Things to do in Longhu Mountains

No. 16 of Best Things to Do in Jiangxi

Mount Longhu

Mount Longhu Scenic Area is located on the outskirts of Yingtan City and is the birthplace of Taoism. Its founder Zhang Daoling once cultivated and attained enlightenment here. The appearance of Mount Longhu Scenic Area is similar to Wuyishan, both featuring typical Danxia landforms and a World Natural Heritage site. Riding a bamboo raft on the Luxi River to enjoy the mountain views on both banks is fantastic, and the cliff tombs of the ancient Yue people hanging coffins and coffin climbing performances are also very eye-catching highlights. The main attractions are distributed along both banks of the Luxi River from north to south, in order Elephant Trunk Mountain - Xianshui Rock - Mosquito Village - Mount Longhu - Zhengyi Temple - Shangqing Ancient Town (Shangqing Palace). If you want to stay tight, you can visit the main attractions in one day, or split it into two days for a detailed tour. The scenic area operates on a flat ticket system (each attraction can be visited once). Usually, you buy a full ticket, which includes sightseeing bus and rafting (or boat) fees, which is quite cost-effective. The sightseeing bus stops at a wave and can be used multiple times. If you need to stay here, accommodations are available in Yingtan city as well as near the tourist center, Xianshuiyan, Shangqing Ancient Town, and Jiuquzhou, but usually the base is near the visitor center. When visiting Mount Longhu Scenic Area, you can travel by sightseeing bus, walking, or rafting. For a day of sightseeing at the main attractions, you can take a sightseeing bus from the visitor center to Mount Longhu - Zhengyi Temple, then transfer to the farthest Shangqing Ancient Town (about 10 kilometers), and from there, travel backward to the starting point. Most houses in the ancient town are newly built. You can first visit Changqing Ward, then stroll along Shangqing Ancient Street. The town's highlights include the Celestial Master's Mansion and Shangqing Palace. The Celestial Master's Mansion is the ancestral home of the Zhengyi Sect, and most of the existing wooden buildings are antiques from the Qing Dynasty. Shangqing Palace is still a few kilometers away, with fewer tourists. If you don't want to wait for sightseeing buses, you can take a taxi ride there. Have lunch in the ancient town, then take a bus back to Mount Longhu - Zhengyi Temple. The temple here is slightly smaller than the Celestial Master's Mansion and was rebuilt in recent decades, so it's relatively new. It's worth a quick look. From Mount Longhu to Zhengyi View, walk another 5 minutes to the starting point of the rafting, and from here to the finish point at Xianshuiyan, the whole journey takes about 50 minutes. Along the way, you can enjoy mountain views on both banks. The boatmen will tell you legends about the Supreme Lord Laozi and the Queen Mother of the West, but this will cost extra. The famous "Ten Must-Haves" Danxia Stone Scenery can be seen in about three places in this section. The cliff tombs and hanging coffins at Xianshuiyan are full of mystery. The scenic area regularly stages a "coffin lifting" performance every day (10:00-16:00, every 2 hours for reference), demonstrating the process of securing coffins into caves on the cliff. Visitors watch from the Peach Blossom Islet shore, the final stop of Xianshuiyan on Mount Longhu, while the performance takes place on the opposite cliff, making it quite thrilling. Because "lifting the coffin" sounds like "promotion," some people come here to seek good luck. Bamboo rafts are parked on the water, and about 10 minutes before the coffin-raising performance, there is a "cormorant fishing" show showcasing the fishing and hunting lifestyle of the ancient Yue people. After watching the performance, take the free ferry to the opposite bank, then follow the signs to Fairy Rock. This rock, known as the "Mother Earth," is a famous spot in the Mount Longhu Scenic Area, vivid and lifelike. Not far from the Xianshui Rock terminal at Mount Longhu—Peach Blossom Islet—is the south gate of Elephant Trunk Hill. Halfway up the mountain, there is a smooth boardwalk where you can admire the mountain's silhouette from different angles as you walk. This Elephant Trunk Hill is much more rugged than the one in Guilin, with a straight trunk that looks very lifelike. It takes about one hour to walk along the boardwalk to the East Gate. The last attraction is the mosquito-free village, which can be reached by sightseeing bus. The scenery of Wuwen Village itself is average; most people come here to fill their stomachs. The village has two famous dishes: Celestial Master Tofu and Celestial Master Bagua Banquet, both vegetarian. It can be used for dinner. If you arrive at Mount Longhu Scenic Area in the afternoon, it's recommended to first visit Shangqing Ancient Town, then go to Mount Longhu - Zhengyi early the next morning to enjoy the rafting (there's almost no need to queue at this time), then go ashore to visit Elephant Trunk Hill to watch the coffin-raising performance and Fairy Rock. Afterwards, walk along the Luxi River to Wuwen Village for lunch. Nearby attractions like the Ancient Yue Folk Village are also worth seeing, allowing you to slowly enjoy the scenery of Mount Longhu Scenic Area.

