veins in the ancient city of Ganzhou, so he chose to study deeply on the peak of Yang Xianling, set up an altar to teach, and was known as saving the poor immortals.
January 2, 2009 at the top of Yangxianling Mountain
There are two main factions of Chinese feng shui culture, one of which is the Chang'an school represented by the north. Yang Junsong was a descendant of the Chang'an sect, and he founded the well-known Luantou faction, the Ganpai or Jiangxi faction in Gannan Province. The Luantou sect pays attention to dragons, caves, sand, water, and direction. His theory greatly satisfies the psychological needs and practical desires of Hakka society, and everywhere he goes, the villagers regard him as a guest of honor, and there is an endless stream of people who study art from teachers.
After Yang Gong came to Ganzhou, the land of Ganzhou was smooth with wind and rain, grain and abundance, and Guotai Min'an. In order to thank the poor immortals, the people voluntarily raised donations to build a temple in Yangxianling to worship Yang Gong. Since then, this mountain has been called YangxianLing.
Yang Xianling can stand out among the mountains of Ganzhou and make a name for himself in the world, or he should respond to the words of the ancients: The mountain is not high, and the immortal is named. Unfortunately, this temple has been repeatedly destroyed and built due to the chaos of soldiers and horses. The most recent restoration was during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty, which was destroyed during the "Cultural Revolution" and has not been repaired so far.
Yangxianling Peak on January 2, 2009
At the same time, we also carefully surveyed the rocks of the mountain, and friends who had worked in the geological team said that the rocks of Yangxianling were not misrepresented limestone structures, but consisted of quartzite structures, that is, the main component was silicide. From the topographic analysis of Yangxianling, it belongs to the topography of sandstone peak forest, born 380 million years ago, originally a sedimentary rock gradually deposited by a vast ocean, after a complex and long process of diagenesis, only to form the quartz sandstone and various strange landscapes seen today. Is your friend's analysis correct? Further examination by experts is awaited.
It is understood that the wild animals in Yangxianling are also very rich. Commonly seen: horned chamois, wild boar, snake, golden pheasant, stone chicken, hare, pangolin, civet, ring-necked pheasant and more than 100 species. Today, the four-hoofed animals are the most numerous wild boars. Each group has a few heads and a few dozen heads, eating grass and tree roots from mountain streams for a living.
The old man of Liyuanzhou said that there are several natural stone caves in the steep place of Yangxianling, which have now become the hiding places of snakes, mountain turtles and stone chickens due to the rare human movements for many years. At night, they sneak out to move around and hunt for food. It is said that due to the chaos of the soldiers and horses later, when Yang Gong left Yang Xianling, he hurriedly buried the forbidden books such as the "Secret of Heaven" and the "Yuhan Classic" of the royal treasury, as well as a batch of royal treasures, in one of the caves, and handed over the drawings and the key to open the mountain gate to an old man guarding the monastery in the local area. Over the years, I don't know how many people, including officially organized expeditions, have explored here, but they have returned empty-handed.
In 2007, he climbed the mountain road of Yangxianling
The old man's words triggered our curiosity and curiosity, and everyone ignored fatigue, along the mountain cliffs, pulling out the vines and vines, and climbing to find. After many hardships, a cave covered with vines was found at the crack in the cliff face. We snaked in, and in the wet, dark hole of the flowing spring, a large snake with a thick stick and other animals fled in all directions because of our intrusion. The stones on the top of the cave are jagged and dangerous, as if they are falling; the two walls are rugged, the stone is ghostly, and the forest is terrible; the spring water trickles out of the stone cracks, the water is pooled, clear to the bottom, some cute little stone frogs are swimming leisurely, and some rocks in the water have been soaked by the mountain spring for thousands of years, and the surface has turned golden. A friend who has studied stones touches a uniquely shaped stone and says that it is wax stone. Shipped to Guangzhou Qishi flower and wood market, the price is not less than 1,000 yuan. Deep in the cave, we see numerous quartz single crystal shoots in the shape of hexagonal edges, and under the illumination of candlelight, the columns are shining like diamonds. Friends say that these are all treasures in the stone, and the ornamental and collection value is extremely high.
Peach trees at the top of Yangxianling Mountain
It is understood that with the opening of the Yangxianling Scenic Area, more and more tourists come here to explore the ghosts and search for curiosity, but due to the lack of environmental awareness of some tourists, it has caused a certain degree of damage and pollution to the Yangxianling Scenic Area. For example, some tourists steal quartz single crystal milk shoots and wax stones from the mountains; some indiscriminately pick and hunt rare and precious animals and plants in the mountains; some violate the regulations on the mountains to drink wild drinks, causing fires in the mountains; some abandon the leftover fruit cores, used plastic bags, mineral water bottles, etc., and so on.
The old man pointed to several well-grown arbutus, peaches, plums, oranges, grapefruit and other trees on the top of the mountain, saying that these were also caused by the cores abandoned by tourists.
From the top of Yangxianling Mountain, you can look east to Hualin Village at the foot of the mountain
Tourism is an entertainment for young people and a pleasant feeling for the elderly. Mountaineering can not only strengthen the body, temper the will, but also enjoy the beautiful scenery of nature and cultivate temperament. The author believes that with the improvement of people's awareness of fitness and leisure, more and more people will go to Yangxianling to play. (This article was written in July 2001)