What are the Attractions in Foshan Xijiao Mountain

Foshan Xijiao Mountain Scenic Area is a very famous tourist attraction. There are many tourist resources in the scenic area, and there are many attractions to visit and admire. Next, we will introduce in detail what attractions are in the Xijiao Mountain Scenic Area!

1. Baofeng Temple in Xijiao Mountain

Baofeng Temple in Xijiao Mountain has a history of more than 600 years and is one of the four famous temples in South China. It is a good place for tourism and praying for blessings. Since Buddhism was introduced from the East during the Jin Dynasty, there have been many monks who built temples and spread the Dharma in Xijiao Mountain. In the Ming Dynasty, the temple was very prosperous. Baofeng Temple gained fame thanks to Hui Lian’s efforts in promoting and spreading Buddhism. The temple was built in the year of Jia Shen (1404) of Yong Le reign in Ming Dynasty, and was rebuilt in the year of Ji Hai (1479) in Chenghua reign. Alas, after all the vicissitudes of life during its prime, now only ruins remain.

In recent years, upon the wishes of the society, with the approval of relevant provincial departments, Baofeng Temple in Xijiao Mountain was rebuilt in another location. The new site of Baofeng Temple is located in Shegang, Shipai Village, Xijiao Mountain. The new site is 180 meters long from north to south and 120 meters wide from east to west, covering an area of 21,600 square meters. The main axis of the temple is built with the mountain gate and the Great Buddha Hall. The bell tower, drum tower, Guanyin Hall, Dizang Hall, Wenshu Hall, Puxian Hall are built on both sides respectively. A Living Abbot’s Hall and a monks’ quarters are also built. The building is designed according to the Ming Dynasty style, trying to maintain the architectural style of the original site, making Baofeng Temple elegant and simple.

2. Tianhu Park

Tianhu is a crater lake on the northwest side of Xijiao Mountain. It is surrounded by green peaks on three sides, and the lake water is clear and blue. The ring road around the lake is clean, and the flowers, trees and pavilions around the lake are dotted, with natural scenery. It is a good place for tourists to watch dragons, take a boat and wait for the moon.

On the north side of the lake, a Shuiyuexuan pavilion floats on the water, with eaves reaching for the clouds, and a small boat leaning against it. On the east and west banks, there are buildings with rich national characteristics, such as Baolongting Pavilion, Longzhu Pavilion, Yitian Pavilion, Banyuanting Pavilion, Daiyue Pavilion and Yuanyangge Pavilion. On the east side of the lake, there is a nine-curved bridge crossing the lake, like a jade dragon lying on the waves, or a string on a green plate.

3. Sifang Bamboo Garden

It is a park that integrates many attractions, including Sifang Bamboo, Baofeng Victory Place, Baofeng Temple Ruins, Chunfeng Pavilion, Tea Garden, Tea Flower Garden, Huo Tao’s Concubine’s Tomb, etc.

As soon as you enter the bamboo garden, you can smell the fragrance of bamboo. Sifang Bamboo is a precious ornamental plant under national key protection. It is unique to Xijiao Mountain. If it is moved away from this garden, it will return to a round shape within three years. The Sifang Bamboo is 3 to 4 meters tall and has a square shape with rounded corners. It has a distinct square feel when you hold it. The leaves are narrow and long, with obvious nodes. This kind of bamboo is thinner and shorter than ordinary bamboo. There are many other bamboos in the bamboo garden, such as: Lohan Bamboo, Bodhisattva Bamboo…

After passing through the bamboo forest, you will reach another scenic area in Sifang Bamboo Garden: Tea Garden. There are many tea trees in the tea garden. Some tea trees are short, while others are 5-6 meters tall. The tea trees are full of small lanterns: light green tea fruits. Although they are small and exquisite and look cute, they are bitter and astringent and can only be used to extract tea oil.

