How important is Dengfeng, Henan Province to Luoyang?

Dengfeng has a long history. It was once Yangcheng, the capital of Xia Dynasty, and was called Yucheng of Du Yu. After Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty toured Songshan Mountain, Weiwei County was established, and it was changed to Songyang County in Sui Dynasty, which was named after the grandson of Songshan Mountain. In 690, Wu Zetian proclaimed himself emperor, changed his country name to Zhou, and made Luoyang his capital. In 696, Wu Zetian climbed Mount Songshan and sealed Zhongyue. To show success, Songyang County was changed to Dengfeng County, and Yangcheng County was changed to Chenggong County. Dengfeng and Gaocheng merged into one in the Jin Dynasty and became Dengfeng County.

Dengfeng City is located in the southwest of Zhengzhou City, bordering yanshi city and gongyi city in the north, xinmi city in the east, Yichuan County in the west and Yuzhou and Ruzhou in the south. Lushan Mountain in the south and Songshan Mountain in the north, with high terrain in the north and low terrain in the middle. The distance from Dengfeng to the ancient capital Luoyang is about 60 kilometers, which is one of the eastern barriers of Luoyang and its geographical position is very important.

Luoyang is located at the intersection of Iraq and Luoshui, with the Yellow River in the north, surrounded by mountains, Taihang Mountain and King of Wu in the north, Songshan Mountain in the east, Xiong 'er Mountain, Funiu Mountain and Waifangshan Mountain in the south, and hills, Mangshan Mountain and Zhongtiao Mountain in the west. It is a land of four blockades that is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and is known as the "small Guanzhong". In the southeast of Luoyang, there is a tunnel between Shaoshi Mountain and Taishi Mountain, and you can go to Xuchang to the east, which is generally consistent with the direction of 207 national highway. In ancient times, Yuan Tiao Pass, one of the eight passes in Luoyang, guarded this passage. After Yuan Tiao, you can follow the Heying River to the Huaihe River Basin. On the other hand, if we win Yuan Tiao, we can also attack Luoyang Basin. Historically, there have been many wars in Tieyuanguan. For example, at the end of Sui Dynasty, there was a fierce battle with Wang.

In addition, to the west of Tieyuan Pass, there is a passage from Luoyang South to Songshan via Taikoo Pass, and Taikoo Pass is guarding this passage. Whether it is from Tieyuanguan or Taiguguan, it will pass Dengfeng, which shows the importance of Dengfeng to Luoyang and is a battleground for military strategists.

Dengfeng has enough weight in history. In addition to geographical advantages and Songshan Mountain in Zhongyue, it also has a lot to do with Shaolin Temple. Shaolin Temple is the ancestral home of Zen Buddhism in China, the birthplace of Shaolin Wushu, and is known as "the first temple in the world". Zhongyue Songshan Mountain is divided into Taishi Mountain (the main peak of Zhongyue Mountain) and Shao Shi Mountain. Shaolin Temple was born in the Northern Wei Dynasty when Han Buddhism prevailed, and it was named because it was located in the dense jungle under Shaoshi Mountain.

Dengfeng can be both literary and martial. There are Shaolin Temple in martial arts and Songyang Academy in literature. Songyang Academy, Yingtian Academy, Yuelu Academy and Bailudong Academy are also called the four ancient Chinese academies, which are quite powerful. Songyang Academy was also founded in the Northern Wei Dynasty, originally as Songyang Temple, and changed to Songyang Temple in the Tang Dynasty. When Li Zhi of Tang Gaozong visited Songshan Mountain, he turned it into a palace called Fengtian Palace. In the last week of the Five Dynasties, Chai Rong changed to Taiyi Academy, and the Northern Song Dynasty changed to Taishi Academy. 1035 rebuilt the Academy and renamed it Songyang Academy.

Songyang Academy is famous in the world because a large number of famous Confucian scholars give lectures here, such as Cheng Hao, Cheng Yi, Fan Zhongyan, Sima Guang, Fan Chunren, Zhu, Lu Hai and so on. It was one of the birthplaces of Neo-Confucianism in Zhu Cheng in the Song Dynasty. The famous allusions and the model of respecting teachers and stressing morality "Chengmen Sydney" happened in Songyang Academy.