The Legend of Shimen before the Twelve Crossings
After crossing the Shidu Ferry, we came to the Shier Ferry. Turning northwest along the asphalt road, we came to the deep stone gate between two rocks. A li away on the left side of the stone gate is a small mountain village called Qianshimen. The village is located in a small basin embraced by mountains. The climate is humid and mild. From the north to the west of the village, there is a semicircular mountain surrounding the village, called Phoenix Mountain. There used to be 81 temples on the mountain, including the Niangniang Temple and the Mountain God Temple. Deep in the strange peaks and rocks, there are green forests, yellow walls and red towers, which decorate this small mountain beautifully and spectacularly. In this Feng Shui treasure land, there used to be dozens of poor families living at the foot of the mountain, managing ten fruit trees and dozens of acres of beach land, living a life of hunger and clothes. The large number of fruit trees and hundreds of acres of fertile land in the basin were enclosed by monks and Taoists on the mountain. Whenever there was a drought or flood disaster, the poor people could not make ends meet, so they asked the temple for help. If they did not show mercy, the temple manager would coax them away. The poor people had no choice but to leave their homes and go around begging for food. According to legend, one year, the water of the Juma River suddenly turned left and flowed into the village after entering the stone gate, sweeping away the crops of the poor. The people had no harvest and were about to go out to beg for food. Suddenly one night, the sky brightened early, and the dark village suddenly became bright. In particular, a stone wall in the Nanshangou, where the sun was not visible in the water, suddenly shone. At first, people who stayed at home thought it was an illusion. When the sky got light and they went to the entrance of the village, they found out that at midnight, a golden phoenix flew down from the sky. It landed on the top of the North Mountain, with its head facing south and its tail facing north. Its two eyes like searchlights stared at the whole village and the stone wall of the South Mountain. The sky was really bright, and the golden phoenix did not know where to go. However, it brought wealth and happiness to the villagers. A stone door cracked on the stone wall of the Danangou, and silver and money flowed out of the stone door. The poor people in the village spread the word and went to pick up the silver and money. The monks in the temple knew about it when the poor people had picked up enough money. When they hurried to the stone gate to pick up the money, the money stopped flowing. They waited for several days and nights, but not a single coin flowed out. They were eager to get rich, so they dug up the stone gate. Therefore, the village was named Qianshimen. Because it was in front of the stone gate of Juma River, it was mistakenly called Qianshimen by later generations. Information source: District Culture and Tourism Bureau (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.) Information source: District Culture and Tourism Bureau (No pictures yet, welcome to provide.)