Beigu Mountain
北固山
Where the Three Kingdoms tale of Liu Bei's marriage at Ganlu Temple unfolds; Beigu Pavilion and Duojing Tower overlook the Yangtze, and Xin Qiji composed his lyric 'Yong Yu Le: Thinking of the Past at Beigu Pavilion, Jingkou' here.
Beigu Mountain lies northeast of central Zhenjiang on the south bank of the Yangtze. It consists of a front, middle and rear peak. The rear peak rises steeply over the river, which gave the mountain its name, 'Beigu' (Northern Stronghold), and Emperor Wu of the Liang dynasty inscribed it 'the finest mountain and river under heaven'. On the summit, Ganlu Temple is said to be where Lady Wu, mother of Sun Quan, arranged the marriage that brought Liu Bei to Sun Quan's family, the setting for the Peking operas Ganlu Temple and Dragon and Phoenix Auspicious. Main highlights include Ganlu Temple and the Northern Song Iron Pagoda (originally a stone pagoda built by the Tang statesman Li Deyu, later recast in iron during the Song; two and a half storeys survive today); Duojing Tower, known as the finest tower under heaven; Jijiang Pavilion, where legend says Sun Shangxiang offered sacrifices to the river; the tomb of Lu Su; the Sword-Testing Stone; and Liuma Ravine. From Duojing Tower and Beigu Pavilion you can look out over the rolling Yangtze and Jiaoshan Island. Xin Qiji's line 'Across the ages, rivers and mountains remain, but the hero Sun Zhongmou is nowhere to be found' was written here. A visit takes about 1.5 hours. Entry is about RMB 36 (included in the three-mountain combined ticket), and the mountain is open about 08:30–16:30. Getting there: take a city bus to Beigushan station.
Opening hours
About 08:30–16:30
Nearby sights
- Mengxi Garden
- Zhenjiang Museum
- Former Residence of Pearl S. Buck
- Xijindu Ancient Ferry Street
- Boxian Park
- Jiaoshan Island
- Nanshan Scenic Area
- Jinshan Temple (Jiangtian Temple)