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Hengshan Mountain, named the Southern Mountain of the Five Sacred Mountains, is located in Hengyang County, the middle part of Hunan Province. It has 72 peaks and extends 150 kilometers, with 800 miles in circumference. The Huiyan Peak is the south end of the peaks, Yuelu Mountain in Changsha City is the north end, and the Zhurong Peak is the highest, with 1,290 meters above sea level. On the top, the Shaolin Temple and the Watching Sunrise Platform are the best scenic spots.
Besides marvelous temples, the mountain also boasts 9 ponds, 9 wells, 9 pools, 10 caves, 15 rocks, 25 streams and 38 springs, in harmony with green forests and fragrant flowers and grass. Grand, graceful, sequestered and culturally abundant, Hengshan Mountain leads the five sacred mountains by its gracefulness.
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As early as 2,000 years ago, many emperors and celebrities visited Hengshan Mountain and left quite a lot of stone inscriptions of poems, including that of famous poets: Libai, Dufu and Zhuxi. With beautiful scenery and rich cultural heritage, the mountain attracts travelers home and abroad.
The biggest temple in the mountain is the Nanyue Temple, which is the largest group of ancient buildings in Hunan Province, covering an area of 100,000 square meters. Among the temples in the mountain, the Fuyan Temple is known as the nation’s “First Temple of Buddhist Doctrine”, with a maidenhair tree of 1,400 years old; the Nantai Temple has a history of over 1,400 years and is regarded as the origin of a Buddhist branch in Japan; the Tripitaka Temple, famous for its delicacy and enfeoffed Confuian classics, is surrounded by such oddly-shaped ancient trees like Money Tree, Tree of Love, etc., and many historic sites like Shuzhuang Tai and Diaoyu Tai and Yunchun Pavilion. The Fangguang Temple, which is quiet with a forest of ancient trees, and the Water-Screen Cave, which is mysterious, are all spots of interest.
(Source: chinaculture.org)
Bean Curd Mixed with Tender ScallionsTaste: Salty and delicious.