Lotus Mountain is a famous mountain in the Pearl River Delta, is located in the Pearl River estuary Lion Ocean, is the high point of the west bank of the Lion Ocean; covers an area of 2.33 square kilometers, the highest peak elevation of 108 meters, 30 kilometers from Guangzhou City, 60 nautical miles away from Hong Kong, land and water transportation is very convenient, is a dissolution of the ancient ruggedness and modern beauty in one of the country's 4A level tourist attractions, Guangdong Province Scenic Spot of Guangdong Province. In 2002, "Lotus Peak Viewing the Sea" was listed as one of the eight scenic spots of Yangcheng in the new century by the Guangzhou Municipal Government. Lotus Hill has a very deep history and culture, it is an old man of history and a witness of Panyu's history of more than 2,200 years. There are many historical and cultural relics in Panyu District, among which the monuments on Lotus Hill are the most concentrated and representative. It has a rare ancient quarry site with a history of more than 2,000 years and the best preserved site in China, the Lotus Pagoda, which was built during the Wanli reign of the Ming Dynasty, the Lotus City constructed during the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty, and the world's tallest foil statue of the Goddess of Mercy built during the Qing Dynasty. Don't miss the chance to visit Lotus Hill when you come to Lingnan.
Regarding the origin of the name of Lotus Hill, there is a mythological story circulating here. It is said that a long time ago, the South China Sea, there is a sin dragon, in the Pearl River estuary, as often flooded fields, subversion of boats, coastal residents suffered from its harm. When the South China Sea Goddess of Mercy traveled to this place, she saw the evil dragon's scourge and the suffering of the people, so she was merciful and threw the lotus flower she was riding on into the water to subdue the evil dragon. This lotus flower is turned into a huge stone, forever in the mountain, became today's Lotus Hill South Heavenly Gate Lotus Stone. Lotus Mountain thus named.
Lotus Mountain consists of 48 red sandstone low mountains, is the geographic structure of Danxia landform. As the saying goes, "the mountain is not high, if there is a fairy, it is spiritual". Lotus Mountain, a small mountain transformed into a lotus platform by Guanyin Bodhisattva, is indeed extraordinary. It is strange, special, strange. Show, spirit attracts the crowd of admirers from all directions. Lotus Hill's red sandstone stone quality, high density, fine sand, the ancients used it as a sharpening stone, so Lotus Hill is also known as "Shitengang". These red sandstone is also a good material for wall foundation. According to expert appraisal, built more than 2,100 years ago, the tomb of the King of South Vietnam, the tomb masonry of the 12 kinds of stone, there are 8 kinds of Lotus Hill. The stones mined here in those years were transported to Xianggang Mountain in Guangzhou by water. Lotus Hill is located on the shore of the Lion's Ocean, and back then, the stones were transported to Guangzhou City along the Pearl River by ships. Since the Western Han Dynasty, successive generations of ancestors in the mining of stone here, therefore, in the eastern part of the mountain formed winding for miles of stone forests and caves, leaving behind countless majestic red sandstone cliffs, peaks and pillars, forming a rare "artificial unintentional heavenly work" of the Lotus Hill Stone Scenic Spot. Here, the stone wall is steep, such as axe cutting knife, stone wall brazing marks, chisel stains in the eye. Placed in the ancient quarry, as if into the history, ears from time to time as if the sound of chiseling jingdang, the pioneers of the arduous and adventurous hanging operation of the scene and emerged in front of us. Tour Lotus Hill ancient quarry, visitors can not help but see the Swallow Rock, Eagle Cliff, Guanyin Rock, Lion Rock these attractions. Because they are the typical representative of the Lotus Hill rock scene in a thousand different forms.
Swallow Rock is the essence of the ancient quarry. Area cliffs, boulders across the sky, or the formation of a line of bird paths, or the formation of a cave deep hole, half out of artificial, half as heavenly, majestic, imposing. From the cliff upward look up, only to see the four sides of the cliff face to face, the peaks stand out, the vast sky is shrunk into a side of the patio, Saga boulder shaking, shocking soul, the God shakes his head. In the Swallow Rock Scenic Spot, listen to the sound of water dripping from the rock, and watch the swallows hovering and fluttering, moving in the stillness, picturesque. Climbing plants on the rocks, like a green wall, when the turn of spring and summer, flowers bloom, like a colorful watercolor painting. With its beautiful scenery and mountainous landscape, it has become the preferred location for many movie and TV directors.
These strange shapes of the giant rock, some like a knife like, the section is very flat; some of the walls are deep, like a huge shrine; there are also some standing in the water, pointing straight to the blue sky, like a giant pillar of the sky. These are not the work of nature, but the ancestors axe chiseled and chopped into. Ancient stonemasons used very simple, crude tools, but they are very smart, and experienced, they according to the texture of the stone towards the rock to play three stone eyes, in turn, knocking the chisel, the stone will be along the texture of the blast break. Thousands of years have passed, so far the texture on the stone wall is still clearly discernible, the degree of weathering is extremely low, visible on this mountain of red sandstone stone how hard.
