Zhaoqing︱Dinghu Mountain

Dinghu Mountain

Dinghu Mountain is, simply put, the most famous tourist spot in Zhaoqing. As the first-ever National Nature Reserve in China, Dinghu Mountain is well-known among Hongkongers. Do you know why this mountain is named “Dinghu”? There are several interpretations. Legend has it that the Yellow Emperor had once presented an ancient Chinese cauldron, known as “ding”, on the mountain; some say the lake (pronounced as “hu” in Mandarin) at the peak (“ding” in Mandarin) never dries up so it is called “Dinghu”, meaning the lake at the peak; others reckon the mountain looks like a ding from afar.

No matter which saying, the three interpretation\ns match with the magnificent mountain and aquatic sceneries. Since time immemorial, many eminent personalities have visited Dinghu Mountain. For instance, Dr Sun Yat-sen and his wife. Yoei, a Japanese pilgrim-monk who accompanied famous Chinese monk Jianzhen to propagate Buddhism in Japan, was buried in Dinghu Mountain after his death. On Dinghu Mountain, appreciating the beauty of ding culture in the Baoding Garden is a must-do activity. Then you may visit the ancient temple of Qingyun, the first of the four famous Buddhist temples in Lingnan, where monks give their lectures in. In the Flying Waterpool, you can see the waterfall splashing against hills and stones in irregular shapes. Take a deep breath of the unpolluted air on Dinghu Mountain for a mental and physical de-stress.