Eryou Mountain
二酉山
The origin of the allusions “Shu Tong Er You” and “Xue Fu Wu Che.” It features an ancient cave where books were hidden in the Qin era, a 345-step “Stairway to Knowledge,” and views over the emerald waters of the Youshui River.
Eryou Mountain lies about 15 km northwest of the Yuanling County town, in Eryou Township, where the Youshui and Youxi rivers meet. It consists of Greater Eryou Mountain and Lesser Eryou Mountain. Legend has it that when Qin Shi Huang ordered the burning of books, the scholar Fu Sheng hid a thousand bamboo slips in a cave on this mountain, and the phrase “shu tong er you” (books pass through Eryou) comes from this. The scenic area has the ancient book-hiding cave, a statue of Fu Sheng, the Eryou Library and Miaohua Temple. To reach the mountainside, visitors climb the 345 steps of the “Stairway to Knowledge,” and along the way they can look out over the Youshui gorge. You can hire a car from the county town or take a boat along the Youshui River. Admission follows the scenic area's announcements.
Opening hours
About 08:00–17:30
Nearby sights
- Longxing Jiangsi Temple
- Yuanling Old Town
- Fenghuang Mountain (Yuanling)
- Chenzhou Three Pagodas (Longyin Pagoda)
- Hujiaxi Ancient Village
- Jiemuxi National Nature Reserve
- Fengtan Reservoir
- Jietan Tea Plantation