History of Pingdingshan

The nature around Qingyun Mountain three thousand years ago

Benxi Pingding Mountain (called Qingyun Mountain and Ziyun Mountain in ancient times) can be said to be a shining pearl in the scenic spot of Yandong. Just by looking at the word "Yandong", we can know that Benxi was located in the eastern part of the Yan Kingdom during the Warring States Period. Macroscopically, it refers to the entire Northeast region, and narrowly, it refers to the mountainous areas in eastern Liaoning. And because the beautiful mountains and rivers of Yanshui (Taizi River) have many natural and cultural landscapes, such as Benxi Lake, Pingding Mountain, Benxi Water Cave, Guanmen Mountain, Tiesha Mountain and Laotuding National Forest Nature Reserve, people are accustomed to call it " The scenic spot of Yandong".

Readers can read "Stories of Yandong" written by editors Li Weiwei and Yu Yajuan in "Benxi Daily" Dongtian· in the past two years, which will help Benxi people further understand the rich history of the mountain city. . I just want to satisfy folklore enthusiasts. I come from the hometown of "Hetuala", the birthplace of the Qing Dynasty. Taking advantage of this favorable condition, I have collected and compiled the historical knowledge about "Yandong Scenic Spot" for more than 30 years and dedicated it to the elders in my hometown. Fulfill the obligations and responsibilities of the children of the mountain city. Relevant people are welcome to criticize and correct this.

Pingdingshan is the symbol and emblem of the mountain city, with an altitude of 657.8 meters and a radius of 17 square kilometers. (According to "Shengjing Tongzhi": Qingyun Mountain is Pingding Mountain, and the veins of this mountain connect to Dayu) and is known as the "China Geological Museum". Pingdingshan has a rich history of 3,000 years. Benxi people, do you know? The development and utilization of Pingdingshan is the unshirkable historical responsibility of our generation. People in mountain cities eagerly hope that Pingdingshan will one day "come to the city", just like Victoria Peak in Hong Kong, and make greater contributions to the development of tourism in mountain cities. I am here to continue "The Legend of Pingdingshan's "Sifang Terrace"" to further elaborate on the long history of Pingdingshan.

According to historical records: More than 1,000 years ago, King Wu of Zhou used the excuse: "Sushen is my northern land" and rewarded the Sushen people who paid tribute heavily to the Baishan Mountains in the Guandong region. The vast watershed of Mo was divided and managed by the Sushen clan, ancestors of the Manchus. Therefore, the Sushen people were an indigenous ethnic group in the Guandong region more than 3,000 years ago. They have thrived here for generations. Today, the total population of the Manchu people is nearly 10 million. This is the "source of Benxi history". I will explain the natural conditions around Qingyun Mountain more than 3,000 years ago based on the historical interpretation of the "Old Manchus" in Hetuala: The Sushen people often went to Qingyun Mountain and Laomu Ridge (commonly known as Dayuding) for hunting and mountaineering. Because Qingyun Mountain has been shrouded in clouds and fog for a long time, it was named "Qingyun Mountain" based on the natural conditions of the mountain. (meaning green mountains and white clouds) is revered as the "mountain god" of Benxi area. The Guandong region respects Changbai Mountain (Gole Minshan Yan'alin Mountain in Manchu) as the largest mountain god and the "totem" and birthplace of the Manchu people. "Grandmaster Hong Jun", who is ranked the first immortal in "The List of Gods", lived in Benxi Water Cave called "Yujing Mountain Zixiao Palace". Patriarch Hong Jun and Buddha are juxtaposed. The Jade Emperor and Jiutian Xuannv are the children of Patriarch Hong Jun. Due to the inconvenience of living in the fairy cave for a long time, the three of them often visited the surrounding famous mountains and rivers. Finally, the "Sifang Terrace" was chosen as the "Juxian Terrace" and Qingyun Mountain was chosen as the dojo for "lectures and sermons". Every tenth day of every month is "Litigation Day". Li Daxian, who has long eyebrows, is revered as the ancestor of Taoism in Tiexa Mountain. He often gathers with Patriarch Hong Jun at Pingding Mountain and Sifangtai.

