Brief introduction of Fenghuang Mountain in Zoucheng City

Phoenix Mountain, the highest mountain in Jining, is located 40 kilometers northeast of Zoucheng, at the junction of Tianhuang, Chengqian and Zhangzhuang counties. These mountains are steep and straight, especially on the north slope, just like people cut them down with axes. It is said that no one has been able to climb up from the north. It faces Niumao Mountain across the river in the east and adjoins Hongshan Mountain in the west. Northwest to southeast, west from the foot of Hongshan, east to Sophora japonica. Total length12km, spanning three towns. It has a circumference of 20 kilometers and an area of about 20 square kilometers. The main peak, Phoenix Peak, is 648.7 meters above sea level. The secondary peaks on both sides of the mountain are winged, like a phoenix spreading its wings, hence the name "Phoenix Mountain", also known as "Yueshan Mountain".

The exact origin of Phoenix Mountain is unknown. The popular version now is: It is said that there was a drought here a long time ago, and it didn't rain for several months. The crops in the field are dying, and people are ready to leave their homes and run away. Just when people panicked, an old woman had a dream in a village called mother-in-law Shiwo at the foot of Phoenix Mountain. In the dream, she was carried by a phoenix and flew for a long time to the East China Sea (in fact, it was not the East China Sea at all, but people here mistakenly called it the Yellow Sea), begging the Dragon King of the East China Sea to have mercy and save the people here. The dragon king looked at the poor old woman and promised to send rain in three days. The old woman was very happy and asked Phoenix to send her back as soon as possible. After a little hesitation, Phoenix put the old woman on her back and flew back. The old woman came back at dawn, but she was exhausted at the top of the mountain because of the long-distance attack of Phoenix. The old woman didn't want to bury Phoenix, so she ran to tell her not to go again. It rained three days later. Sure enough, it rained heavily three days later. People built a big grave where Phoenix died to show their gratitude! Just as the old woman led everyone to send a big gift, a big phoenix was reflected in the sky and slowly flew away ... The old woman woke up and started her dream. She also said that her lifelong dreams are accurate and effective, and everyone wants to leave and stay here for a day or two. Sure enough, it rained before the third day arrived. Although the rain was not very heavy, it saved the lives of crops and local people. One hundred years later, a stone statue was given to the old woman on a cliff, where the phoenix dried up (this stone statue was verified to be a stone statue of the Tang Dynasty). From then on, whenever there was a drought, the people went to their mother-in-law for rain, which was very effective. It is said that Guo (the predecessor of Zoucheng) county magistrate at that time personally begged for rain, one step at a time, and as a result, he never went out of the East Gate from morning till night, but it took him a whole day to get to his mother-in-law's stone nest. Of course, begging for rain also succeeded. In order to commemorate the great achievements of Phoenix, people call this mountain Phoenix Mountain.

Phoenix Mountain is a famous historical mountain, and many cultural relics have been preserved so far. Yang Shan has statues of Dawangwo Grottoes, Kaiyuan Temple in Tang Dynasty, statues and stone tablets rebuilt by Tang and Jin Dynasties, and sacred pools. At the east foot, there is the tomb of the king of Ming Road. There is a natural Sanguan cave in Yinshan, where there are grotesque rocks. There are fossils of birds, insects and Han nationality on the cave wall.

Phoenix Mountain is a dangerous mountain, easy to defend but difficult to attack, and has always been a battleground for military strategists. In A.D. 1 134 (Shaoxing four years in the Southern Song Dynasty), the commander-in-chief of Yangshan village rebel army once relied on this mountain to bravely fight against the nomads from the Golden Army. In A.D. 1863 (the second year of Tongzhi in Qing Dynasty), the enlightened rebels built a village on this mountain to fight against the Qing army. During War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the War of Liberation, our People's Army and local militia also adhered to the Phoenix Mountain and repelled the enemy's attacks many times. 1947 On April 18, a certain unit of the People's Liberation Army and Chiang Kai-shek's172nd Brigade 1000 fought hand-to-hand and won the famous battle of Phoenix Mountain.

Phoenix Mountain is rich in natural resources, with pine, cypress, locust, poplar and yellow grass all over the mountain. There are also foxes, badgers, wolves, eagles, pheasants and other wild animals. There are dozens of wild medicinal materials, such as polygala tenuifolia, scorpion, wormwood, Yunnan wheat, kudzu root, cogongrass rhizome and so on. This area is rich in dozens of dried and fresh fruits such as dates, pears, walnuts, chestnuts, hawthorn and apples.