Nanchang >> Stone Bell Hill

Attraction Typ: Historic Site

Location: about 80 km from city

Recommend: 4 Star

Stone Bell Hill

Stone Bell Hill is a famous hill with its most mysterious and attractive thing about the sound-like bell one can hear on the mountain.

Stone Bell Hill (Chinese: 石钟山; pinyin: Shízhōng Shān) gains its name of the sound heard on the hill like a bell.
The Stone Bell Hill is located in the Shuangzhong (Double Bell) County of Jiujiang City, on the confluence of the Yangtze River and the Poyang Lake, surrounded by water on three sides and is joined to the mainland on the fourth.

The Stone Bell Hill is divided into two parts, the upper part facing the Poyang Lake, covered with exuberant trees, the Guxian Cave and other relics are found there, and the lower part facing the Yangtze River which is usually preferred as a tourist destination. It belongs to karst landscape with caves and hole inside. The Exquisitely designed layout with pavilions, doorways, bridges and caves dotted in the verdant scenery and various landforms. Numerous stone inscriptions and stone steles are found at the foot of the hill.

Because no one knows the exact reason why the sound likes the bell on the hill, it attracted lots of people to visit there to research its essence. The famous poets Li Daoyuan and Su Shi were conducted research about it, more over, Su Shi had recorded his research in his literal work-Shizhongshan Ji (Notes of Stone Bell Hill). As the work passed down through time, the hill has gained much more fame.The legend tells why it is so called, however, it cannot really explain the strange bell-like sound that can be heard.

There are three generally accepted theories to explain this. The first one is that the hill is comprised of limestone; and fissures formed through water erosion. When water flows through these fissures, the sound occurs. The second is that when striking the stone chimes, stalagmite and the stone pillar on this hill, people could hear that kind of strange sound. The third one is that when water seeps into the limestone cave at the base of the hill, this generates the sound.
The other explain waits you to discover!