The famous mountain in eastern Hebei Province - Belt Mountain with rich mountains and rivers

The east and north slopes of Belt Mountain are precipitous cliffs standing thousands of feet tall; the west and south slopes are slightly gentler, with peaks and valleys turning and layers of green mountains. Specifically, the steep slope valley about 4.5 kilometers long on the east slope is called Dalinggou. In the middle of the north slope is a valley running northwest and southeast, which is lush and green, and is called Chimney Valley; on the east and west sides are the vast and dangerous back cliffs and cool back cliffs respectively. To the west, entering from the eastern valley entrance at the southern end of Xiheng Mountain, is the economic ditch of Huanghuiyu Village (commonly known as Shifanggou), which is about 3 kilometers long. On the east side of the Economic Valley, from north to south, there are the Jiaoshiniuyu Valley, Juxian Valley (also known as Daxian Valley), Xiaoxian Valley, and Shelian Valley that meander eastward in various shapes and forms. ditch. From west to east, on the south side, there are scorpion foot beams, tortoise cover beams, backstage beams, south beams, and nangou in different shapes. The entire mountain range is majestic, complex in structure, broad and profound.

The various slopes, peaks and valleys of Belt Mountain not only have spectacular and unique scenery, but also have many interesting historical anecdotes and legends. When you visit, you can’t help but be amazed by the uncanny workmanship of nature and the long and profound history and culture here. Intoxicated by connotation.

"God Guard", "Wolong Stone", "Dragon Drinking Water", "Ever Burning Incense", "Erlang Armor", "Holy Water Spring", "One Thread of Sky" and "Climbing Cave" in Juxian Valley ", "Mama's Cave", "Tianhe Board", "Stone Ganoderma", "Tengluo Waterfall", "Tiantai", "Jade Belt Wonderland", "Fairy Cave", "Stone House", "Stone Bed" in Shifanggou ", "Longyan Spring", "Chaoyang Fairy Cave", "Luanhua Xiangxue" in Xiaoxian Valley, and "Hundred Snakes Convergence" in Shelianyu Valley are not only unique in appearance, but also rich in the legends that the Jade Emperor led the immortals here. The beautiful legend of the parade and the earth-shattering historical facts of the Anti-Japanese War. Being immersed in the scene makes people have many wonderful associations, and their souls receive divine baptism and edification.

In addition, a very large area of ​​peach and apricot trees are planted in Scorpion Foot Liang and Wangba Gai Liang on the south side of Belt Mountain, Daling Valley on the east side, and Chimney Valley on the north side. The flowers are blooming, and they are as white as snow and as pink as the sky. When you roam among them, all your thoughts are thrown away, and your thoughts are misty, as if you are alone in a fairyland. At the lower part of the backstage beam on the south side of the mountain, there is a broad hillside more than 60 meters long and more than 40 meters high. Clusters of bamboo-like white stones one or two meters high are exposed on the grassy grass. It is known as the "little stone forest". It is refreshing for tourists. About a hundred meters upward in the "Small Stone Forest", there are two abrupt brown stones about ten meters apart, three or four meters high. The one in the south looks very much like an old monk, and the one in the north looks very much like a Taoist monk. They sit opposite each other, as if they are discussing the Tao while coiling scriptures, arguing fiercely. At this moment, the old monk is victorious and looks up to the sky with a smile; the Taoist priest stares blankly and sits blankly. His image and expression are lifelike, making visitors happy and happy. On a cliff in the southeast of "Little Stone Forest", an ancient cypress sprouts from the rock crevices, pointing straight into the sky. The stem of the ancient cypress is more than 30 centimeters thick and about five or six meters long. It has an old skin and strong branches and leaves. The tree is more than hundreds of years old. Visitors are all amazed by its tenacious vitality. Entering the summer rainy season, gurgling mountain springs and gurgling creeks can be seen everywhere on Belt Mountain. Traveling in the mountains at this time, no matter where you go, a fresh, cheerful and exciting emotion will arise in your heart. Especially when you climb up the mountain road in the south ditch on the south slope, not far from the forest farm, you will see waterfalls one to two meters and two to three meters wide on the 100-meter-long cliff in the north of the ditch. It pours out from the stone crevices above, with an altitude of 10-20 meters. In this deep and shaded ravine, facing the majestic landscape of rushing water and deafening waves, you will really feel like "the Milky Way is falling in the sky".