Through the Meiying Cave, came to Baifu Gallery. Standing in the corridor and looking out, a wall of stone face to face, carved with 100 words of blessing, neatly arranged, each word of blessing in different fonts. Taking photos here will surely make you with the hundred blessings.
Guanyin Rock was originally a stone quarry left behind the stone room, in the Lotus Hill, like Guanyin Rock, there are many stone rooms. Guanyin Rock was originally a nunnery, enshrining Guanyin Bodhisattva, the hall looked up, vaguely visible stone wall with "Yongzheng seven years" characters, but have not yet found the origin of the four words.
Lion Rock, located at the eastern foot of Lotus Hill. A stone like a lion, perched on the cliffs, facing the east, as if roaring toward the mouth of the Pearl River, so Lotus Hill is also known as the "Lion Mountain", in front of the Pearl River section is known as the Lion Ocean. According to archaeologists analysis, Lotus Hill was just a small island on the sea, millions of years in the past, the sea receded, land uplift, Lotus Hill became land hills, the sea floor also became land. Lion Rock was originally a small island on the edge of a rock, millions of years by the waves and sea winds continue to beat, erosion, weathering into today's shape. It is like a loyal guardian of Lotus Hill, guarding Lotus Hill day and night. It is also the best witness to the changes of Lotus Mountain.
Through the deep Flying Eagle Tunnel, you come to the Flying Eagle Cliff. Flying Eagle Cliff landscape and Swallow Rock one on one, just the opposite, on the cliff with the railings far away, only to see the strata across the countryside, hectares of good land, the vast Pearl River, meandering eastward, the scenery of the southern part of the country, as far as the eye can see. Look back and look down, but see a branch pointing to the sky, stalagmites, towering out of the stone screen in the past. The formation of these landscapes is more than 2000 years, generations of ancestors continue to split the mountain to take the stone, a chisel and a brazier "carved" and become. Really "artificial unintentionally wins the work of God", who would not have thought that there will be such a wondrous work of art.
Lotus Pagoda stands on the main peak of Lotus Hill, was built in the Ming Dynasty Wanli forty years (1612), has a history of nearly 400 years, is a provincial cultural relics protection units. Lotus Pagoda outside 9 layers, inside 11 layers, outside the octagonal, brick and wood structure, with a spiral staircase, can reach the top of the tower. There are doorways of different sizes and shapes on each floor of the tower. With a height of 50 meters, the pagoda is the highest point on Lotus Hill. Since ancient times, the ships from Lingtingyang into the Pearl River, are to Lotus Tower as a beacon into Guangzhou, so there is a "provincial capital of the Chinese watch" reputation.
Lotus Pagoda has been through the vicissitudes of life, the fall of Guangzhou in 1938, was subjected to Japanese artillery bombardment. In 1981 and 1997, with the financial support of Hong Kong and Macao compatriots, the Lotus Pagoda was rebuilt. Climbing the Lotus Pagoda, you can see the Lion Ocean in the distance, with a vast expanse of smoky waves. In the past, the starting point of the Maritime Silk Road on the route of the kind of thousands of sails and barges competing for the busy scene seems to reappear in front of your eyes.
In the northeast corner of the Lotus Hill, there is a castle, which is a patriotic educational base in Guangzhou "Lotus City". The castle was built in the Qing Dynasty Kangxi three years (1664). Area of more than 10,000 square meters, the city for irregular oval, inside and outside the walls are made of stone and brick, more than 10 meters high. The castle is situated in a dangerous position, standing on high ground, controlling Humen in the distance and Lion's Ocean in the near future, so it is said that "the castle is defending the mountain". Since the Kangxi years, this has been a military defense camp, January 26, 1841 British troops occupied Hong Kong, 27th Yilu here to coerce Qishen to recognize, Qishen did not dare to promise. One year and seven months later, the Qing government and the British signed the Treaty of Nanjing, Hong Kong was officially ceded.
The towering walls of Lotus City and the battlements on the wall still maintain their original appearance. Climbing up the walls, you can look out over the Huangpu harbor of Guangzhou to the north and Dongguan city to the east. Inside the city, there are trees and military tents, which are divided into the Exhibition Hall of the Eight Banners Army, the Exhibition Hall of Lotus City in its original form, the Council Hall, the General's Tent, the Husband and Wife's Tent, and the Entertainment Tent, etc., which show visitors in detail about the establishment of the Eight Banners Army of the Qing Dynasty. There are also dressed in red plume uniforms of the Qing Dynasty generals lined up outside the gate, so that visitors recall when the Minister Lin Zexu garrisoned in this defense, the iron cannon head, steel guns reflecting the sun, flags hunting the magnificent and majestic scene.
From the Lotus Pagoda into the Guanyin Sacred Realm, straight and wide Chaojing Avenue has been extended to a green stone paved plaza, a solemn appearance, kind face and good eyes, golden light dazzling look at the sea Guanyin statue stood in the center of the square. Raise your eyes to look up, blue sky in a white cloud floating in the sky, set off the Goddess of Mercy seems to be flying clouds, colorful haze body. Guanyin statue height of 40.88 meters, with 120 tons of bronze casting, outside the pure gold 180 two, is currently the world's highest foil Guanyin bronze statue. Guanyin statue facing southeast, looking at the vastness of the Lion Ocean, "looking at the sea Guanyin" hence the name.
