Hong Shan

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For other uses, see Hongshan.

Hong Shan seen from Xi Daqiao Bridge, Urumqi

Hong Shan, Hongshan or the Red Mountain (Chinese: 红山; Pinyin: Hóng Shān) is an inner city mountain in Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. The mountain, sometimes referred to as a hill for its smaller size than a mountain in landform, is the symbolic scenic spot of Urumqi. The local Urumqi Television Station adopted the shape of Hong Shan in red as its logo.

[edit] Etymology

Logo of the Urumqi Television Station, shaped after Hong Shan

As the rocks of the mountain reflect a bright red color, people call it Hong Shan ("Red Mountain" in Chinese). The red rocks were composed of dark purple sand gravel during Permian period. Hong Shan Mountain lies at the intersection of Hongshan Road (红山路) and Riverside Road (Hetan Road) (河滩路), Urumqi, and can be most wonderfully wide viewed from on Xi Daqiao Bridge.

[edit] History

The Hong Shan Park is in the center of Urumqi with the 1391-meter-high mountain. The temple lying on the hilltop is called Yu Huang Ge ("Chamber of Heavenly King"), said to have been built during the Tang Dynasty (618 ~ 907 A.D.), when many monks had studied scripture there. Since then, this chamber had become a place of tourism for the business people from Central Asia and the tourists from all over the world. Yu Huang Ge had been famous and prosperous until a riot in 1930 destroyed this popular chamber.

There is a nine-storage pagoda named Zhen Long Ta at the top of the mountain. It was built in Yuan Dynasty (1277 ~ 1367 A.D.). This 25-meter pagoda has been preserved carefully ever since it was built. When the nightfall or sunset begins, the pagoda is marvelous; this view was one of the eight most famous scenic spots in ancient Urumqi.

Before the Chinese government had begun the cultivation-planting project in Xinjiang, the mountain was bare and emerged without any trees. In the 1950s, therefore, after several years of cultivation planting, the mountain had a brand-new look; the hill is covered with trees, and the mountain is beautiful.