Gezao Mountain 阁皂山

Gezao Mountain, located in the southeast corner of Zhangshu City, Jiangxi Province, is also known as "Ge Ridge". It is a branch of the western extension of the Wuyi Mountains, stretching for more than 200 miles. With winding peaks and overlapping ridges, ancient bamboos and lush pines, it is often shrouded in rising clouds and mist, hence the name "Qingjiang Green Barrier".

Gezao Mountain is a famous mountain integrating Taoist culture and the history of traditional Chinese medicine. In the 7th year of Jian'an in the Eastern Han Dynasty (202), the famous Taoist Ge Xuan attained enlightenment and practiced here. Ge Xuan was not only the founder of the Lingbao Taoist school but also the founder of Zhangshu's pharmaceutical industry, making Gezao Mountain the ancestral mountain of the Zhangshu Medicine Gang. After Ge Xuan, his disciples continued to preach, refine elixirs, grow medicinal herbs, and practice medicine on Gezao Mountain, among whom Ge Hong made the greatest contribution. In the history of Chinese Taoism, the two Ges are collectively known as the "Ge School of Taoism", and Gezao Mountain thus became a sacred place for Taoists because of them.

This palace is located at the southern foot of the East Peak in the Blessed Land Scenic Area and is a Taoist sacred site. Composed of three parts: the imperial steps, the palace gate, and the main hall, it covers an area of over 2,000 square meters. It was originally the Woyun Nunnery built when Ge Xuan re-entered the mountain in the 2nd year of Jiahe in the Wu Kingdom (233). During the Sui Dynasty, it was called Lingxian Hall. In the Tang and Song dynasties, it was successively granted the titles of "Gezao View", "Ge Xuan Du View", "Jingde View", "Chongzhen Palace", and "Wanshou Chongzhen Palace" by imperial decree. In the 6th year of Chunyou in the Southern Song Dynasty (1246), Emperor Lizong granted it the title "Grand Wanshou Chongzhen Palace". There are many Taoist temples prefixed with "Wanshou" (Longevity), but those prefixed with "Grand Wanshou" are extremely rare, which shows its prosperity during the Tang and Song dynasties.

The existing palace has been rebuilt in the depths of Gezao Mountain, facing Lingyun Peak in the front and leaning against the East and West Mountains at the back. The main hall faces south, with multiple gates and deep courtyards, flanked by long corridors. It is a mixed-structured building with a gable and hip roof, glazed tiles, high-ridged flying eaves, painted walls, and patterned windows. The hall enshrines three statues: Immortal Ge, Celestial Master Zhang, and True Lord Xu, with their solemn Taoist appearances inspiring respect. The palace has a constant flow of incense and visitors all year round.

This academy is located on the southern slope of the East Peak in the Blessed Land Scenic Area, covering an area of about 860 square meters. In the Song Dynasty, it was a hall dedicated to Taishang Laojun, Sakyamuni, and Confucius, also known as "Daode Palace" (Palace of Virtue). It was called "Ziyang Academy" because Zhu Xi (also known as "Ziyang") gave lectures here several times. It was destroyed by a mountain fire in the Ming Dynasty. In the 8th year of Yongzheng in the Qing Dynasty (1730), Huang Yan, a local, funded the reconstruction of Ziyang Academy into a brick-concrete structure.

The academy is shaded by ancient trees, including a towering ginkgo tree nearly 800 years old, golden osmanthus, silver osmanthus, and four-season osmanthus from the Song and Yuan dynasties, as well as rare ornamental and medicinal plants such as podocarpus, purple magnolia, and redbud, most of which are over 100 years old. Gentle breezes blow all year round, carrying a lingering fragrance.

Baicao Garden is located south of Guabi Peak in the Blessed Land Scenic Area. It is said that Immortal Ge founded it to teach his disciples and provide emergency medical treatment by collecting and cultivating various herbs from the mountains. It was named "Baicao Garden" based on the idea that "Shennong tasted a hundred herbs, and a hundred herbs form a thousand prescriptions". Later, through the management of Taoist priests of Gezao Mountain in successive dynasties, especially after Fang Yizhi, one of the Four Noblemen of the late Ming Dynasty, lived in seclusion here and cultivated and processed medicinal materials, Baicao Garden became more large-scale.

Today, inside the bamboo-fenced cave gate of Baicao Garden, famous medicinal herbs produced in the mountains are cultivated according to the layout of the Eight Trigrams diagram, which is quite distinctive. With fragrant medicinal herbs and blooming exotic flowers all year round, it is a place integrating sightseeing and scientific research.