Changting: the Most Beautiful Mountain City in China

Changting lies in where the borderlines of Fujian, Guangdong and Jiangxi are interconnected with each other. Located in the remote mountainous area of Fujian, it is the capital of the Hakkas.

Changting also serves as the place of origin for the Neolithic culture in the Fujian area since more than 200 Neolithic sites were found in the whole county. This area went through great development throughout ages. It was initially established as a county in the Han Dynasty and was upgraded into a city in the 24th year of Kaiyuan Period in the Tang Dynasty, or 736 AD. From then on it was an integral and important part of the administrative area in Fujina. Even in the current period, it is still an important part of the Economic Zone West of the Taiwan Straight.

Changting is also a famous tourism area with great significance of an established revolutionary area and a national-level city of history and fame. The famous traveler Alley Rewi from New Zealand called it one of the most two beautiful mountain cities/counties in China along with the Fenghuang County in Hunan as “it combines the natural and manmade beauty together”.

What to See

Since Changting County is so famous as a tourism city, it has a lot of scenic spots. Hereafter we list some famous places worthy of a visit.

I. Zhaodou Rock

The Zhoudou Rock (Rock opposite the Dawn) lies in the south of the county and across the Wolong Mountain(Crouching Dragon Mountain). Though it is named a rock, actually it is a small hill. On the hill there is a Buddhist monastery. In the Mahavira Hall of this Monastery, there is a Bodhisattva statue which is directly facing the wall. Two scrolls are hung on both sides of the statue, on which there are sentences meaning that“the Bodhisattva sits reversely to laugh at mortals who do not bother to look back at what they have gone through”. The strange statue and enlightening words explain why the Zhaodou Rock is so famous among tourists. In addition to the wisdom it contains, the Rock also has wonderful natural scenes featured with green trees, clean spirits, flying waterfalls, weird rocks, and strange holes. It is also a good place to see the mist and rosy clouds at dawn. That’s how its name is originated and why it is listed as “one of the Top 8 scenes in Tingzhou (old name of Changting)”. It also bears great historical significance since the Fujian CPC Provincial Committee held an emergent meeting in the Mahavira Hall in December 1932 to discuss the strategies of fighting against the fourth “encircling and annihilation” launched by Kuomint- ang. During the meeting the CPC leaders decided to take the “Long March”, through which they survived Kuomintang’s expedition and laid a foundation for their final seizure of ruling rights.

II. Wolong Mountain

The Mountain lies north of Changting County and thus it is also called the North Mountain. This mountain suddenly rises from the flat areas surrounding it and is independent from other ranges. It looks like nine dragons crouching on the land – that’ why it gets the name. Sometimes the mountain is seen to be shrouded by white clouds, which forms another part of the “Top 8 scenes in Tingzhou”. The Jinsha Temple (Golden Sand Temple) on the top of Wolong Mountain were built in the Song Dynasty. It is accompanied by Beiji Pavilion (North Pole Pavilion), which was a wood-and-earth construction initially built in the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. It consists of an archway, a pavilion to store sutras and a main hall. Inside the Pavilion there is a plaque that could date back to the Qing Dynasty. The words on the plaque mean that “(the Pavilion) is so grand that it could suppress all the evil in West Fujian”.

III. The Palace of Heavenly Queen

It is a building in Changting that could represent the Hakka culture the most. Located outside the Grand Arch of the East Avenue of this county, the Palace stands right against the Wolong Mountain in the north and opposite Ting River in the south. It is an ancient building established in the land surrounded by nine ponds. The piece of land it is located in looks like a toad. Thus people commonly call this place“toad floating on the water”.

The Palace of Heavenly King is to worship the goddess Mazu (Heavenly Queen). Mazu is widely worshipped by people in South and Southeast China and South Asia. Therefore the Palace of Heavenly Queen is frequently visited by people from these areas. The front gate of this Palace is made of blue stone and is flanked by stone lions and drums. Two plaques are hung above the second gate, which respectively have words meaning “clean river” and “broad sea”. Through the second gate people can reach an opera stage. Two long corridors lie on both sides of the stage which also has a patio in its central part. The main construction consists of a front hall, a main hall and a rear hall. The front and main halls are decorated with stone columns with dragon carvings. The main hall is covered by a twoslope overhanging gable roof, which is decorated with glass tiles and dipping eaves. The eaves are supported by drag- on columns and stone railings, which form a group of carvings connected by pearls.

The upper part is called the FivePhoenix Building, which is separated from the lower part by a lined panel. The corridor lying in front of the hall has a five-step stage connecting to the hall. The top of the hall is a seven-floor caisson ceiling and is supported by doublelevel dougong brackets. In the glass niche stanrds the statue of Mazu which could date back to the Qing Dynasty. On the right side of the main hall there is a compartment which is said to be the living room for Mazu. The round gate with golden plates and the window bars with flower carvings bring unparalleled grandeur to this room. Inside the room people can see old-style beds, curtains, screens, quilts, tables and chairs, which are elegant, uncommon, lust-free and luxurious.