Elephant Trunk Hill

The Xiangbishan Geopark is an important part of the Longhushan World Geopark. It is located on the east side of the Luxi River. There is a lifelike and huge stone elephant standing in the mountain. The huge trunk seems to have fallen from the sky and is deeply embedded in the earth. It is lifelike and spiritual. The Xiangbishan Scenic Area is an important part of the Longhushan World Geopark. The area has towering peaks and cliffs, surging red streams, red cliffs, green trees, hanging vines, and slanting waterfalls. It has the characteristics of strange, dangerous, beautiful, beautiful, and secluded landscapes and various shapes. It is a rare collection of Danxia landform landscapes and a place for scientific research and leisure.

Longhushan Xianyan Scenic Area

Xianren City is known as Xianyan. It is a huge peak, adjacent to Luxi River in the east. From a distance, it is steep on all sides. There are caves everywhere on the mountain, stone caves are like wells, lush forests and bamboos, and clouds and mists. The reason why this mountain is called Xianren City is that it has been the residence of "immortals" since ancient times. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Zhang Sheng, the fourth generation of heavenly master, built a temple on the top of this mountain, which is today's "Tuo-Sai Palace", and built a statue of Laozi to recite Laozi's merits. During the Xining period of the Song Dynasty, Master Baoyue came here from Pucheng to build a temple, and the incense was prosperous. In April 2002, the seven-story "Spirit Box", a world-class cultural relic excavated on the top of Xianyan, was engraved with the words "Baoyue Xingyuan, Xin Ji Jingkong". The great Tang Dynasty poet Gu Kuang's "Looking at Xianren City from Anren Port" describes Xianren City as a fairyland, which is fascinating. Now, the Xianfeng Bridge across the cliff and the hiking trail around the mountain have been fully connected. When you climb to the top, you can have a panoramic view of the majestic 99 peaks of Longhu Mountain, just like "on the thousand-foot cloud cliff, white lotus blooms in the fairy city; wandering on the top, the scenery is better than Penglai".

Hanging Coffin, Longhu Mountain

The hanging coffins in Longhu Mountain are tombs from the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. From the burial objects unearthed by archaeologists, the owners of the coffins were all ancient Yue people. They "used to fight on water, used boats instead of cars, cut their hair and tattooed themselves", and lived in the mountains, villages and swamps. They respected the dead and believed that no matter how the dead were in life, they must enjoy the same treatment after death. Different classes had different styles of coffins and burial caves.