Guanyin beautiful modeling, dignified and benevolent demeanor, very good men and women and tourists respect. Every Guanyin's birthday or the first day of the lunar calendar, the fifteenth and major festivals in the evening, under the spotlight, Wanghai Guanyin will release ten thousand channels of golden light, shining for miles around, the formation of Xia Phi Lion Sea, glossy southern sky of the auspicious atmosphere. Wang Hai Guanyin was built and opened on October 23, 1994 by Ho Hau Wah, with the support of the Ho Yin Social Welfare Foundation and various people. Every year on the twenty-sixth day of the first month of the lunar calendar and the ninth day of the ninth month of the Chinese New Year friends at home and abroad flocked to, shoulder to shoulder, unprecedented.
Located next to the Guanyin chamber statue of the Guanyin Pavilion majestic and solemn, magnificent, ancient, built in October 20, 1997 (Lunar Calendar September 19 Guanyin Festival). Guanyin Pavilion is a piece of architectural art, with fine materials, handmade fine, all wood carvings in the pavilion, including windows and doors, arches, shrines, offerings, etc. are made of valuable mahogany: floor tiles are specially developed antique step bricks, walls are all water-worn bricks of the old material, the Pavilion is decorated with 3,362 finely depicted smallpox algae wells. Guanyin Pavilion construction area of 3872 square meters, the hall is grand, the collection and enshrines a variety of shapes of jade, wood carving, copper casting, color porcelain Guanyin statue **** 1000, is a veritable "thousands of Buddha Pavilion". The first floor of the main hall in the middle of the thousand hands and thousand eyes of Guanyin, carved from balsam camphor wood, like 12 meters high, sitting cross-legged, serene appearance. Thousand years of thousand eyes means a vast and complete and unobstructed universalization of all sentient beings. While the Thousand-Armed Goddess of Mercy in general temples has only 42 arms, this Goddess of Mercy in the main pavilion has literally a thousand arms and a thousand eyes, so interested tourists may want to count them themselves. The first floor on both sides of the mountain wall on the platform, were enshrined in 18 different forms of wood carving Guanyin incarnation, is based on the image of Chinese Buddhism "36 Guanyin", drawing on the essence of the Guanyin styling art of the carving from the past generations, they are dignified, playful, kindly form, greatly shortening the distance between man and God. Guanyin Pavilion on both sides of the second floor for the bronze casting of Guanyin standing statue, like 1.7 meters high, **** 18. Among them are the Thirteen Transfigured Goddess of Mercy and the Goddess of Mercy Delivering Sons. Travelers who want to give birth to a child may wish to touch the Guanyin, which is the only one in this room for touring down to touch the statue of Buddha. Guanyin Pavilion, the third floor, in the middle of the alabaster Guanyin Buddha statue, 2.5 meters high, is the treasure of the Guanyin Pavilion. Arranged on both sides of the different forms, sacred and gracious 18 colored porcelain Guanyin standing statue. Guanyin Pavilion all levels have a corridor, is the best viewing platform, look out over the fence, the Pearl River Estuary scenery can be seen, the wind blowing to send cool, hustle and bustle is dispersed. In front of the Guanyin Pavilion is a large garden, a three-storey pilgrimage pavilion and the Guanyin Pavilion echo each other. In the garden, there is a 6-meter-long stone turtle in the release pond, and there are five lively and lovely small stone turtles on the back of the turtle and next to it, which represent "Fortune", "Luck", and "Longevity" respectively, "The big turtle means "big life". It is said that if you hit the head of the turtle with a coin, you will have good luck. On the east and west lawns of the pool, there are giant "Buddha" and "Namo Amitabha" characters made of flowers. The overall environment of the garden is integrated with the Guanyin and Guanyin Pavilion, full of rich Buddhist atmosphere.
There are two main flower-related festivals in Lotus Mountain, the famous Lotus Festival and Peach Blossom Festival. Lotus Mountain tourist area every year from June to August in the Guanyin Sacred territory are held on a grand scale Lotus Festival. At that time, more than 4000 tanks and 100 varieties of lotus flowers decorate the whole Guanyin Sacred Land more gorgeous and holy. The lotus flower is a beautiful holy flower that stands out from the mud and is not tainted. Among the many varieties on display, there is no lack of superb products selected from all over the country, which is a rare lotus event. Every Spring Festival, thousands of peach blossoms blossom in the Lotus Mountain Guanyin Sacred Realm and the Peach Blossom Garden under the Lotus Pagoda in spring, with beautiful purples and reds, which is breathtakingly beautiful. This is the annual Peach Blossom Festival on Lotus Mountain. The size of the peach blossom, seemingly delicate, but can be proud of the wind and frost, to bring people infinite spring.