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Chinese Name: 衡山
English Name: Mount Heng; Hengshan Mountain; Nanyue Mountain
Location: Hunan
Type: Ancient culture and art
Rating Level: AAAAA (5A)
Website: http://www.nanyue.net.cn/#/home
Brief Introduction
Mount Heng, also known as Nanyue Mountain 南岳, Shouyue Mountain 寿岳, and Nanshan Mountain, is one of the “Five Mountains” in China. It is located in the southeast of central Hunan Province 湖南, China, and stretches between Hengyang Basin 衡阳盆地 and Xiangtan Basin 湘潭盆地. The main part is located in Nanyue District, Hengshan County, and the east of Hengyang County 衡阳县 of Hengyang City 衡阳市.
Hengshan Mountain is a famous Taoist 道教 and Buddhist 佛教 holy land in China. There are more than 200 temples, temples, nunneries, and temples around the mountain. In ancient times, Hengshan Mountain was a place where emperors, Yao 尧, and Shun 舜 hunted and sacrificed to the state, and where Yu 禹 killed horses and sacrificed them to heaven and earth for flood control.
Mount Heng’s God is Zhu Rong 祝融, the god of fire worshipped by the people. He was appointed by the Yellow Emperor 黄帝 to guard Hengshan Mountain, teach people to use fire, and cultivate all things. After his death, he was buried in the Chidi Peak of Hengshan Mountain and was honored as the Holy Emperor of Nanyue by the local people.
In 1982, Mount Heng Scenic Area was included in the first batch of national key scenic spots; In February 2006, Hengshan was included in the first batch of national natural and cultural heritage lists; In May 2007, Hengshan Scenic Area was rated as one of the first national 5A tourist attractions; In August 2007, Hengshan Mountain was listed as a national nature reserve.
What are worth visiting and seeing？
Architectures
Zhurong Peak 祝融峰 is the highest peak of Mount Heng and the peak commemorating Zhu Rong’s human ancestor in China. “The height of Zhurong Peak” is the first of the “four wonders” of Nanyue scenery. Because of the setting off of perennial smoke and clouds, the superimposition of peaks, and the fact that it stands in the relatively low-lying southern Hunan basin, it is even more precipitous. In the old saying, “Zhu” means lasting forever, “Rong” means bright, and “Zhu Rong” means bright forever.
Climbing the “Heavenly Steps” can directly reach Zhurong Hall at the top of Zhurong Peak, which is built to commemorate the merits and virtues of Zhurong Fire God. There were buildings before the Sui Dynasty 隋朝. The earliest one was King Sitian Huo Temple. The rear temple was moved to the foot of the mountain (the predecessor of Nanyue Temple), and it was renamed Tianchi Temple 天尺庵. It was Kaiyun Temple 开云祠 in the Ming Dynasty, and it was renamed Zhurong Temple only during the reign of Emperor Qianlong in the Qing Dynasty.
The whole hall is divided into two parts, all of which are made of granite stone. The roof of the hall is covered with 70 cm long, 30 cm wide, and 15 kg weight tin tiles. Among these tiles, there are also dozens of iron tiles that have been cast in the Song Dynasty and are smooth and stainless for thousands of years.
Tianzhu Peak 天柱峰 is one of the 72 peaks of Hengshan Mountain, with an altitude of 1061 meters. It is located in Yanshou Village, Nanyue Town. Looking up at the peaks from the foot of the mountain, you can see a peak, and there are two peaks above it, like two columns sticking into the sky. The Qifeng Peak is named Tianzhu Peak because it is tall and straight, looks like a pillar, and feels like supporting heaven and earth.
Huiyan Peak 回雁峰 is the first of the 72 peaks of Mount Heng 800 miles away, so it is called the first peak of Nanyue Mountain. With an altitude of 96.8 meters and a total area of 6.32 hectares, it is located on the bank of Xiangjiang River 湘江 in Yanfeng District, Hengyang City. It is a municipal key cultural relics protection unit and a national AAA tourist attraction.
There are two legends about the name of the peak. One is that the wild geese from the north and the south come here to spend the winter and return in the warm spring of the next year; The second said: The mountain looks like a wild goose stretching its neck and head, stretching its feet and wings to fly.
Biological resources
The wild animal resources in the Mount Heng area are increasing year by year. There are typical subtropical forest irrigation, grassland, and farmland fauna in the eastern hilly plain sub-region of Central China in the Oriental region. By 2017, there are 64 families and 186 species of animals in the area, including 33 species of mammals, 104 species of birds, and 49 species of amphibians. 1835 species of insects have been recorded. The first class protected species under national key protection are the yellow-bellied horned pheasant and pangolin.
As of 2013, 266 families, 973 genera, and 2149 species (including subspecies) of higher plants have been recorded in the Hengshan area, including 48 families, 101 genera and 152 species of bryophytes, 35 families, 71 genera, and 221 species of pteridophytes (including subspecies), and 1776 species of seed plants (including subspecies), belonging to 801 genera and 183 families.