Longhu Mountain - Zhengyi Temple

The temple is built with five main halls, enshrining Zhang Daoling, Wang Chang and Zhao Sheng, all with bronze statues and gold statues. There are three wings on each side, three main gates, five Jade Emperor Halls behind the main hall, and bell and drum towers on the east and west. It was originally one of the Taoist temples in Longhu Mountain. The earliest name of Zhengyi Temple was "Zu Tianshi Temple". It was built by Zhang Sheng, the fourth generation of Tianshi, to worship Zu Tianshi when he returned to Longhu Mountain from Sichuan to "Yongxuan Zujiao". It was renamed Yanfa Temple in the Song Dynasty. It was called Zhengyi Temple during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty. The current Zhengyi Temple was newly built in 2000 on the original site of the destroyed Zhengyi Temple in the architectural style of the Song Dynasty. It covers an area of ​​more than 60 acres, faces east and west, and is symmetrical from north to south. It mainly includes the Seven Star Pool, the main gate, the ceremonial gate, the bell and drum tower, the Yuantan Hall, the Congsi Hall, the Zushi Hall, the Jade Emperor Tower, the Danfang, the Red Gate, the corridors and living quarters, etc. The entire building complex has gray tiles and white walls, which is simple and elegant, and majestic. "Zhengyi Shenguan" is one of the eight major landscapes of Longhu Mountain. In the middle of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Daoling, the first generation of Tianshi, led his disciples to Yunjin Mountain to refine the Nine Heavens Pill. "When the pill was completed, dragons and tigers appeared", so Yunjin Mountain was renamed "Longhu Mountain". Zhang Sheng, the fourth generation of Tianshi, returned to Longhu Mountain and built the "Zu Tianshi Temple" to worship the Zu Tianshi. Every Sanyuan Festival, the altar was recorded, and Taoists from all over the country came in droves, forming a prosperous scene of "the feathered country that is bright day and night". Sanghai Cangtian, "Tianshi Temple" has been repaired several times, and its name has been changed many times. It was changed to "Zhengyi Temple" in the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty and has been so ever since. The current "Zhengyi Temple" was rebuilt on the original site in the architectural style of the Song Dynasty, and absorbed some reasonable systems and artistic characteristics of the Ming and Qing Dynasties. The whole building has gray tiles and white walls, simple and elegant, majestic and proud.

Longhu Mountain - High-Altitude Cliff Walk

Xianshuiyan Luxi River Bamboo Rafting

From the foothills of Longhu Mountain along Luxi River, take a bamboo raft westward. Within seven miles, there are over a hundred peaks, including the 24 peaks known as "Xianshuiyan." The clear stream winds around the mountains, with unique peaks lying across the emerald waves, offering breathtaking scenery known as "Little Li River." The rocks on both sides are bizarre and varied. From Shangqing Pier, you can take a bamboo raft to see the "Ten Must-See" attractions and ancient hanging coffin performances. At the end of the 24 peaks is Shuiyan, a large cave by the stream that can accommodate hundreds of people. The water in front of the cave is clear, and the cave top extends over the river, providing a thrilling experience at the entrance. During the drift, if you see local farmers paddling bamboo rafts to sell tea eggs, be sure to buy and taste them. These eggs are laid by native chickens and are incredibly flavorful.

Wuwen Village

Wuwen Village is located on the east bank of Tunxi River in Xujia Village, Xianshuiyan Scenic Area . The villagers of Wuwen Village have always relied on fishing and farming for a living. The villagers are well known in the area to have especially long lives, so the village is sometimes also called "Longevity Village". The village's scenery is very beautiful, facing the river on one side and surrounded by mountains on the other three sides. Besides the villagers' longevity, there is another peculiar phenomenon in this village, namely, that it seems to have no mosquitoes! That is why the village is called "Wuwen Village" ("Wu" means "without" and "Wen" means "mosquito", so it literally means the "Village without Mosquitoes). Wuwen Village is the ideal summer resort destination.

