Guzhu Mountain in Changxing
2 min readLying by the side of Guzhu Village of Shuikou Township in the northwest of Changxing County, Guzhu Mountain is 17 kilometers to the location of the County town. It covers an area of approximately 2 square kilometers at an elevation of 355 meters. Because of the mountain abundantin tea and spring water, it has been famous since the middle period of the Tang Dynasty. Both the spring water called Jinsha Quan (Gold Sand Spring Water) and the tea called Zisun Cha(Purple Bamboo-tip Tea) are good in quality, and very popular with Chinese people.
Fertile soil, humid air, moderate temperature and the misty weather on occasions here are very suitable to the growth of tea. Lu Yu, the world-famous “Saint of Tea”who grew tea personally in the tea-garden on the mountain and studied tea, praised that the tea produced from GuzhuMountain was the best in China. As early as the year of 770(A.D), Zisun Cha was listed as an article of tribute to the imperial court. In the 17th year of Zhenyuan Period in the Tang Dynasty (801), Governor Li Ci assigned more than 1,000 craftsmen and 30,000 labors to build the teahouse near the mountain. They spent several months to build up 18 teahouses. Since then, many noted poets and celebrities in Chinese history, such as Yan Zhenqing, Zhang Wengui, Yang Hangong, Du Mu, Bai Juyi, Lu Guimeng, Lu Yu, Su Shi and Wang Shipeng went there to savour Zisun Cha while composing poems and enjoying the scenery on the mountain. They created many pieces of works during their stays.
The mountain has beautiful sceneries as well as many sights with interesting legends, such as the Giant’s Footprints on the side of Bawang Pond. It is said that Xiang Yu,a hero and the king in the Qin Dynasty once came to the pond for water. He was tall and sturdy. When he squatted down by the pond to take water, his giant footprints were left deeply. There are many attractions in the scenic site of the mountain. Among them the main tourist spots and sights are Ruins of Tributary Tea Houses of the Tang Dynasty, Shousheng Temple(Longevity Saint Temple), Bawang Pond, Jinsha Quan (Golden Sand Spring), Qingfeng Lou (Refreshing Breeze Tower), Hutou Yan(Tiger Head Rock), Wanggui Ting (Pavilion of Forgetting Return), Lu Yu Mountain Villa, Tea Garden, Hillside Carvings and other relics.
To make the tourism sustainable developing, the local government raised funds in 1983 and began the protective exploitation of the mountain.
At the same time, the rock inscriptions and carvings over Guzhu Mountain that are left by Yu Gao, Du Mu, Yang Hangong, Zhang Wengui, Wang Zao and other celebrated poets and calligraphers from the Tang and the Song Dynasties got timely protection.
