Mount Li
34°21′31″N 109°12′38″E / 34.35861°N 109.21056°E
Mount Li (
Ancient era
Some ancient tales say that the literal Chinese name "Black Steed Mountain" stems from its resemblance to a horse whilst others that the name arose during the
In 771 BCE, King You of Zhou was slain at its foothills alongside his loyal vassal Duke Huan of Zheng. This marked the collapse of the mighty Western Zhou dynasty and began a very long age of endless conflict that devastated the Central Plains.
At the foot of the mountain is the necropolis of the first Emperor Qin Shi Huang, comprising his mausoleum and the Terracotta Army. Geographer Li Daoyuan of Northern Wei, recorded in Shui Jing Zhu that Mount Li was a favoured location due to its auspicious geology: "famed for its jade mines, its northern side was rich in gold, and its southern side rich in beautiful jade; the first emperor, covetous of its fine reputation, therefore chose to be buried there".[2][3]
Republic of China era
On December 12 of 1936, de facto Kuomintang (KMT) leader Chiang Kai-shek arrived in Shaanxi Province and stayed at Huaqingchi. His ostensible mission was to eradicate the local Communists and warlords, but instead he was kidnapped whilst hiding in a crevice on Li Mountain in what became known as the Xi'an Incident. After the incident, the KMT government built the simple "Minzu Fuxing Pavilion" (民族復興亭) at the foot of the crevice in commemoration.
The building was reconstructed using steel and concrete in 1946 with the relevant funds subscribed by students of the
People's Republic of China era
After the 1949 Communist victory, the pavilion was for a time called the "Seizing Chiang Pavilion" (捉蒋亭), finally adopting its current name of "Bingjian Pavilion" (兵谏亭; lit. 'stern advice backed by force') in 1986. Both terms refer to the Xi'an Incident.
Today, Li Mountain National Forest Park is a national level protected site and an
References
- ^ Nationalparkofchina.com
- ISBN 978-0-7509-3960-7.
- ^ Shui Jing Zhu Chapter 19 《水經注•渭水》Original text: 秦始皇大興厚葬,營建塚壙於驪戎之山,一名藍田,其陰多金,其陽多美玉,始皇貪其美名,因而葬焉。
This article is based on a translation of 骊山 in Chinese Wikipedia ; Information copied from English Wikipedia about the death of Youwang, in Battle of Mount Li