Xianshui Rock

The Xianshuiyan Scenic Area in Longhushan is located approx. 20 km from downtown Yingtan, Jiangxi Province. Traveling upstream by small boat and downstream by bamboo raft, you can enjoy the strange peaks and blue waves. It is a relaxing and scenic tour. Xianshuiyan is the collective name for Xianyan (Immortal Rock) and Shuiyan (Water Rock). Xianshuiyan is famous for its blue waters and red mountains. The area is filled with strange rocks, where mountains and water complement each other, and attractions are concentrated here. The ten beautiful attractions of Xianshuiyan: Monk and Nun Peak ("Love lasts forever under the Couple Peak"): Also known as Couple Peak, the peak is approx. 200 m high. The front peak resembles a woman's head, and the rear peak has a crack, looking like an injured man leaning on the woman's back. Historically called the Male and Female Rocks, the *Longhushan Annals* record: "The Male and Female Rocks are below Xianyan; the two rocks resemble people standing back-to-back, commonly called the Husband and Wife Rocks." Geologically, Monk and Nun Peak is a residual collapse-type rock peak landscape, formed by long-term erosion from rainwater, weathering, and rockfall. Fairy Peach Rock ("The fairy peach is sweet to the heart"): A protruding rock peak, over 80 m high. Viewed from a distance, it looks like a giant peach with a bite taken out of it. Legend has it that it is the peach Sun Wukong picked from the Flat Peach Garden when he wreaked havoc in Heaven; eating one bite grants 9,000 years of life, making it a folk symbol of longevity. Fairy Peach Rock is a residual collapse-type rock peak landscape formed by rainwater erosion, weathering, and rockfall. Lotus Rock ("A lucky encounter as the stone lotus blooms"): Located next to Fairy Peach Rock, it consists of more than 10 giant rocks shaped like petals arranged in a circle, resembling a blooming lotus. Viewed from a distance, it looks like a lotus in the water, still in the breeze. In the center is a small rock resembling lotus seeds, and next to it is a small rock shaped like a frog, forming a wonderful "Frog Playing with Lotus" scene. Lotus Rock is a small peak cluster landscape formed by the accumulation of rocks that collapsed from higher peaks. Jade Comb Rock ("The jade comb combs the heart, not the hair"): A large rock exposed above the water surface, with several toothed indentations on its surface, shaped like a hair comb. Folklore says it can be used to comb away worries and sorrows from one's heart. Jade Comb Rock is a tooth-shaped landscape formed by rocks that collapsed from the mountain and were eroded by flowing water along joints. Fairy Mushroom Rock ("A fated encounter brings the fairy mushroom"): A rock peak exposed above the water with a protruding round top, approx. 30 m high, looking like a large mushroom standing in the water. Legend has it that it was a gift from the Eight Immortals to Celestial Master Zhang. Fairy Mushroom Rock was formed by long-term river erosion and corrosion, with the base concave to form a ring-shaped groove, making the whole look like a mushroom standing in the water. Stone Drum Peak ("The stone drum sounds silently from beyond the sky"): Also known as Literary Giant Peak, an isolated peak approx. 80 m high stands on the shore, resembling a giant drum. Viewed from the north, it looks very much like the head of Lu Xun, and also like the head of Gorky, hence the name Literary Giant Peak. Daotang Rock ("The Daoist hall brings blessings with the waves"): A mountain rock approx. 60 m high. The side facing the water has formed a large horizontal cave due to river erosion, and the water below is deep and turbulent. Legend has it that Celestial Master Zhang held Daoist rituals here to pray for blessings and safety for passing guests. Cloud Brocade Rock ("Cloud brocade hangs, the colorful gate opens"): A rock peak approx. 100 m high and 300 m long stands by the water. Viewed from a distance, the peak looks like it was split by an axe, dropping vertically with majestic momentum. Its colorful hues resemble a giant cloud brocade shawl. Legend has it that this shawl, woven by the Weaver Girl in heaven, is a colorful gate to the human world; passing through it can bring happiness and good fortune. Many wild birds nest on the top of the shawl, and their white droppings on the red rock wall are quite spectacular. Fairy Rock ("Ascend to the Jade Terrace before the Fairy Rock"): A natural landscape created by heaven and earth, a rock peak approx. 100 m high facing north. These ten beautiful attractions are also known among the people as the "Ten Impossibles," and each one has a moving story passed down.

Luxi River

The Luxi River, a tributary of the Xinjiang River, encircles Longhu Mountain, the birthplace and center of Taoism in China. It connects the red cliff landscapes on both banks, and numerous ancient cliff tombs from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods are scattered on the cliffs around Xianshuiyan. Together with the clear waters and red cliffs, these elements constitute the "three wonders" of Longhu Mountain's natural and cultural landscapes.