Guanyin (Goddess Of Mercy) Gorge

Guanyin (Goddess Of Mercy) Gorge

 















Guanyin (Goddess of Mercy) Gorge is situated in the utmost south of 
Lijiang and near the risky pass of Guanpo on DaLi (Dali-LiJiang) Road.
 It features beautiful landscapes, waterfalls, folk customs, Naxi villages
 and religion etc.

As a matter of fact, Guanyin Gorge used to be an important pass and 
 military fortress on Lijiang’s part of the Ancient Tea and Horse Road
 (Trail) northwards Tibet. Chieftain Mu of Lijiang once asked to establish
 customhouse and barracks here. In 1639, Xu Xiake, the great traveler
 and geographer of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), visited Guanyin Gorge
 on the way to Lijiang. He ever described: “there are docks on the winding
 rivers, and farm lands are surrounding villages in the gorge…It is the first
 key to Lijiang”.

Guanyin Gorge area consists two major parts, the Yellow Dragon Pool and
 Guanyin Gorge itself. In the Yellow Dragon area, one could witness the
 traditional architectures of Naxi including Wooden Houses and Compounds
 with Three Houses and a Screen Wall to Reflect the Sunlight etc.; on the
 Tea and Horse Street, one also can visit workshops of cobblers, wood
 sculptors, coppersmiths, blacksmiths, and silversmiths etc. The Yellow
 Dragon Pool is composed of several limpid brooks. The lofty peak beside
 it is just the so-called Yulong Guan (Jade Dragon Pass).

Guanyin Gorge is blanked with precipitous cliffs that are said to be 
cleaved our by Goddess of Mercy with her palm. In 2004, the Rock
 Climbing of the Seven Stars Int’l Cross-country Race was held in
 Guanyin Gorge.