Shizhu Mountain Scenic Area locates 10 kilometers west of Fuzhou’s Fuqing City, which is close to Liyu Lake. It is a famous Taoist mountain in the area. Shizhu Mountain is a beautiful mountain covered with many rocks in weird shapes and lush bamboos. There are ancient temples in the mountain surrounded by the pleasant sounds of birds chirping.
The main peak Zhuangyuan Peak is 534 meters above sea level. There are 128 small spots in the mountain, such as Shizhu Temple and Lion Rock on the mountain. Now, it is regarded as one of the top ten scenic areas in Fujian Province. It is selected as the National 4A Class Scenic Area in 2016.
Historic Shizhu Mountain
Xu Xiake (1586-1641), a famous traveler and geographer in the Ming Dynasty, described Shizhu Mountain as "Rocks there are the best. Immortals love to dwell in it". Looking at the Shizhu Mountain from the east, it looks like a giant dragon. From the south, its shape is a triangle, just like the majestic and magnificent pyramids in ancient Egypt.
The Taoist temple, Shizhu Temple, stands on a sheer cliff in the middle of the southern slope of the mountain. The roofs with orange tiles and crimson walls look like the towers in midair. Originally, it was named as Lingbao Temple. Because of the huge rocks around the temple and the abundant bamboos, it was renamed as Shizhu Temple later. Shizhu Temple was built in 847 of Tang Dynasty. It has a history for more than a thousand years, which features for the long-term harmonious coexistence of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism.
Shizhu Temple is also a cultural relic. Celebrities such as Zhu Xi of Song Dynasty, Xu Xiake of Ming Dynasty, and Chen Baochen in the late Qing Dynasty have all visited here. More than 20 inscriptions on the cliff are left around after the Song Dynasty.
Guanyin Rock locates on the west side of the mountain. The huge rock looks like the eave, which rise out reaching to the sky. People also call it as the “giant tile”. Tourists could also see other strange stones such as Xianrenping, Heying Stone, Yuanyang Stone, Hualong Nest near Guanyin Rock.
Shizhu Mountain hosts many religious activities and folk festivals every year. During the Spring Festival every year, thousands of believers will come to Shizhu Mountain praying for good fortune for the New Year. They will hold the incense candles and kowtow to the mountain faithfully.