4. Nanhai Guanyin Cultural Park

Nanhai Guanyin Cultural Park in Xijiao Mountain is located on the top of Daxian Peak in Xijiao Mountain, with an altitude of 290 meters. It covers an area of about 2 million square meters. The main part of the scenic area consists of archways, screen walls, statues, etc. The scenic area is flanked by Shuangma Peak and Ma’an Peak on the left and right, with the highest peak in Xijiao Mountain, Daxian Peak, behind it. Looking down from Daxian Peak, it perfectly conforms to the “left Qinglong winding, right white tiger subdued, back Xuanwu drooping head, front Zhuque dancing” of the best auspicious site.

The whole scenic area is in the shape of a pyramid, with the highest Nanhai Guanyin bronze statue at 61.9 meters high, implying the meaning of Guanyin’s enlightenment on June 19th. It is the tallest Guanyin statue in the world. The statue is in a sitting posture, with a pearl crown on its head, a halo around its neck, curved eyebrows and red lips, eyes like twin stars, slightly lowered gaze, wearing a celestial robe, a garland, a necklace, a skirt, with kind eyes and gentle eyebrows, sitting peacefully on a lotus platform, looking at all beings, showing the peaceful and solemn, compassionate Dharma form of saving the suffering and helping the poor. The lotus platform of the Guanyin statue has a diameter of 36 meters, with 66 lotus petals embedded in three layers. The interior of the lotus platform is a magnificent five-story hall, displaying numerous Guanyin cultural art pieces and merit forests, etc. The lotus platform is surrounded by water on all four sides, with four bridges leading to it, implying the pure land of the four directions, the virtuous water of the eight directions, and the Buddhist realm of the four sides being the way.

5. Shiyan Rock

Located on the southeast side of Xijiao Mountain, it is an ancient quarry site. From the early Ming Dynasty, many skilled craftsmen have been quarrying rocks here. The Shiyan Rock Scenic Area includes Jingliang Pavilion, Tianchuangge, Shipingfeng, Shiyan Rock, Shici Hall, Yunyan Ancient Temple, Yunyan Waterfall, Donggushi and other attractions.

Shipingfeng is located under Tianchuangge and at the entrance of Shiyan Rock. It is about tens of meters long, about 20 meters high, and only 1 meter wide. Looking straight at it, it is like a green peak unsheathing its sword. Looking sideways, it is like a screen behind the clouds. It is quite majestic. It is a boundary marker left behind by ancient quarry workers. It has now become a spectacular attraction. Shiyan Rock is named after the swallows that live there. Its cave entrance is flat like lips, and it is wide inside. The kiln can accommodate thousands of people. The rock is divided into two layers: the outer cave is dozens of feet high, and the cave walls are full of pearls and dewdrops. Even in the hottest summer, it is still cool. The inner cave stores water into a lake, forming a water cave. The lake water is deep blue and crystal clear. There are yachts on the water for tourists to enjoy the tranquility. There are two huge rocks in the water cave. One is exposed on the water surface, shaped like a car, called “Underwater Car”; the other is submerged in water, shaped like a triumphal arch, called “Seven-color Triumphal Arch”. Its shape is lifelike, which makes people marvel. The water cave waterway is deep and mysterious, there are caves within caves, and skies beyond skies. Many waterways have not been explored yet. The most peculiar thing is that every time after a heavy rain, a layer of white mist will fill the cave, making people feel even more deep and mysterious.

6. Huang Feihong Lion Arts Martial Arts Hall

Located at the foot of Xijiao Mountain in Luzhou Village, the hall is located at the original site of the Huang Clan Ancestral Hall near Huang Feihong’s former residence. The Lion Arts Martial Arts Hall covers an area of 5.23 mu (about 0.35 hectares), with a construction area of 1006 square meters. It was started in 1996 and officially opened on August 15, 1998. The building is rectangular in shape. The main entrance hall has flying eaves and curved corners, which is magnificent, simple and solemn; in the middle of the hall is a bronze statue of Huang Feihong, with the “Baicao Hall” on the right and the “Baozhile” on the left. In the courtyard, on the right side, is the “Guan Dexing Memorial Hall”; on the left side, is the “Huang Feihong Historical Relics Exhibition Hall”; in front, is the “Huang Feihong Apprenticeship Platform”; the middle square is for lion arts and martial arts performances.

