Mingyan, located in the northeastern part of the ‘Hanyan Dongtian’ within the mountain’s belly, is well-known for its ‘three victories’: first, the ‘Five Hidden Horses’; second, the ‘Mantis Fishing for Toad’; and third, the ‘Monk Carrying Taoist’. The entire Mingyan area boasts at least forty to fifty scenic spots if observed meticulously. To the east of the valley entrance, one can find ‘Lion Mountain’ on the left and ‘Elephant Mountain’ on the right.
Not far from the valley entrance, there are attractions such as the Yellow Dog Plateau, Bell and Drum Rocks, Eight-Inch Pass, Harmony Stone, and the Three-Eyed Spring (also known as the Sea-Connecting Pond). To the north of the Three-Eyed Spring, one can find the ‘Stone Monster Rock Ming’ cliff carvings and small stone bridges, among others. On the northern cliffs of Mingyan, there are caves such as Chu Lai Cave, Chaoyang Cave, and Tiger Cave. The Chu Lai Cave features a natural rock drawing of a fox fighting a rooster on its eyebrow rock, and inside the cave, there is a ‘Dharma Ancestor Western Shadow’, which is the former site of the Qiluo Nan Bao Lun Poetry Society during the Qing Dynasty. Chaoyang Cave has now been expanded into Chaoyang Hermitage, which is very quiet and refreshing. In the middle section of Mingyan, atop the peak, one can find the ‘Golden Orange Cave’, and at the base of the peak, there is a large rock drawing of ‘White Horse Going West’, with a modern shrine dedicated to Han Shan Zi in the cave temple at the base of the mountain. Near the southern part of the middle section mountain, apart from the ‘Five Horse Shadows’, there is also the ‘Clear Sky Falling White Rain’. On the mountaintop, there is a cascading waterfall known as ‘Mingyan Waterfall’, which can only be seen during the spring rain or thunderstorm seasons. The western section is the deeper and more secluded part of Mingyan, with attractions such as ‘Stone Hall Alley’, ‘Clapping Hands Rock’, ‘One-Fan Heaven’, ‘Uphill Carp’, and ‘Uphill Crucian Carp’. [Five Hidden Horses] On the rock wall south of the ‘Han Shi Er Da Shi Memorial Tower’ in Mingyan. This rock wall, approximately 8 meters high and 5 meters wide, is as flat as a cut surface. The traces of the five horses on the wall, each with a different posture, are caused by rock patterns, water stains, and moss, yet people prefer to believe that they are the remnants left by the Taizhou Governor Lu Qiu Yin leading five swift riders chasing Han Shan Zi. [Mantis Fishing for Toad] Next to the ‘Five Horse Shadows’, there is a towering peak, standing tall and resembling a cylindrical pillar, over 40 meters high and more than 20 meters in circumference, with no access to the top. From a distance, it looks like a mantis standing upright with its pincers curled up. There used to be an ancient vine hanging from the old tree on the peak to the ground, connecting to a large rock shaped like a three-legged toad (ancient name for toad) lying at the base of the pillar peak, hence the name ‘Mantis Fishing for Toad’. Unfortunately, this ancient vine was cut down four or five decades ago.Mingyan Ancient Temple
Mingyan, located in the northeastern part of the ‘Hanyan Dongtian’ within the mountain&#[...]
