Wuxiang Mountain Scenic Area, nestled in the new south urban area of Lishui District, Nanjing, is a haven for nature lovers and urban dwellers seeking respite. Easily accessible via the Nanjing Metro Line S7, which has a dedicated Wuxiang Mountain Station, this scenic area is a gem in the heart of the city.
The area is a tapestry of peaks, including Ducheng Mountain, Wuxiang Mountain, Longming Mountain, and Zhujian Mountain, covering a total area of approximately 3 square kilometers, with a core area of 2.5 square kilometers. The average altitude hovers around 100 meters, with the highest point of Ducheng Mountain reaching an impressive 210 meters. Boasting a forest coverage rate of 95.6%, it is no surprise that in 2015, Wuxiang Mountain was designated as a national forest park, followed by its recognition as a demonstration area for ecological tourism in Jiangsu Province in 2017. By 2020, it had earned the prestigious rating of a national 3A-level tourist scenic area.
Wuxiang Mountain is an ideal destination for those looking to immerse in ancient charm, relax on vacation, or engage in outdoor sports. The phrase “Mountain springs and waterfalls, bamboo seas nestled by clouds” aptly describes the area’s natural beauty. It is a place where mountains and lakes abound, with ancient sites scattered throughout, and green forests and bamboo groves that are truly majestic.
The scenic area is home to over 10 lakes of varying sizes, such as Tianchi Lake, Wuxiang Lake, and Longming Pond, as well as breathtaking pine forest and bamboo sea landscapes. The biodiversity is equally impressive, with 328 species of wild animals, including macaques and wild boars, across 29 orders and 90 families, and 557 species of plants within 121 families and 378 genera, including zelkova trees and liquidambar trees.
For those concerned with air quality, Wuxiang Mountain delivers, with a daily average value of sulfur dioxide at 0.003 milligrams per cubic meter and inhalable particulate matter averaging at 0. This makes it not only a beautiful destination but also a healthy one.
Whether you’re seeking tranquility, adventure, or a connection with nature, Wuxiang Mountain Scenic Area offers a rich and diverse experience that is hard to match in the Nanjing area.Wuxiang Mountain has been known as ‘the first scenic spot in Lishui’ since ancient times. ‘The mountain is named after Wuxiang Temple, and the temple is surrounded by a truly strange landscape in the mountains’. The ancient Wuxiang Temple was built in the Six Dynasties. During the Xianchun period of the Song Dynasty, there were nearly a thousand monks in the temple. The name Wuxiang comes from the Buddhist scripture ‘Mahāmegha-sūtra without thoughts’. Later, Wuxiang Mountain was also named after it. In the Yuan Dynasty, Wuxiang Mountain was once named Longming Mountain. In history, literati and refined scholars such as Han Xizai, Cui Zhiyuan, Zhou Bangyan, Zhou Lianggong, Tao An, Lin Gudu, and Yuan Mei all once traveled to Wuxiang Mountain and left many literary works. Among them are ‘Man Ting Fang – Written in Wuxiang Mountain, Lishui in Summer’ written by Zhou Bangyan, a famous ci poet in the Northern Song Dynasty when he was the magistrate of Lishui County, and ‘Record of Traveling to Longming Mountain’ written by Tao An, a grand scholar in the early Ming Dynasty, as well as the cliff carvings of Fengquan, Danding, and Wuzunming engraved by Wang Congshan, the magistrate of Lishui County in the Ming Dynasty. At present, with the ancient Wuxiang Temple as the core, the scenic area has initially formed three major areas: the landscape around Tianchi Lake, the water entertainment in Wuxiang Lake, and the rural leisure in Muxingu. It is a veritable ‘back garden of Nanjing’ and is like a fairyland on earth. Mountains and waters follow the heart, and nature is without thoughts. 03 milligrams per cubic meter.Wuxiang Mountain in Nanjing is actively developing six themed tourist trails to enhance the visitor experience. These trails include:
1. The ecological rural trail along the Zhushui Path.
2. The Wuxiang tracing trail along the Chanji Road.
3. The sports and leisure trail along the Baihu Road.
4. The Zen cultivation and mind-cultivating trail along the Wuxiang Road.
5. The cultural remembrance trail along the Hundred Steps Ladder.
6. The poetry and literature trail along the Caizi Road.
These trails effectively connect various landscape nodes, such as Liyuan, Cherry Blossom Valley, Dan Dang Stone, Wild Boar Forest, Yunhe Pavilion, Nostalgia Platform, Qin Hu Gang, Caizi Land, Mei Cheng’s Thatched Cottage, and Han Xizai’s Reading Platform. This makes Wuxiang Mountain the first ‘zero-pressure’ tourist destination in Jiangnan.
Wuxiang Mountain is open to the public all year round from 09:00 to 17:00. The favorable policies for admission are as follows:
– **Children**: Free admission for children aged 6 years (inclusive) or under 1.4 meters (inclusive).
– **Minors**: Half-price admission for minors aged between 6 years (exclusive) and 18 years (inclusive) with valid identification.
– **Elderly**: Half-price admission for those aged 60 years (inclusive) to 69 years (exclusive) with valid identification; free admission for those aged 70 years (inclusive) and above with valid identification.
– **Students**: Half-price admission for full-time undergraduate students and below (excluding adult education students) with a valid student ID.
– **Local visitors (Lishui District)**: Free admission for local visitors from Lishui District with valid identification such as ID cards or citizen cards.Retired cadres: Free admission with a ‘Retired Cadre Certificate’ and can bring one companion for free.
Disabled persons: Free admission for those with valid identification, and for severely disabled individuals (Disability Level 1, Disability Level 2), one accompanying person is allowed to enter for free.
Military personnel: Free admission for active-duty military personnel with officer’s ID, civilian cadre’s ID, or soldier’s ID; retired military cadres and revolutionary disabled soldiers with valid identification.
Fire and rescue personnel: Free admission with valid identification.
Preferential treatment objects: Free admission for those with the ‘Jiangsu Province Preferential Treatment Object’s Pension and Subsidy Certificate’, and the certificate holder must present their ID card.
Jiangsu Province Honorary Individuals: Free admission for individuals in the province who have received national awards for voluntary blood donation, voluntary donation of hematopoietic stem cells, and lifetime honorary awards for voluntary blood services with relevant identification.
