Mount Xiqiao is a 40- to 50-million-year-old

extinct volcano A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates are ...

situated in the south west of the

Nanhai District Nanhai District (), is a District (PRC and ROC), district of Foshan, Guangdong, China. Its government is the first to have developed e-government informatization at the county level in China. History Establishment of Nanhai is traditionally at ...

, Foshan, Guangdong, People's Republic of China from

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

. The mountain is an important scenic area and designated as a national forest park and national geological park. Covering an area of , the area features a total of 72 peaks with the highest, Dacheng Peak (), rising to .

Geology

From 40–50 million years ago the entire

Pearl River Delta The Pearl River Delta Metropolitan Region (PRD; ; pt, Delta do Rio das Pérolas (DRP)) is the low-lying area surrounding the Pearl River estuary, where the Pearl River flows into the South China Sea. Referred to as the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Mac ...

was an ancient bay where a volcanic eruption ejected a large quantity of

lava Lava is molten or partially molten rock (magma) that has been expelled from the interior of a terrestrial planet (such as Earth) or a moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a fracture in the crust, on land or un ...

into the sea. On cooling, the molten rock formed a conical mountain; the embryonic form of Mount Xiqiao. Thereafter eruptions of lava continued and produced the current 72 peaks. After several million years of erosion by the sea, the area flattened and was gradually colonized by vegetation. Xiqiao Yunpu

Scenery

Mount Xiqiao features unusual scenery with strange rock formations and a profusion of fresh water springs as well as 42 natural caves. In total there are 232 springs and 28 waterfalls including the Yunya Feipu (), one of the Eight Views of Guangzhou during the 18th-century

Qianlong Era The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, born Hongli, was the fifth Emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper, reigning from 1735 t ...

Cultural background

As early as 6,000 to 8,000 years ago, human activity in the Mount Xiqiao area created a “Twin shoulder stone tool culture” () that featured delicate stone tools including twin-shouldered stone axes. This greatly influenced development of culture around the

Pearl River The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-a ...

. During the

Ming The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

and Qing Dynasties, a number of scholars including Zhan Ruoshui and

He Baiyun He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

() lived in seclusion on the mountain where they studied

Neo-Confucianism Neo-Confucianism (, often shortened to ''lǐxué'' 理學, literally "School of Principle") is a moral, ethical, and metaphysical Chinese philosophy Chinese philosophy originates in the Spring and Autumn period () and Wa ...

and painting. Amongst the most famous scholars was Chinese nationalist

Kang Youwei Kang Youwei (; Cantonese: ''Hōng Yáuh-wàih''; 19March 185831March 1927) was a prominent political thinker and reformer in China of the late Qing dynasty. His increasing closeness to and influence over the young Guangxu Emperor spar ...

who began planning the 1898

Hundred Days' Reform The Hundred Days' Reform or Wuxu Reform () was a failed 103-day national, cultural, political, and educational reform movement that occurred from 11 June to 22 September 1898 during the late Qing dynasty. It was undertaken by the young Guangxu E ...

movement at Mount Xiqiao.

Chinese martial artist Chinese martial arts, often called by the umbrella terms kung fu (; ), kuoshu () or wushu (), are multiple fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in Greater China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common ...

Huang Feihong Wong Fei-hung (born Wong Sek-cheung with the courtesy name Tat-wun; 9 July 1847 – 17 April 1925) was a Chinese martial artist, physician, and folk hero. His recent fame was due to becoming the subject of numerous martial arts films and televis ...

was born in the area, where he developed the

Nanquan Nanquan may refer to: * Nanquan (martial art), a family of martial arts from Southern China * Nanquan Puyuan (c. 749–c. 835), Chán (Zen) Buddhist master in China during the Tang Dynasty * Nanquan Temple, a Buddhist temple in Xiangyin County, Hu ...

or “southern fist” fighting style.

Sightseeing areas

Today, Xiqiao Mountain is divided into ten major scenic areas including the Nanhai Guanyin Culture Park, which contains a statue of the goddess

Guanyin Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...

, the

Baiyun Caves Baiyun (generally ) may refer to: Guangzhou * Baiyun District, Guangzhou *Baiyun Mountain (Guangdong) * Baiyun New Town * Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, in Huadu District *Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (former), closed down in 20 ...

(), and th
Baofeng Temple
().

References

External links

Official government website

Mountains of Guangdong Landforms of Guangdong Volcanoes of China Tourist attractions in Guangdong Parks in Guangdong {{China-mountain-stub