Jinfo Mountain

Jinfo (Gold Buddha) Mountain is a scenic area of the national grade in Nanchuan county, which covers an area of 441 square kilolmeters. Jinfo Mountain is noted for three prominent features in its natural scenery.

Three Features of Jinfo Mountain

The first feature is its dense and deep forests with many rarely found plants. There exist 5,099 kinds of different subtropical plants in there forests, of them four rare species are best known: the cathaya argyrophyllla, the square bamboo, the queen azalea, and the broad leaf tea. 538 kinds of animals live here, of which the first class national grade protected animals include the spotted leopard, the south China tiger, the white crested crane, the presbytis fran Coisi, and the red breasted jiao pheasant.

The second feature is the variety of scenery in different seasons. In spring the mountain slopes are covered with blossoming azalea, in summer a sea of bamboos offer a cool and quiet place, in the fall the red maple leaves paint the mountains red, and in winter the mountains and forests are shrouded with a giant blanet of white snow.

The third feature is the fantastic combination of mountains, rivers, forests, springs and caves. Each appears more attractive in the company of the other. Over 80 scenic spots have been developed in this area, including Yanyun Cave, Dabao Cave, Laolong Cave, Shiban Valley, the Giant Reclining Buddha, the Lesser Stone Forest. Chuifeng Peak, Muzi Peak, the Hawk's Beak Rock, Yinping Peak, Shiren Peak, Yankou Waterfall and Longtan Valley.

History and Culture of Jinfo Mountain

This area is rich in historical sites and cultural relics. On the northern slope of the mountain, the Longyan Castle on Liangfeng Peak is the site of an ancient battlefield, like the Fishing City in Hechuan County. The present gate to the castle still standing there was built in the 1910s. On the face of a cliff about 30 meters below the castle gate is an inscription about the battle in 1259 agianst the Mongolian army. Though worn by the long years, the characters are still recognizable.

By the Longyan River in the northern part of the mountain there are three hot springs in a straight line, known as the Three Springs. In 1939 Chiang Kai-shek had a bath and a special bridge built for Madame Chiang. The original structures were ruined and the present ones are resent copies of the original. There are also some ruins of ancient temples built in the Ming and Qing Dynasty.

The northern foot of Jinfo Mountain is about 20 kilometers from the urban area of Nanchuan. Leading to the top of Jinfo Mountain there is a suspended cableway system on the northern slope, and a road on the southern slope, but no easy access on the western slope. However, the scenery is especially marvelous on the western slope, which makes the western route a favorite choice for mountain climbers, explorers and tourists.