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

extinct volcano A volcano is commonly defined as a vent or fissure in the Crust (geology), crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic gas, gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth ...

situated in the south west of the

Nanhai District Nanhai District (), is a 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 attributed two brothers c ...

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

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

. 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 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–Macao Greater Bay Area in official documents, ...

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 Natural satellite, moon onto its surface. Lava may be erupted at a volcano or through a Fissure vent, fractu ...

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.

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 (, or ) is an extensive river system in southern China. "Pearl River" is often also used as a catch-all for the watersheds of the Pearl tributaries within Guangdong, specifically the Xi ('west'), Bei ('north'), and Dong ( ...

. During the

Ming The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of China ruled by the Han people, t ...

and Qing Dynasties, a number of scholars including

Zhan Ruoshui Zhan Ruoshui (, 1466–1560) was a Chinese philosopher, educator and a Confucian scholar. Biography Zhan was born in Zengcheng, Guangdong. He was appointed the president of Nanjing Guozijian (南京國子監, the Imperial Nanjing University) in ...

and He Baiyun () 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 influenced by Confucianism, which originated with Han Yu (768–824) and Li Ao (772–841) i ...

and painting. Amongst the most famous scholars was Chinese nationalist

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

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 Emp ...

movement at Mount Xiqiao. Chinese martial artist Huang Feihong was born in the area, where he developed the Nanquan 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 common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with Karuṇā, compassion known as Avalokiteśvara (). Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World". Originally regarded as m ...

, the Baiyun Caves (), 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