The fame and deeds of Qingyun Mountain have also brought vitality to Dishui Cave. Qingyun Mountain is a famous mountain for immortality, and Dishui Temple is the ancestral temple of Buddhism in Benxi area. It is said that Li Shimin, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, personally granted it the title, and the incense has always been there. At its peak, it has a Buddhist history of nearly 1,400 years. The area around Qingyun Mountain was in a primitive forest state more than 3,000 years ago and was a kingdom of animals and plants. In addition to Yanshui (Taizi River) being rich and deep, it is also advantageous for boating and fishing. A few surrounding villages live a self-sufficient and peaceful life, and only a handful of people go to the mountains to cut wood, hunt, herd mountains, and collect mountain fruits and vegetables. Because tigers, leopards, and wolves are infested in the deep mountains and old forests, the land route is basically inconvenient. Yanshui has become the main channel to the scenic spot of Yandong, which can reach the Bohai Sea at the bottom and the source at the top. You can go through the rivers of Huanren and Tonghua to reach Changbai Mountain for pilgrimage. The tribesmen around Qingyun Mountain do not interfere with each other and have their own tribal activities. They can visit, communicate with each other, live in harmony, and develop together. Compared with the 500,000-year-old ancient humans in the mountains behind the temple, the people of this period really resemble: the "fairyland on earth" in "The Peach Garden" written by Tao Yuanming, the great poet of the Jin Dynasty and the founder of stone appreciation...

< p>Prince Dan took refuge in Qingyun Mountain, and Li Hu practiced and built temples in the Tang Dynasty

More than 2,200 years ago, Prince Dan of Yan sent Jing Ke to assassinate the King of Qin but failed. After the King of Qin killed the assassin Jing Ke, he sent the Qin army to attack Yan. In the capital city (Beijing area), Prince Dan fled to Xiangping City (Liaoyang), Liaodong County, where he temporarily stayed to cultivate and recuperate. In this "historical great change" more than 2,000 years ago, Prince Dan was eventually chased by the Qin army and fled to the Qingyun Mountain area (Pingding Mountain). At that time, the Sushen tribe in Benxi was still very backward, and the Liaodong area was still in a primitive forest state. , the mountains are high and the roads are dangerous, there is no way to pass, there is only one golden waterway of Yanshui (Taizi River) that can reach the upper reaches. Where do you ask Taizi Dan to flee? Prince Dan chose Qingyun Mountain because of its geographical location and landform. Taking dozens of cavalry guards with him, he walked from the mouth of the Zhangjiahe River in Taizi River along the Qingshui River to Sifangtai, then passed through Nantianmen Village and went from the back of Qingyun Mountain to the famous mountain dojo known as "Master Hongjun". Prince Dan of Yan hid in Qingyun Mountain for several months. He ordered his soldiers to cut down the trees on the top of the mountain and build a "horse frame shack" for temporary residence. He dug a well in a "water hole" near the shack where the Sushen people hunted and herded mountains. After a few months, the well was 10 feet deep. Yu, two meters in diameter. The water quality is pure and sweet. Prince Dan called it "Qingyun Mountain Divine Water" and named it "Longquan Well".

After taking refuge in Qingyun Mountain for several months, Prince Dan often went to the east cliff of the mountain to watch the sunrise. In fact, he was just watching the scenery to relieve his worries. The scenery here was so beautiful that he named it "Yingri Cliff". This is the best place to welcome the earliest dawn in the mountain city of Benxi. Watching the sunset against the setting sun every evening, standing on the cliff on the west side and looking in the direction of the capital of the State of Yan, evokes homesickness. The soldiers called this cliff "Wangxiang Terrace". Unexpectedly, the good times did not last long. The Qin army sailed along the Yanshui River and reached the Tiexa Mountain upstream without seeing any trace of Prince Dan's troops. Qin Shihuang received a message from General Liaodong and "issued a death order to hunt down Prince Dan." The Qin army hurriedly sent out detective horses to learn the whereabouts of Prince Dan, and then sent heavy troops to besiege Qingyun Mountain. Prince Dan's soldiers fought tooth and nail to protect Prince Dan, and fought their way from Sifangtai in the back mountain to Dishui Cave. With the guidance of the monks practicing here, they walked to Hou Tacheng Village, and fled from Sishan Ridge along the three valleys of Caishen Temple to Tangggou. . But "the destiny cannot be violated", and in the end Prince Dan fled to the Zixiao Palace in Yujing Mountain in Shuidong. He only hid for more than half a month and was killed by the Qin army on the banks of the Prince River. This is the first legend about the Taizi River. The other is that the prince of Nurhaci died on the banks of the Taizi River in Machengzi. This is the second legend. Do you think the Taizi River is strange? ! Both princes died in this river.