There used to be many cultural relics and historic sites on Belt Mountain. Their scale, shape and unique style have been visited by most elderly people from nearby villages, and they are still fresh in their memories. At the highest peak of the mountain, where the radar station is now, is the former site of the famous Wanghai Pavilion. The pavilion has octagonal double eaves, with a base diameter of about 8 meters and a height of about 9 meters. According to legend, a Wanghai Temple was located here in the early Qing Dynasty. After it was destroyed, a Wanghai Pavilion was built in the 18th year of Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty (AD 1892). On the west side of the pavilion site, there is still the "Inscription of the Wanghai Pavilion in Yaodaishan" written by Zhao Guohua, the salt transport envoy from Shandong, and written by Zhang Renjun, the governor of Guangdong and Guangxi in the Qing Dynasty. In addition to describing the construction process, the inscription also describes what you can see when you climb up and observe:

It tells the story of the old people in the county: "Belt Mountain leads to the surrounding mountains and rivers, and the spirit of the left county is prosperous and beautiful." "General understanding. In 2000, the author and Comrade Ma Xincun of Wangguanying Town Middle School, led by Wang Jingfu, the director of the Belt Mountain Forest Farm, climbed to the west side of the Wanghai Pavilion foundation site and looked into the distance. The surrounding mountains were like descendants, crawling under them, with their peaks lined up and paving towards the distance. In the meantime, the water on the west and north sides is like water, and the high gorge of Qiuzhuang Reservoir is a flat lake with sparkling waves. Looking as far as the eye can see, Panjiakou Reservoir, Daheiting Reservoir, and Douhe Reservoir are shining with silver light across the sky to the north and south. Even the vast Bohai Sea, three to two hundred miles away, can still be vaguely distinguished. This is probably why Wanghai Pavilion was originally named.

Photography: Han Yonggang

On the northwest side of Wanghai Pavilion, it is slightly lower and flat. In the old days, the Wuliang Pavilion stood above it. The Wuliang Pavilion is located east and west, with a width of 5 rooms. It has a brick and gray structure, a single-layer arch, and a majestic shape. There are Buddhist niches built in the middle three rooms, and the ear rooms on both sides are separated by lattice fans. There are six thatched cottages built on the west side of Wuliang Pavilion, three thatched cottages built on the north side, three thatched cottages and two livestock sheds facing east and west on the south side.

The four outer rings are made of stone walls more than 4 meters high, and there is a plate of standing stones on the left side outside the south door, collectively called Tianyun Temple. According to legend, this temple was chosen by Guanyin Bodhisattva in the South China Sea and moved to Jingzhong Mountain in Qianxi due to loose geology. Today, about six or seven meters south of the old site of Yunguan, there is a depression 6 meters in diameter and 3 meters deep, which is the remains of Guanyin Bodhisattva's trial.

Halfway down the Belt Mountain, there is also the "Sibulu Temple". It got its name because it is located in the different valleys of Luzhuan Peak. They are Lingquan Temple (also known as Hengyun Temple) located at the lower ridge of the background on the south side, Bixia Temple at the northern end of Shifanggou on the west side, Qingliang Temple on Qingliangbeixia on the north side, and Dalinggou Temple on the east side near the southern end. Chaowu Temple. The four temples have exquisite buildings, brilliant Buddha statues, surrounded by lush pines and cypresses, and clear wells and springs nearby, which add infinite spirit to the mountains and rivers and make the scenery of Belt Mountain even more beautiful. No wonder the poet Wei Yuanshu of the Qing Dynasty wrote the five-line "The Top of the Belt Mountain":

The poet Liu Shizhen of the mid-Qing Dynasty wrote the seven-line "Climbing the Belt Mountain":

Beautiful Legend

The name of Belt Mountain has profound artistic conception and rich connotations. The reason for its formation is closely related to its own fantastic and unpredictable natural scenery, unique texture and topography, and beautiful and magical legends and stories.