Huang Feihong is a master of martial arts and lion arts, whose reputation has spread overseas. He is known for his virtues and skills. His martial arts skills include Invisible Leg, Iron Wire Fist, Subduing Tiger Fist, Golden Thread Arrow, Mother-and-Child Knives, Four Elephant Arrows, Dragon Stick, etc. It is said that when he used these skills, eighteen strong men could not get close to him. Huang Feihong is also a master of the Southern Lion – Waking Lion. He has many tricks that outshine others, such as “Flying Darts Stepping on High Greens”, “Bamboo Ladder Greens”, “Crab Greens”, etc. Huang Feihong’s medical skills and medical ethics are also praised by the world. He opened a pharmacy called “Baozhile”, using “Martial Artist Strength Pills” to treat bruises and injuries, helping others. He was a chivalrous and righteous person all his life, eliminating the wicked and supporting the weak, benefiting the world and cherishing the people. He is deeply respected by the world.

7. Peach Garden

It is the largest ornamental peach garden in the Pearl River Delta. It covers an area of more than 400 mu (about 27 hectares) and has more than 4,000 peach trees of over 100 varieties, many of which are precious varieties. When the peach blossoms are in full bloom, the whole mountain is covered in red, and the scenery is beautiful.

Peach trees on Xijiao Mountain are planted along the hillside. Each hillside has different varieties of peach trees, with red ones as bright as red clouds, and white ones as bright as snow crystals. The most precious one is a kind of white peach blossom called Qingzhi Milun, of which there are only ten trees. They are crystal clear, pure as ice and jade, and their fragrance is intoxicating. They are truly peach blossom fairies.

There is a village called Yunlu Village on the mountain. There is a little-known tomb in the village, which is the tomb of Li Zichang. Li Zichang was a student of Chen Xianzhang, a scholar in the Ming Dynasty. Because Li Zichang was good at calligraphy and painting and did not care about power, he lived in seclusion in the mountains. He was clean and honest, and was respected by the mountain people. Legend has it that Li Zichang’s paintings of fish could swim, his paintings of peanuts were fragrant, his paintings of the moon had light, his paintings of cats could catch mice, his paintings of chickens could lay eggs, and his paintings of beauties’ eyebrows and eyes could convey emotions… The magical legend reflects people’s respect and affection for this folk painter.

8. Cuiyan

Located in the middle of Xijiao Mountain, it is a funnel-shaped canyon that is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. During the Qing Dynasty, painters Li Jian and He Danshan lived in Cuiyan for a long time, writing poems and painting. Their studio and book house were originally on the stone wall. Cuiyan is honored as the birthplace of the Lingnan School of Painting. The main attractions in the scenic area include Wuyeye Well, Cuiyan, Cliff Inscriptions, Hulu Well, Xieyanquan Spring, Li Erqiao Studio Ruins, Biyun Village, Guihua Garden, etc.

To the west of Biyun Peak, there is a long and narrow valley in the shape of a funnel. The two sides are towering cliffs, covered with forest shade, green vines swaying, and the whole valley is lush and green. The entrance is called “Hanmen”, about 20 meters wide. The valley is wide at the entrance and gradually narrows, about 80 meters long. After Hanmen, there are Guyu Valley, Banyuequan Spring, Linxun Wall, Baihuatai Terrace and Longxubao Waterfall. At the bottom of the valley, a rapid waterfall flows down to form a small pool. There are two small springs on top of the pool, one strong and one gentle. The strong one is spraying, while the gentle one is gently flowing down, known as Yin and Yang Water. There is a stepping path beside the pool that leads to the Listening to Waterfall Tower embedded in the cliff. Next to the tower is the Hulu Well, which collects the sweet spring water that leaks from the stone seam. There is a plank road on the side of the cliff that leads to the Exquisite Path, winding its way up beside the waterfall to reach Biyun Village. There are two stone rooms in the valley, which were the places where the Qing Dynasty painters Li Jian and He Danshan lived in seclusion and painted. Li Jian inscribed the four large characters “Natural Painting” on the cliff. He Danshan also inscribed a seven-character quatrain on the wall. There are many cliff inscriptions by Qing Dynasty people on the main wall. The banyan roots on the left cliff of the valley are grabbing the stones like a net, and various exotic flowers and plants are scattered, including mountain camellia, purple-backed leaf-begonia, emerald cloud grass, and stone cypress, all of which are shade-tolerant plants. The whole valley is filled with lush flowers and trees, and the sound of springs never stops, creating a poetic and picturesque atmosphere.

