Henan is the cradle of Chinese civilization， which has profound cultural tradition and heritage. Song Yang Academy and Shaolin Temple are the combination of Wen and Wu， the dynamic and the static， which endow Songshan Mountain with unique flexibility and solemn. Zen Music played in Songshan Mountain valley composes a heavenly Zen Music Shaolin Grand Ceremony with nature. Let’s bravely travel through the strange and dangerous wall built-up highway on Taihang Mountain cliff， step into splendid China and salute to Henan cultural tour！
河南是华夏文明的发源地，有着深厚的文化传统与遗产。嵩阳书院，悠悠少林。文与武，动与静的交融，赋予了嵩山独有的灵动和厚重。在嵩山峡谷中奏响的禅乐与大自然构成一种天籁般的禅宗少林音乐大典。勇敢地穿越在巍巍太行悬崖峭壁上开凿而出的奇险挂壁公路。让我们一起踏上锦绣中华・礼致河南的文化之旅！
Song Yang Academy―An Idea Dialogue with ancient Literati
Song Yang Academy is one of the earliest academies with great influence. Song Yang Academy in Henan， White Deer Grotto Academy in Jiangxi Lushan Mountain， Yuelu Academy in Hunan Changsha， and Sui Yang Academy in Henan Shangqiu are known as "Four Great Academies" in ancient China. The academy is simple and elegant. The main buildings on the central axis are complete in varieties with quinary and corridors. The two ancient cypresses are special and crowned as "general cypresses” by Emperor Wudi.
Song Yang Academy was the place to teach Confucianism. If you want to enter the academy， you first need to pass the gate with memorial archway， with 4 Chinese characters “Gao Shan Yang Zhi” on it， which means the quality and knowledge of Confucius is like mountain， enough for people to admire. Before entering the gate， all students should pay attention to their words， deeds and clothes， so as to not disrespectful.
After passing the memorial arch of “Gao Shan Yang Zhi”， we can see a flat gray stone road in front of us. Then， steps of slabs appear， which are embraced by dense bamboo on both sides. Time seems to back to ancient times， and we can see numerous students quickly ran to school.
In the right side of steps is “Beiting” with red pillars and gray tiles. Under Beiting is one of the earliest stone tablets left by Eastern Wei Dynasty. There are many Buddhist statues， and they keep the style of “Cao clothing out of water “. The characters above are in typical tablet script， which is between regular script and official script， the font is energetic and saturated， which belongs to the top grade of tablet script calligraphy. Ascending the stairs， a raised circular area in gray fences appears in our sight， in the middle of which， there is a lush almond tree. Under the three， a solid stone table and four cylindrical benches are put. This is to commemorate the old routine that Confucius lectures under the almond tree. Tang Dynasty Tablet is nearby. It is one of the triple gems of Song Yang Academy. The modeling of the Tablet shows the grand， magnificent and spectacular style of Tang Dynasty architecture. On the base of the tablet， many beautiful statues are carved， which are solid and stable， and shows its straightness and fluency. The above tablet cap is dignified and elegant， and especially shows the flexibility and solidness of the body.
Coming to the real gate of Song Yang Academy， you can see a pair of stone lions with vigorous eyes， which witness numerous students and dignitaries in and out of the academy. They are all alike， keeping silent. The whole Song Yang Academy building belongs to shed-like structure， and represents the Confucian conception of simplicity， moderation， and peacefulness. The four characters"Song Yang Shu Yuan" above the door are modeled on Su Dongpo’s style. On both sides of the door， there is a couplet written by Emperor Qianlong， which is magnificent and full of romantic style.
Have an Innocent Morning Class in Shaolin Temple
When I came to Shaolin Temple on September 3， it is just the time to the prayer meetings to commemorate the Seventieth Anniversary of the victory of Anti-Japanese War. On this special day， a lot of Buddhists also came to the temple early to have a morning lesson on early with the monks， and they chanted and listened to the classics. They put themselves in the spiritual purification， praying for the motherland.
