Jixinling Scenic Area

A Brief Introduction to Jixinling Scenic Area

Jixinling is a mountain, located on the boarder of Shaanxi Province, Chongqing and Hubei Province. It is also the meeting-point of southwestern China, northwestern China as well as eastern China with an elevation of 1,890 meters. A pillar was erected on the Jixinling as the boarder mark by the State Council in 1996.

Legend of Jixinling Scenic Area

Under the Jixinling mountain is a cave. Salty water comes out of the cave ceaselessly. It is said that the original carpenter-Lu Ban and the very high lord passed this mountain one day. Both of them thought that the salty water should not be wasted, so they swore to diverse the water to the populous area for irrigation. They two bet that the one who made it first would be the teacher of the other one and turned to Avalokitesvara to be their witness.

In the night, they two started the work at the same time. But the very high lord was left behind Lu Ban later, although neither of them had completed their work. Avalokitesvara did not want their relationship break down, so she became a rooster and crowed at once. Lu Ban and the very high lord believed that the day broke and knocked off at the same time. So the mountain was called Jinjiling (Jinji means a golden rooster). Later, people found that the mountain look like a rooster's heart, and changed its name as Jixinling (Jixin means the heart of a rooster).

Attractions of Jixinling Scenic Area

Attractions in Jixinling scenic area are rich in both the natural landscapes and the human landscapes.

Ancient Plank Roads

Jixinling mountain is abundant in steep cliffs and lofty precipices. The local ancestors carved some holes on the cliffs and precipices, and then plugged the woods into the holes, followed by paving with planks. These roads are called plank roads. Today, there are still many relics of plank roads remaining in Jixinling scenic area.

Lovers Peak

It is said that once a young man and a lady went to carry some salts from Sichuan area. On their way there, they were fascinated by the beautiful sceneries here and did not want to move ahead. The immortal match-maker thought them a perfect match and made them marry each other. They two exchanged jade pendants on which the image of the immortal match-maker were engraved and lived a happy life on Jixinling mountain. Later, the two lovers became two peaks and their two jade pendants became two precipices on which the image of immortal match-maker appears, smiling to the passers-by.

Ancient Trenches

Jixinling mountain has always been the vital pass of Shaanxi, Hubei and Chongqing since the ancient times. The leader of peasant uprising army-Zhang Xianzhong in the transitional period of Ming and Qing Dynasties once fought fiercely here. During the war of liberation, the liberation army and Kuomintang armies also once combated here.

Ancient Salt Route

Wuxi County produces salt. Since the ancient times, people living on the boarder of Shaanxi and Hubei must went to Wuxi to buy salts. Gradually, an ancient salt route formed on the Jixinling mountain. This salt toute is praised as the "Southern Silk Route". According to a research, the salt route was originally built in Xia and Shang Dynasties and was prosperous throughout the following dynasties.