Yan'an Travel Notes (Part 6): Qingliang Mountain in Yan'an

Yan'an's Qingliang Mountain is truly remarkable, with profound cultural heritage, representing the oldest culture of Yan'an.

Most visitors to Yan'an focus more on famous revolutionary sites like the Yan'an Pagoda and Yangjialing Zaoyuan, easily overlooking Qingliang Mountain, especially without prior knowledge. Coupled with the 40 yuan entrance fee, many naturally stop. A local young man once told me, 'There's nothing up there, and it still costs 40 yuan.'

I also neglected Qingliang Mountain when planning my Yan'an itinerary. This time, with ample time, I passed by and decided to go up upon seeing it was free. After visiting, I realized that Qingliang Mountain's cultural and historical value is extremely high—well worth it. In other words, Yan'an's oldest culture lies in Qingliang Mountain.

Qingliang Mountain sits along the Yan River, just across the river from Yan'an city.

From January 1937 to March 27, 1947, the Central Printing Factory's printing workshop was located on Qingliang Mountain. The Wanfo Cave complex housed revolutionary heritage sites such as the Central Printing Factory, a banknote factory, a clinic, and Xinhua Bookstore. This site is known as the 'News Mountain' of Red Yan'an, making indelible contributions to the Chinese revolution. At the foot of the mountain stands the 'Yan'an News Memorial Hall.'

Inside the gate is a memorial archway with three arched doors. The central door is inscribed with 'Wanfo Temple,' and the back reads 'Qingliang First.' On the mountain, nearby cliff carvings read 'Marvelous Spectacle Under Heaven.'

Upon entering Wanfo Cave, I was deeply captivated by the grotto art, marveling at the greatness of our ancestors. Secondly, the surrounding cliff carvings are truly magnificent. As for the newly built Taoist and Buddhist temples, I only visited them in passing.

The Buddhist culture represented by Wanfo Cave is highly valuable. These grottoes were excavated from before the Sui Dynasty and are very spectacular, with some uniquely posed Bodhisattva statues that I have never seen elsewhere. Wanfo Cave is one of the four major grottoes in northern Shaanxi. Though carved before the Sui Dynasty, later generations added sculptures and carried out repairs. Wanfo Cave mainly consists of four large grottoes, grand in scale, excavated along the mountain. Within the grottoes, stone pillars and walls are carved with tens of thousands of Buddhas in various poses, a masterpiece of stone carving—an exquisite and invaluable historical and cultural heritage.

Fan Zhongyan, the great literary figure of the Song Dynasty, wrote four poems titled 'Random Musings on Qingliang,' including:

'Jinming blocks the western ridge, Qingliang stands to the east; The Yan River flows through the middle, making two cities majestic.'

'Climbing high on Qingliang Mountain, winding paths reveal wonders anew; Pavilions lean against cloudy peaks, a myriad of wells spread like a foreign sky.'

'Carving stone chambers in the mountain, chiseling ten thousand Buddhas. Rare even in this world, how could divine skill not endure?'

'The cave named after immortals, immortals gone but people remain. Winding paths deep in white clouds, a secluded dwelling lovely.'

Fan's words are no exaggeration; the grottoes and carvings here are truly unique, worthy of being called 'Marvelous Spectacle Under Heaven.'

There are 31 grottoes on the mountain, large and small. Though some have weathered, they still display Buddhist statues in various poses, remaining magnificent.

During the Seventh National Congress, Marshal Chen Yi also wrote a poem: 'How bright the stars, the North Star stays in Yan'an; The sea has waves, flying up Qingliang Mountain,' and 'A century of weakness mourns China, eight years of war rely on Yan'an. Who rules the nine provinces? All eyes on Qingliang Mountain.' He used Qingliang Mountain as a symbol of Yan'an and the Yan'an Revolution, showing its uniqueness.

In the scenic area, there is an impressive coiled dragon carving, which looks magnificent, but unfortunately, I couldn't find related written materials.

What also caught my attention were the Poetry Bay, Water Mirror of Yan'an, and Moon Well.

The revolutionary sites here also include Shanbei Public School and Cheng Fangwu's former residence. Shanbei Public School, abbreviated as 'Shan Gong,' was a united-front cadre school founded by the Party during the Anti-Japanese War. It is also the predecessor of institutions such as Renmin University of China, Beijing Institute of Technology, Northwest University of Political Science and Law, and Yan'an University. Cheng Fangwu was the principal, and Li Weihan (Li Tieying's father) was the vice principal.

If you have the chance to visit Yan'an, you should come here to see this cultural treasure, the 'Marvelous Spectacle Under Heaven.'

(Written by Da Song Wanjun on September 19, 2020)