Tianzhu Mountain
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Mount Tianzhu
Mount Tianzhu is one of the three most famous mountains in Anhui Province, together with Yellow Mountain and Mt. Jiuhua. Located in Qianshan, Anqing, Anhui Province, the mountain is a branch of Dabie Mountains and well known for its great number of peaks, caves and rare rocks, as well as the beautiful environment with fresh air and numerous green plants. It also features rich cultural relics such as steles carved with the calligraphies of famous people in ancient times, such as Libai, an outstanding poet of the Tang Dynasty (618~907). It is the perfect place for outdoor activities such as climbing mountains, admiring peculiar peaks and a sea of clouds, exploring mysterious caves, and splashing about in the water. Here below are some of the major sites one should not miss: Tianzhu Peak With an elevation of 4,887.7 feet (1989.8 meters), Tianzhu Peak is the highest peak in the scenic area. It is named "Tianzhu", literally meaning Heavenly Pillar, because it looks like a giant pillar piercing the sky. The peak is renowned for its steepness, for it is extremely difficult to climb. So far, only two visitors have reached its top. Under Tianzhu Peak, there is a lower peak separated from the main peak. The peak is less than 30 feet (9.1 meters) high, and resembles a blooming flower, so it is named the Flower Peak. Penglai Island It is actually a mountain peak, too, named as "island" because it is surrounded by cliffs on three sides, resembling an island floating in the air. Located to the left of the Flower Peak, it is said to be the place where celestial beings lived in ancient times, since there are old trees and green vines binding together, as well as mist floating around all the time. Its elevation is about 4,430 feet (1,350 meters).
Tianzhu Mountain Scenic Area
One of the first batch of the country's key scenic spots National civilized forest park National 4A-level tourist area As the source of Anhui - Tianzhu Mountain is also known as the Wan Mountain. It is located within the boundaries of Qianshan County, Anhui province of China. The highest peak is called "Tianzhu Peak", because it's like a giant pillar soaring into the sky and the literal meaning of "Tianzhu" in Chinese, hence the name of the mountain. In 106 BC, Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty named Tianzhu Mountain as "the Southern Mountain" after he had ascended it. The name was then abolished by the Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty, though people still call it "Ancient Southern Mountain". What's more, it was the fief of the country "Wan" in Chun-Qiu Period. The Mountain was called Mountain Wan and the river was called River Wan. So "Wan" is a short name for Anhui Province. The main scenic area covers 82.46 square kilometers divided into eight major scenic areas. In these areas, peaks are all magnificent, stones are all odd, caves are tranquil, and rivers are all elegant. It's also rich in man-made scenery. The mountain not only has the majesty of the northern mountains but also the elegance of the southern mountains. Tainzhu Mountain was listed as one of the first batch of the country's key scenic areas in 1982, later was listed as the national forest park in 1992. There are many famous landscapes such as Mysterious Valley named "the country's No.1 secret place of granite caves", Third Patriarch Temple of the third generation Chan patriarch, the world marvelous sight- ancient boulder hole and cliff carvings and the drift of Qian River called the first drift of Jianghuai. It was the place where the story "peacocks flying to the southeast" occurred that makes you lost in wild and fanciful thoughts. You will understand the connotation of "cut a bold and successful figure" when you come to the rouge well where sisters of Joes fixed their hair and clothes in dynasty of Three Kingdoms. This area not only has a strong appeal to many famous men of literature and writing such as Wang Anshi, Su Shi and Huang Tingjian, but also is the hometown of the founder of Beijing Opera Cheng Changgeng, the famous writer of traditional Chinese novels-Zhang Henshui ,the acrobatic queen-Xia Juhua and the new star of Huangmei Opera -Han Zaifen. The natural landscape of Tianzhu Mountain is stunning. Every Peak is odd, every stone is queer, every cave is tranquil, and every river is elegant. The great poet of the Tang Dynasty Bai Juyi once praised the scenery in one of his poems: "the heavenly pillar reaches the sun and the moon and the cave that's thousands of feet wide blocks thunders." The famous poet Li Bai also said that: "After my alchemy is finished successfully, I want to become a recluse in the mountain." Su Dongpo once said that: "I love the local conditions and customs of Shu State best of all my life, I want to be a recluse here when I am old." They all considered the mountain as an ideal residing place .So you can see its unusual fascination. The mountain has the magnificent pillar-like shape and 45 marvelous peaks. It is also rich in exotic pine trees, queer stones, flowing waterfalls, valleys, tranquil caves, strategic passes and old forts. The third-largest artificial alpine lake "Alchemy Lake" is also located in this area. The eyes cannot take it all in -- too many things for the eyes to see and too many beautiful things to be absorbed all at once.
Tianzhu Mountain World Geopark
The vicinity of the earth’s 30th parallel north is sometimes referred to as “the umbilical cord” of the earth, as many wonderful and mysterious geographic and cultural phenomena happen to occur along this line of latitude. World-famous rivers like the Nile, the Euphrates, the Mississippi, the Yangtze, etc. flow into the sea. Mount Everest, the world’s highest, and the Marianas, the deepest ocean trench, both rest here. Among others are the Pyramids, the Maya Civilization, the Sahara Grand Desert, the Dead Sea, the Bermuda Triangle, the Qiantang River Tidal Bore, ruins of the Sanxingdui Culture, etc. A few of China’s most famous mountains – Mount Huangshan, Mount Lushan, Mount Ermeishan, and Mount Tianzhushan – are also located on this belt. In 2011, Tianzhu Mountain was designated as a member of the UNESCO Global Geopark Network and won the title of “Tianzhushan World Geopark”. Its designation was based on the UNESCO’s recognition of Tianzhu Mountain’s outstanding value in recording the geological changes that had occurred to this region. Tianzhu Mountain stands on the southeast of the Dabie Mountain orogenic belt which lies between the North China Craton and the Yangtze Craton. Millions of years’ geological movements such as faulting, rupturing, water and wind erosion, have contributed to the majestic and marvelous landforms. Tianzhu Mountain is internationally recognized as the most important source of Paleontological vertebrate fossils and the origin of rodents in China. Fossils of nearly 50 species of ancient vertebrates living about 60 million years ago have been unearthed at around a dozen localities. Several of the mammalian fossils discovered in the Tianzhushan Geopark are unique species in Asia, such as Mesonychidae pseudictopidae, lycaeidae, Eurymylidae and Mimotona wana. All these are displayed at a Tianzhushan Geopark Museum.
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1 Tianzhu Mountain Geopark in southeast China's Anhui Province becomes the newest addition to UNESCO's Global Geopark Network (GGN).
2 Tianzhu Mountain is a famous cultural mountain used to be South Holy Mountain crowned by Emperor Wudi of Han Dynasty.
3 In Anhui province, Tianzhu Mountain is also a taoist mountain as famous as Jiuhua Mountain and Huangshan Mountain, another famous UNESCO World Heritage Site.