According to the Qianlong edition of "Fengrun County Chronicles: Mountains and Rivers": "... Wei Yuanshu, the prefect, said:... Every June it rains heavily, the clouds disappear, and the red sun shines brightly on the top of the mountain, so it is called the belt." "The Records of a Tour to Belt Mountain and the Proposal to Build Wanghai Temple on the Top of the Mountain" in the "Fengrun County Chronicle" published by Guangxu of the Qing Dynasty says: "Wandering up from the south of the mountain for a few miles... there is an ancient temple in the middle. The forehead is called Hengyun, and the white clouds are as clear as the sky. To the west of the leaning temple, there must be heavy rain, and the origin of the "belt-shaped clouds" is one of the eight scenic spots in the city."

Author: Wang Hongyi

The landscape of "belt-shaped clouds" appears mostly in midsummer. , but it also occurs in spring and autumn, usually before and after heavy rains. Before the rain, the weather was clear and cloudless. Smoke-like mist drifted from Qinglong Mountain in the east, getting heavier and heavier, and gradually formed a white cloud belt. The cloud ribbons are like colorful ribbons, blown by the east wind, drifting westward along the mountainside. Drifting over Hengyun Temple in the southwest, a strange phenomenon appeared: the cloud belt seemed to be blocked by foreign objects and no longer went straight west. If it stops here, the clouds will gather thicker and thicker, and the color will change from white to gray to black. Soon it will fill the entire sky and rain will pour down. If the cloud belt turns upward here, rises twenty or thirty meters, then turns to the west and stretches into the distance, the sky will be clear and rainless. The belt mountain here is full of green mountains, surrounded by a white cloud belt. Standing in the clear blue sky. Sometimes after the rain, as the sky clears and the red sun emerges, the clouds often gather on the mountainside to form a white cloud belt like a long silk ribbon, tied in front of the mountain. The bright sunshine poured on the last ray of clouds, reflecting the dazzling golden light, and a fairyland atmosphere illuminated by Buddha's light enveloped the entire mountain.

Another strange scene often appears in Belt Mountain: above the clouds halfway up the mountain, there is a clear sky and a scorching sun. Below the horizontal clouds, it was raining heavily, filling the villages with ditches and flat trenches at the foot of the mountain. Locals call it "rain from clear skies". At this moment, if you stand on the top of the mountain and look down at the bottom of the mountain, the milky white mist shuttles between the peaks and ridges, like a rough sea, rushing and rolling. The rising clouds do not reach the top of the mountain, and then roll back into the sea of ​​clouds. This magnificent spectacle makes everyone feel lucky.

As for the origin of the landscape of "belt-shaped clouds", the Kangxi edition of "Fengrun County Chronicles: Mountains and Rivers" in the Qing Dynasty also said that "there is a stone area on the mountainside, and it looks faint like clouds, hence the name" . The white stone in this area of ​​the Belt Mountain is actually flint, which is called flint in its native land. It is a key material for the ceramic industry. This is where the name of the ancient town Huoshiying at the foot of the mountain comes from.

Belt Mountain is majestic and majestic. It is the highest peak among the Fengrun Mountains. It is called the Lord of all mountains and the head of the Dragon Vein, so it is also called "Longzu Mountain". Because Belt Mountain looks blue-black when viewed from a distance, literati considered that blue-black is Dai and the distance is Yuan, so it is called "Yao Dai Mountain". It is also rumored that during the Eastern Expedition, King Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty fought and garrisoned here, and left his royal belt here when he was on his way, so later generations called it "Yudai Mountain".

Red Story

Photography: Yun Fan

During the Anti-Japanese War, Belt Mountain became a tourist attraction under the leadership of the Communist Party of China. In the base area behind enemy lines, the Eighth Route Army of the Jidong Military Region and the heroic Fengrun people waged an arduous struggle against Japanese imperialism, severely blowing the enemy's arrogance. The famous communist Li Yunchang led the 200,000-strong anti-Japanese uprising in eastern Hebei in 1938. One of the locations of the uprising was Yankou Village, which is at the foot of the eastern foothills of the Belt Mountain. On the mountain, the national hero Jie Zhenguo was left behind. The anti-Japanese workers' brigade trained and repaired their footprints here. There is a mother's cave in the Juxian Valley at the west foot. It is the place where 12 cadres and soldiers, including Zhang Guohan, the district chief of the Anti-Japanese Government, and Fu Huixuan, editor of the "National Salvation Newspaper" of the Jidong Prefectural Committee, died in their desperate struggle against the Japanese and puppets. The 12-meter-high martyrs' monument outside the cave is still inspiring future generations.

Author: Zhang Shubao, Zheng Wenshi