Hongshi Gorge is also known as Xiongshi Gorge. It is located 3 kilometers north of Yulin, Shaanxi. The red rocks of Hongshi Gorge are facing each other, the willows are shady, the Great Wall passes through the gorge, and the Yuxi River rushes endlessly. It is known as the most beautiful scenery of the Great Wall. The Red Rock Canyon is about 350 meters long, facing east and west, and is steep and majestic. In the gorge, the Yuxi River flows rapidly, the trees are green, the flowers are colorful, and the scenery is beautiful. The east cliff is Xiongshan Temple, and the west cliff is calligraphy stone carvings. There are 25 grottoes of different sizes on the east and west stone walls. The calligraphy stone carvings on the west bank wall are quite famous. In the old days, when border generals and literati came to Yulin, they often drank and sang at Xiongshan Temple. They left more than 160 precious calligraphy works. The large ones are about 6 meters long, and the small ones are about an inch. Li, Kai, Xing and Cao are complete, and the writing is strong and vigorous. Among the inscriptions are couplets inscribed by Zuo Zongtang, a famous general in the late Qing Dynasty, and "Turn the Tide" inscribed by revolutionary martyr Du Bin with vigorous handwriting and extraordinary skill.
As for the origin of Hongshi Gorge, "Yulin Mansion Chronicles" said: During the Song Dynasty, this area of ??Yulin was under the jurisdiction of the Xixia State. At that time, there was a spring in Hongshan flowing southward from a cave. King Li Jiqian of the Western Xia Dynasty took a fancy to this geomantic treasure land, and sent people to block the water flow, cut rocks into caves, bury his ancestors, and divert water to it. Therefore, a monument was originally erected on the east side of Puji Bridge in Hongshixia Reservoir: "Li Ji, the king of Western Xia, was buried here because his ancestor was Yi Chang." Now the monument has been destroyed.
Another theory is that in 1472, Yu Zijun was appointed as the governor of Yansui and prepared to build the Great Wall. At that time, in the north of Hongshan, the Qingshui River was full of water. In the water village in the middle of Haizi lived a group of water thieves who robbed the Mongolian and Han people's cattle, sheep, food, and clothing. In order to eliminate this group of bandits, Yu Zijun sent people to dig rocks here to make a canal to divert water from Haizi into the Wuding River from the southwest of Yulin City. After the water receded, Yu Zijun sent an army to destroy the bandits. At that time, the stone gorge dug out was called Hongshi Gorge, the canal water introduced was called Yuxi River, and the irrigation built on both sides was called Guangze Canal.
Art and landscape features
In ancient times, literati, poets, and even generals stationed in Yulin liked to go to Hongshi Gorge to make inscriptions to express their heroic ambitions on the frontier, so Hongshi Gorge is also the site of Great Wall calligraphy. A great treasure house of art, it can also be seen that Yulin's status as a "nine-sided town" in ancient times can be seen. In addition, you can also appreciate the grotto art from the Song and Yuan Dynasties. If you are lucky and catch a clear day, you can stay until the evening to catch a glimpse of the "Red Mountain Sunset". The scenery of Hongshi Gorge under the setting sun is as gorgeous as the sunset and is one of the famous "Eight Scenic Spots of Yulin".