At 5 o ’clock in the morning， the night was not completely faded. We reached the Mahavira Hall in Songshan Shaolin Temple to have the morning lessons with the monks. Without the bustling noise during the day， the brilliant the Mahavira Hall appears more solemn and mysterious. Candlelight blandly overflew from the doors and Windows. This is the place with the brightest light in the Shaolin Temple.
Without light or sound， there are four red lighting candles in the Temple. Mahavira Hall is the place where Buddhist works. There are Shakyamuni Buddha and two of his disciples， Kasyapa， Mahakasyapa， Bhai？ajyaguru， Amitbha and the temple of Zen Buddhism in the early progenitor Dharma and strength fighting skillrepresentative Bodhisattva. Under the candlelight， bodhisattva presents some more dignity.
Inside a piece of the silent hall， it seems to hear people’s breathing. On both sides of the lobby， the monks and Shramanera stand linearly. The Abbot was accompanied by two waiters into the hall， crossing his hands with eye closed， in front of the Shakyamuni Buddha. At this moment， the clock on the east side of the hall was stricken. The crisp sweet bell broke the silence， and through the halls to the heart. Then here comes the sound of reading classics by all the monks with the sincere hearts. It grew light， and it is the time to worship the Avalokitesvara. The monks entered into the hall in four columns， on both sides of the gate of the temple， walking while chanting with the hands folded. The Abbot also joined the queue as ordinary monks. After recite the Avalokitesvara， more than 200 people returned to the house again neat and orderly in turn. Then， the rhythmic patterns are buzzing again...
After the chanting， the Abbot went out of the hall， and all the people quietly spread away. It turned out to be the end of the morning lesson. Nobody talked in the morning lessons， including the Abbot. Everyone just chanted. Then， on the east side of the Mahavira Hall， the Abbot had been sitting in the back of the monastery in the middle of a statue of Buddha. The monks， in turn， sat in a monastery on both sides of the long wooden table.
The anterior wall clock was stricken again. The monks recited the Patters together. Then a monk picked up two delicate small wooden daggers， picking a small patch of steamed buns in the basket to the stone pillar front of the monastery， which implies a handout. Then a flock of birds immediately flew past to peck. Time for breakfast， the meals are white buns， millet and sweet potato porridge， cold cucumber and gluten. On both sides of the monastery， several monks spread food at the same time. Still in the monastery still it is very quiet.
After breakfast， the monks went back to their houses to rest， and then they started the day’s work and life. In the Temple， only a few cleaners are cleaning in the yard. It grew bright， and Mahavira Hall woke up to welcome visitors from all over the world.
Listen to the Zen Music and Enjoy the Kung Fu-----Zen Music Shaolin Grand Ceremony
Zen is not a text， but exists in one’s mind， and pays much attention to enlightenment. Music is the best way to express Buddhist boundary. The zen music played in the Songshan Mountain canyon， together with all kinds of sound from nature， such as the sound of water， wind， leaves， and insects， together， constitute a natural zen aura .
The whole concert venue locates in the Song Mountain’s valley. It has a panoramic vision with180 degree， clear and beautiful springs， and indistinct ancient monastery temples. You can listen to the sound of water， wind， and insects quietly. There is a performance of zen Kung fu of nearly 600 people， a mantras of Shaolin monks. The variation of four seasons， the moving and impressive music of zen and Buddha let the sleeping Zhongyue culture show its extraordinary splendor again， and shines upon the earth. The auditorium is around the stage. The audiences can sit on futons， enjoy the water in the wind， listen to zen and admire Kung fu. How relaxed and happy it is. You can lay down all the distracting thoughts at night， have a rest， and enjoy large-scaled live-action performances， and then you will be enlightened by all of these.