9. Biyu Cave Scenic Area

The Biyu Cave Scenic Area is located in the north of Xijiao Mountain. There are attractions such as Yuanyan Pearl, Yushushile Room, Yuxian Bridge, Dongtianhu Lake, etc. in the cave. Biyu Cave is a valley between peaks. The two sides are rugged rocks, the bottom of the valley is narrow and winding. There are attractions such as Yuanyan Pearl Waterfall, Yushushile Room, Yuxian Bridge, Hanging Cloud Stone, Dongtianhu Lake, etc. in the cave. Among them, Yuanyan Pearl Waterfall is the largest waterfall in Xijiao Mountain. The commercial and tourism industry in Guanshan District has a long history. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, there was a stone road called “Baibuting” (Hundred Steps Ladder) leading directly to the mountain.

10. Baiyun Cave

“If you want to embrace the beauty of Xijiao Mountain, you should first visit Baiyun Cave.” These are the words written by Comrade Dong Biwu in March 1964, when he visited Xijiao Baiyun Cave. He regarded Baiyun Cave as the first of the Xijiao attractions, which shows the importance of Baiyun Cave.

Baiyun Cave is located on the northwest foot of the mountain and is the gathering place of the scenic spots of Xijiao Mountain. Baiyun Cave is a sacred place for Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, divided into three heavens and twenty-four scenes. The main attractions include Kuiguang Tower, Flying Thousand Feet, Sanhu Academy, Zizu Temple, Baiyun Ancient Temple, Yunquan Xianguan, Lianlizhi Banyan Tree, Four-faced Buddha, Linggan Stone, Yangchen Terrace, etc. The “Xijiao Yunpu” (Xijiao Cloud Waterfall) was already listed as one of the “Eight Scenery of Yangcheng” (Eight Scenery of Guangzhou) during the Qing Dynasty. Baiyun Ancient Temple is located on the left side of the entrance to Baiyun Cave in Xijiao Mountain. It is a three-section building, built against the mountain, made of brick and wood, magnificent and grand, with incense smoke floating, chanting morning and evening sutras without ceasing, shadows of candles flickering. It is a pure land for monks. The temple was first built in the second year of Zhengde reign in Ming Dynasty (1507), and was renamed Baiyun Ancient Temple in the second year of Guangxu reign (1876). There is a stone couplet in front of the temple gate: “The long flowing water crosses the crane, old seek the three ancient caves, white clouds are still there, living with plums in one quiet mountain.” In the last century, it was listed as a cultural relic protection unit in Nanhai.

11. Jiulongyan

Jiulongyan Scenic Area is located in the central and southern part of Xijiao Mountain, best representing the natural beauty of mountains and rivers of Xijiao Mountain. Jiulongyan is located in the valley of Longzhao Peak. The two sides are winding stone walls. On the east wall, there are huge stones that naturally form nine holes, connecting each other in a winding way, mysterious and infinite. Wild flowers are shining in the valley, and springs are flowing gently, creating a particularly charming scenery; Jiulongyan Cave is bright on the outside and dark on the inside, winding and connecting, formed by the old volcanic vents being eroded by water and wind. It is said that “Jiulongyan Cave can be drilled through, good luck will live to ninety-nine”.