The rear hall is also called the Jizhuang Hall (Hall of Accumulated Grandeur). It is where the parents of Mazu were consecrated.

IV. Tingzhou Examination Yard

The building lies at the foot of Wolong Mountain and faces the Sanyuan Pavilion. In the Song Dynasty it was where the defending troop of Tingzhou stationed. In the Ming Dynasty it was used as the yard where the examinations to choose the talents for the country was held. Inside the Yard there are twin cypresses, the Longshan School, Zuzi Pavilion. The buildings in the Yard aare all made of wood and earth. The grand hall is located in the center of the Yard. Two cypresses which could date back to Tang Dynasty are standing in front of the hall. Previously there was a Temple of Divine Tree next to the cypresses. The wing rooms on the east and west sides of the Yard were the residential rooms for students taking part in exams in ancient times. Now they are the museums to exhibit the Hakka culture and revolutionary history of Changting.

The Yard also once served as the office for the Soviet government of Fujian in the 1920s.

V. Xingeng Villa

It is the old house where the founder of People’s Republic of China Mao Zedong and Zhu De once lived. On March 14, 1929, Mao Zedong and Zhu De led the Red Fourth Army into Fujian and liberated Changting. Mao set up the commanding and political headquarters in this house and he and Zhu De, commanding general of Red Fourth Army, also lived here. Here Mao Zedong held and hosted the investigation meeting and the expanded meeting of the Frontline Committee of Red Fourth Army, in which the CPC members decided to establish the central revolutionary bases. Apart from its historical significance, this building possesses typical styles of West Fujian: it stands north while facing south with a wood-and-earth structure. In 1988 it was listed as the key cultural heritages under the protection of central government.

VI. Dragon Gate in the Ting River

The Ting River starts from Pingxiang Village of Ninghua County. When it flows to the Anjie Village of Changting, it was almost cut down by a grand stone hill. Actually there is a hole in the hill allowing the river to go through the hill. The hole hides beneath cliffy rocks and are visible to people if they drive boat on the river. The stream becomes rapider when it gets closer to the hole, from which it goes directly to the South China Sea. The hole mouth takes an arching shape, which is similar to the open mouth of a dragon. Acutally, a dragon is said to be living in the hole in the legend. That’s why it is called the“Dragon Gate”. The river accumulates in the pond, which seems to be bottomless. Next to the pond the stone forests could be vastly seen. “The thousandmile Ting River flowing through this tiny line” – this is the No. 1 scenic spot in the upper stream of Ting River.

VII. Yunxiang Pavilion

The Yunxiang Pavilion (Pavilion of Embedded Cloutds) is located in the Wushi Mountain (Black Stone Mountain) in the southeast of Changting. It is a square two-storey building which possesses typical architectural features of the ancient pavilion in South China. The Pavilion was initially built in the Song Dynasty and got its name because it stands close to the river and seems to fly over the sky. The platform in front the pavilion extends into a pond named Dragon Pond. The affinity to the mountain and water gives it the unparalleled advantages in Fengshui. In addition to the wonderful scenes, the Pavilion is always a place that visitors to Changting could not miss.

The Hakka Culture

Changting is the most representative inhabitation place for Hakkas. It has great influence on the formation and development of the Hakka clans and thus it is called the “place of origin for Hakka” and the “Capital of Hakka”.

According to the historical records, from the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, hundreds of thousands of people from the Central Plains of China moved southwards to avoid the warfare and famines. They arrived in the Tingzhou area in the west of Fujian and began to settle down among the mountains. Here they gave birth to their descendants and developed their own business, based on which they formed a special subsection of the Han People – the Hakka people

“No Hakka ancestors, no Tingzhou”. This phrase proves the solid connection between Tingzhou and the Hakkas. The advanced technologies and skills were brought into Tingzhou from the Central Plains by these people and the special geographical advantages of Tingzhou sheltered people from the war and famine.

By now Hakkas have been living in this area for almost 2000 years. As the most central and populated part of the Tingzhou area, Changting is full of the cultural features of Hakka. Dragon lights, stilting, saddle lifting and other entertainment activities could be always seen in the important holidays.

The Hakka folk song is the most popular folk music in Changting. It is also a fruit of the Hakk culture and art. It integrates the features of folk songs in East Guangdong and South Jiangxi with the proper feature of West Fujian. The lyrics are simple and easy to understand with the writing skills of comparison vastly used. The song is usually sung in the local language of Hakka and people use the songs to communicate with each other. Thus the songs bears all kinds of human beings’ emotions and could make people easily feel the joy, sadness, gentleness, rage, love and hatred in them. The love is an eternal topic of the Hakka folk songs as young men usually tell their admirations for girls with lyrics and melodies. Of course, love stories are not the only contents in Hakka folk songs. The production skills, heroes’ legends, fairy tales and so on are carried on by songs too.