Historically, in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty conquered the east. He sent the famous general Xue Li as marshal and led hundreds of thousands of troops to fight out of the pass, marched from Jinzhou to Liaoyang, and reached Benxi. A camp was set up at the foot of Qingyun Mountain, and Xue Li's wife Fan Lihua was sent to the Weining Camp. Emperor Taizong Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty named her "Weining Marquis" and made the surrounding area of ??100 miles the "Weining Marquis" fief. Li Shimin and Xue Li (also called Xue Rengui) climbed Qingyun Mountain with their troops. Set up camp temporarily on this mountain and use Qingyun Mountain as a lookout to watch the enemy. Since hundreds of people went up the mountain this time, all the trees on the top of the mountain were cut down and used for military camps and cooking. From now on, there will be no more forests on the top of Qingyun Mountain. It’s no wonder that Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty had no concept of environmental protection and only focused on the needs of war, leaving future troubles for his descendants.

There is a folk legend that one general, Li Hu, accidentally fell and was injured and could not fight with the army. Xue Li ordered two soldiers to stay behind to take care of Li Hu. The large group of people went down the mountain, walked Qianjin Ridge, crossed Xiamatang, and headed for Phoenix City through Tongyuan Fort. It is said that General Li Hubang has a round waist, a height of two feet, and superb martial arts. After a year to recover from his injuries, the three of them are unwilling to go to war, and they will not return to Qinchuan's hometown (Chang'an Weihe Plain) and they will all die in battle. So he built a temple on the original site of the Chenghuang Temple, planted willow trees next to the ancient well, opened up a few acres of land on the mountain to grow vegetables, and began to live a monk's life. Folk legend has it that the "Three Chang'an People" have a good reputation around Qingyun Mountain. Li Hu got rid of violence, taught people martial arts, and died at the age of 100. The villagers buried them in the pine forest next to the cliff in the south. As for the legend of the Northeast hero Li Wu and the Chenghuang Temple, it dates from the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties. It is thousands of years different from the legend of Li Hu in the Tang Dynasty...

Pingdingshan was heavily guarded during the Yuan and Ming Dynasties. The first point will be a success

It is said that Qingyun Mountain (Pingding Mountain) reached the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368). The Mongolian "Boerzhijin clan" Temujin founded the country in 1206, and Kublai Khan established the country in 1271 in the Yuan Dynasty (1206-1368). Dadu (Beijing) designated the country as Yuan. The General Army of Liaoyang sent a sentry horse to guard Qingyun Mountain, build castles and expand ancient wells. Qingyun Mountain was once again deforestation, coupled with the subsequent Ming and Qing Dynasties and the Russo-Japanese War, the puppet Manchukuo State and the Kuomintang bandits were also deforestation. Do you think there are still many ancient trees in the area around Pingdingshan? According to research, there are still several ancient pines beside the cliff of the Chenghuang Temple on the top of the mountain, which are three hundred years old and are the remaining historical witnesses.

