Visiting Qixia Mountain in winter

🌈 The people of Nanjing have always had the saying 'Spring to Niushou Mountain, Autumn to Qixia', which means going to Niushou Mountain in the southern suburbs for spring outings, and to Qixia Mountain to enjoy the red autumn leaves. Qixia Mountain, located in the northeast of Nanjing and quite far from the city, does not attract many visitors outside of the maple viewing season. ✅ In the deep autumn, Qixia Mountain is covered with red leaves and the forests are dyed in layers. Especially against the backdrop of the yellow walls and plaques of Qixia Temple, it is quaint and dazzlingly beautiful, stunning and intoxicating. It is considered the best place for viewing maple leaves in China, surpassing Beijing's Xiangshan, Suzhou's Tianping Mountain, and Changsha's Yuelu Mountain. 🌿 I used to visit Qixia Mountain every year, but the deep autumn season is particularly crowded. This time, I specifically chose to come in winter. When I arrived, it had just snowed; the lake surface was frozen, and the snow in the shaded areas had not yet melted, presenting a different Qixia Mountain. ✅ Qixia Mountain is known as the 'Historic Site of the Six Dynasties' and was listed as one of the 'Forty-eight Scenic Spots of Jinling' during the Ming Dynasty, earning the reputation 'One Qixia Mountain, half of Jinling's history'. There are more than 80 historical sites, which are a collection of religious culture, imperial culture, green culture, folk culture, geological culture, stone carving culture, and tea culture. The thousand-year-old ancient temple, the ancestral court of the 'Sanlun Sect' of Buddhism, and one of the 'Four Great Buddhist Jungles', the ancient Qixia Temple, is located on the western foothills of Qixia Mountain, with the 'Sui Pagoda, Tang Stele, and Thousand Buddha Crag' known as the three treasures.