In today’s developed era, people pay more attention to improving their quality of life. As a result, tourism has become a trend. Many individuals travel not only to relax and enhance their health but also to keep up with trends and strengthen their relationships with themselves and society.
Perhaps due to boredom with the bustling, crowded city life, people often prefer to seek out mountainous and riverside areas to immerse themselves in nature, slow down, and rejuvenate their souls. This is why places with refreshing natural beauty attract a large number of tourists.
Dinghu Mountain Scenic Area.
Dinghu Mountain – A Name Associated with Many Stories
China boasts a scenic area that harmonizes nature with a unique name, famous for its ancient legends. This is the Dinghu Mountain Scenic Area, located in Zhaoqing City (Guangdong), approximately 18 km from the urban center, making it very convenient for locals to visit.
The Dinghu Mountain Scenic Area covers a total area of 11.33 km2, encompassing more than 10 peaks. The highest peak rises over 1,000 meters above sea level, making it the tallest mountain in the Pearl River Delta.
The name Dinghu Mountain has piqued the curiosity of many visitors.
Dinghu Mountain, when translated, means the mountain with a lake on top. Is it really so?
This notion is widely accepted, as locals have passed down tales that there is a lake at the mountain’s summit that never dries up throughout the four seasons.
Three-legged bronze tripod at Dinghu Mountain Scenic Area.
Additionally, there is a story about the mountains at Dinghu related to the legendary Emperor Xuanyuan (also known as the Yellow Emperor, a legendary sovereign and cultural hero of Chinese civilization, considered the ancestor of all Han people. The term ‘Yellow’ here signifies the color gold, representing the Earth element).
According to legend, Emperor Xuanyuan once bestowed a three-legged bronze tripod upon this place, which is how Dinghu got its name.
The Dinghu Mountain Scenic Area is the first national nature reserve in China. The ecological environment here is of high quality. Within the scenic area, there are 2,000 acres of pristine forest, serving as a habitat for countless flora and fauna.
This area is also scientifically referred to as “Natural Air Purification Zone”.
There are thousands of plant species and a large number of wildlife living here. Therefore, Dinghu Mountain is dubbed a “Living Natural Museum.” Moreover, due to the excellent air quality, it is also known scientifically as a “Natural Air Purification Zone.”
A Scenic Area Linked to Buddhist Beliefs
Dinghu Mountain not only boasts its towering mountains and beautiful natural scenery but also serves as a site for scientific research and religious worship.
Since the Tang Dynasty, Dinghu Mountain has been a famous Buddhist sacred site in China. Every year, numerous pilgrims come here to visit and pay homage.
During the reign of Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty, the Khánh Vân Temple was built here. By the time of the Qing Dynasty, the Khánh Vân Temple stood out among the four famous temples in the Lingnan region and was also a significant attraction within the Dinghu Mountain Scenic Area.
Dinghu Mountain is favored by tourists for its warm climate throughout the year. The summer is not harshly hot, and winter remains much warmer than in other regions. This makes it an ideal place to “escape the heat in summer and avoid the cold in winter.”