Qingyun Mountain has had three hiking trails since ancient times. After many researches, it has been found that the main trail (commonly known as the ancient trail) from Xinlitun to Sifangtai, taking the Chenghuang Temple on the southeast side of Pingding Mountain, has a history of more than 3,000 years. It is the only way for Sushen people to climb mountains in ancient times, and they can drive horses and carriages. Another way is that Nurhachi, Emperor Taizu of the Qing Dynasty, disembarked at the "Riverside Wharf" by water and land, and took the "Yangchang Trail" at the foot of Chaishan Mountain (Wangxi Park) next to the Willow King Ancient Well (the old willow tree in the Experimental Middle School) that leads directly to the flat-topped mountain in front. You can only climb it, but you can't walk it. Cars and horses are the most convenient way to climb facing the urban area and Taizi River. The third trail, which is the least traveled, is usually taken by people who herd sheep and drive mountains. It goes from the west side of Pingding Mountain to the ravine and climbs up the cliff gap on the west side to reach the top of the mountain.

A hundred years of turbulence passed in an instant. Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, ascended the throne in Nanjing. (1368-1644 AD) Liaodong Prefecture (Liaoyang) sent Ming troops to attack the defeated Yuan Dynasty soldiers who were defending in danger. After several After a fierce attack, more than half of both sides were killed and wounded, and the Ming army finally recaptured Qingyun Mountain. So far, the name "Qingyun Mountain" has withdrawn from the stage of history, and the Ming army guarding the mountain changed Qingyun Mountain to "Pingding Mountain". This mountain is named after this.

The Jurchen Nurhaci only relied on the "Thirteen Payments of Relics" from his ancestors and fathers to launch an army to conquer the world on horseback, and unified all the Jurchen tribes in the Northeast. He once led the Eight Banners Army in a fierce battle with the Ming Army's Longhu Generals Ma Yun and Ye Wang in the Pingding Mountain area. Nurhaci stood on the general platform (two feet and four feet high) of Pingding Mountain and encouraged his soldiers to kill the enemy. According to "Fengtian Tongzhi": "There is a general platform on the top of Pingding Mountain". It can be seen that this history is true. By 1616, Aixinjueluo and Nurhachi established the "Later Jin Kingdom" in Hetuala. (In 1636, Huang Taiji changed the Kingdom of Later Jin to the Qing Dynasty and the Jurchens to the Manchus.) The old town of Xinbin County, Liaoning has historical relics of the Later Jin Kingdom. The area around Pingdingshan was an ancient battlefield in the Yuan, Ming and Ming and Qing dynasties. Even the small Chaishan (Wangxi Mountain) is the forward command post of the battle between both sides.

Nurhachi’s ancestral home is Hetuala, and the villagers call him “Little Hanzi”. When he was young, he often took his hunting dogs to Tangshan, Laomuling and Pingding Mountains in Benxi area for hunting and hunting. He knew the terrain and customs of this area well. . In July 1618, Nurhaci led the army to command the battle of Qinghe City at Dianjiangtai in Pingdingshan. (Qinghe City, formerly known as Qinghe Fort, was the political, military, economic and cultural center of Benxi region in the Ming Dynasty and an ancient city in Benxi).

Pingdingshan has a long history and culture, and development in the prosperous times has a long way to go

Pingdingshan has a long history and culture. "Fengtian Tongzhi" records: Pingdingshan: "There is a general platform at the top." In the Liaodong region, there is also "The Story of Pingdingshan" widely circulated among the people. The main idea is: "In ancient times, there was a martial arts expert Li Wu who lived in Taizi River Bay (near Yaojia Village). The Bohai Dragon King sent the Unicorn Dragon When the prince He Bo committed many evil deeds, Li Wu used the divine bowl to turn the unicorn dragon into a small loach and put it into the divine bowl. After the unicorn dragon died, the divine bowl turned into a flat-top mountain. From then on, Li Wu lived on the flat-top mountain and built a house. , the temple, expanded the ancient well, planted willow trees next to the ancient well, and finally became an immortal. "

