Huize Jinzhong Mountain Wenchang Palace

At the 2,300-meter summit of Jinzhong Mountain, the Wenchang Palace overlooks the Huize basin. Founded in 1727 under the direction of Dongchuan Prefects Huang Shijie and Zhao Chun, this Taoist sanctuary rose from the public donations of local residents. Its location honors a legend: the deity Wenchang subduing nine flood-causing dragons beneath an iron pot, which solidified into this bell-shaped mountain.

To reach the temple, visitors climb a winding path of 719 marble steps and 88 platforms. The path twists through seven major bends, mimicking the shape of an ascending dragon. Along this climb, the scent of century-old Yunnan oil firs fills the mountain air. At the top stands an ornate stone memorial archway erected in 1854. Its red surface bears the gold-leafed inscriptions "Deng Feng Zao Ji" on the front and "Zhu Xing Lang Yao" on the reverse, catching the high-altitude light.

The palace layout follows the natural mountain contours across 5,743.9 square meters. Along the main axis, the stone archway leads to the Kui Pavilion, a theatrical stage, an opposite hall, and the main hall. In the courtyard, human history is carved directly into stone. The southern wing walls hold steles of the "Ten Views of Dongchuan" poems composed by former Prefect Cai Yuanxie. Nearby, a historic Guangxu-era stele displays the "Ten Views of Huize" in elegant, fluid Zhao-style regular script, showing the precise chisel marks of Qing Dynasty stonemasons.

Today, the palace remains a living cultural space managed by Taoist abbot Zhang Zongyuan. In 2017, Zhang initiated the creation of a unique Daodejing stone stele forest, completed in 2019. Every year, on the second day of the second lunar month, the mountain comes alive for the Shuashan Festival. Local families climb the marble steps to tie red blessing ribbons to the temple trees, their prayers rustling in the wind. As evening falls, the "Jinzhong Sunset" bathes the ancient timber and stone in a deep purple-red glow, connecting modern visitors to the centuries of devotion etched into this mountain peak.