The main idea of ??"The Story of Yuhuang Pavilion" is: There is an ancient temple, Yuhuang Pavilion, on Pingding Mountain, with stone carvings on it. The banner has twelve big characters: "Eternal heroic spirit, supreme Xuanji, police all directions". There is a village in the south of Shannan called Nantianmen. There used to be a huge "rotating tomb" on the mountain ridge connecting the two places. According to "Fengtian Tongzhi": "Li Wu, a knight in the early Qing Dynasty, followed here in his later years, and the Jade Emperor Pavilion was founded. There is Li Wu's tomb in Shannan, where his bones are buried." This Li Wu is mainly from the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. He is a man with strong martial arts skills and a righteous man who eliminates harm for the people. He also served in the Ming and Qing Dynasties and made great military exploits. He is a high disciple of Mount Tiecha. As a reward from Emperor Kangxi, Li Wu was transferred to Beijing to be appointed as a general, but Li Wu refused and returned to Pingding Mountain to practice. Becoming a well-known "Northeast Hero", the ancient Taoist temple Jade Emperor Pavilion will be famous throughout the ages.

Pingdingshan's "Dianjiangtai Legend" is true. It is an authentic Hetuala Manchu historical story and is widely circulated among the people. It is said that in the spring of the second year after the founding of the Later Jin Dynasty, King Nurhaci of Lao Han came to Pingding Mountain to garrison and camp. There was a two-foot-four-foot-high general platform. Nurhaci commanded the soldiers of the Later Jin Dynasty and the dragon and tiger generals Ma Ming and Ye Wang of the Ming Dynasty at the general platform. The army fought fiercely near Chaishan (Wangxi Park), and also commanded the Jin army here to attack Qinghe City with thousands of troops. (Subsequently, "The Story of Pingdingshan Dianjiangtai" was dedicated to readers. I will not repeat it here)

Let's take a look at the records in Qing History's "Fengtian County Chronicles" and "Shengjing Tongzhi": "Qingyun Mountain Two hundred and ninety miles northwest of Fenghuang City, it is also called Pingding Mountain. Its top is flat and can be cultivated. There is a spring gushing out, and there are fish among the stone octagonal trees." Pingding Mountain is majestic and steep, surrounded by cliffs, just like cutting with a knife and an ax. The forest is lush and dense, easy to defend and difficult to attack. It is a choke point passing through Shenyang, Dandong, Liaoyang and other places. It has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times.

About the tomb of Prince Ying, one of the "Eight Iron Hat Kings" in the early Qing Dynasty, it was originally planned to be built on the top of the mountain. Later, due to difficulties in construction and the high mountains and long roads, it was built on the banks of the Taizi River (near Mingshan Railway Station) ), and later moved again due to the construction of a railway station (on the hill of the original No. 24 Middle School). Finally, the mausoleum was moved to the Forest of Steles on Pingding Mountain, where it finally returned to its roots. Because Benxi is the fiefdom of Prince Ying, Pingding Mountain is the Manchu sacred mountain (mountain god, tree god, river god, etc. in shamanism). According to historical records: In 1904, during the Russo-Japanese War, the "Battle of Pingdingshan" saw both Japan and Russia investing heavy troops in a fight. The fight was extremely brutal and ended with Russia's defeat. Northeast China became Japan's sphere of influence. The Japanese Army Headquarters was Japanese Lieutenant General Prince Hanyuan Gongzai Ren, and a monument was erected on the top of Chaishan Mountain (Wangxi Park) to show off his military exploits. It was bombed in the early days of liberation. A majestic monument to revolutionary martyrs was built on its site.

On the evening of September 30, 1948, the People's Liberation Army launched a fierce offensive against the Kuomintang defenders in Pingdingshan who relied on the natural dangers to resist stubbornly. They eliminated the stubborn defenders and declared the liberation of Benxi. There is a white marble relief on the Revolutionary Martyrs Monument in Wangxi Park that records the historical scene of the liberation of Pingdingshan. There are still many war relics in Pingdingshan. The most typical one is the "bunker group" left over from the Kuomintang troops during the War of Liberation. Pingdingshan, which has gone through many vicissitudes of life, has now been developed into Chengxi Pingdingshan Forest Park and summer resort.

The ancient temples, ancient wells, ancient tombs and historical forest of steles tell people the long history of Pingdingshan...