Performance starts by the flowing water. Under the illuminate of lamplight， a few monks are sitting in meditation on futons in different locations， with their hands folded and eyes closed comfortable. You can see the Master Of Zen’s figure in Buddhist boundary， a village girl coming from the poetry of the Tang Dynasty， listening the songs of bodhi tree， the noise in empty mountain after the rain， the dialogue between monk and this world. All these become a cool and refreshing Buddhist mood in the sound of stream， and flows into people’s heart.
The wooden fishes are playing different rhythms which tell the growth process of the Shaolin monks， from naughty boys to prime of life and to spiritual old age. A group of young monks are running cheerfully across the bridge to fetch water. The shepherdess in legend is in pink dress with white floral flowers， and wears a tender pink scarf walking slowly with a flock of sheep... Suddenly， all the lights dimmed， and only a shine of light left upon the shepherdess. Her ringing voice broke the wooden fish’s meditation which brought the beauty to this Buddhist pure land.
The story of Bodhidharma face with wall tells inheritance of ancient customs for thousands of years. The Shaolin Kung fu in Song Mountain is deduced in a new style with live-action ----bells， wind bell， wind fist， wind stick， wind flag， and Shaolin kung fu impacted a lot. Suddenly we feel the grand beauty of heaven and earth， and this is a martial arts show， and also a picture of mountains and rivers.
A full moon rises slowly from one side of the mountain， and under the full moon there appears the Shaolin Temple’s Tower Forest where towers stand impressively. The departed monks appear in dreamland and tell us the story about Zen Buddhism. Spring， summer， autumn and winter， the variation of these four seasons come again and again accompanied by different rhythm of drum. Hanshan， old temples， tower shadow， mountain and moon skim over before our eyes instantly. The Kung fu monk on plum pile seemed to break through the limits of life， extends up into the heaven， and becomes a spirit in the world flying in eternity. If Not Mount Wang Mangling， How Can You Know Taihang Mountain？
Someone describes Wang Mangling “it is a gathering of peaks in the world， and why do you need to climb the Five Mountains？ Some sighs： in eight hundred miles Taihang Mountain， here is the real soul. Some think that the most spectacular thing about Wang Mangling is the sunrise， whose majesty and glory are like sunrise on Mount Tai. Some say that the wall builtup highway is a wonder of the world...
When reaching Wang Mangling， we meet the rare rainy day. According to local villagers， there are only two or three rains in a year. Looked from a distance， the entire Wang Mangling is cloudcovered and the mountains loom in it. We just encounter the rare wonderland unexpectedly！ The main landscapes are scattered in different places on the top of Wang Mangling， and you need to travel around the rock plank road.
We come to the top of Wang Mangling and begin to walk following the mountain road. The purple and white flowers on two sides of the road cluster together， elegant but not high-key. From a distance， it is also a kind of beautiful landscape to see mountains surrounded by winding and rugged paths. Unconsciously， a special kind of entity structure appears in front of you. The appearance of stone peak is like countless layers of overlapping sheets， and in the shape of a book. These dozens of meter-high stone peaks are connected to each other in dozens and form peak forest. On stone tablet next to them， there are four green characters “Tian Shou Bing Shu”.
Sun-watching Platform is one of the commanding heights of Wang Mangling. Watching sunrise on the platform is the most attractive and powerful scenery of Wang Mangling. Every morning， there is mist in the distance. When the sea of clouds slowly floats to the peak， the green peaks and gulches are partly hidden and partly visible， like a fairyland. Occasionally， when there is fog in the east and sunrise in the west， you can see the strange and rare bright light of Buddha. Xanadu Hidden in Remote Mountains
Cliff Tin Ditch connects to Henan to one side and Shanxi to the other side. Located in a valley with fall of 1000 meters in the south of Wang Mangling Scenic Spot， the small village is so peaceful， quiet and pleasant. By crosscutting stones， a firstclass waterfall is formed year after year. The water drops float in the air and swirl with wind， which is cool and refreshing. In summer， the foggy Taihang Mountain is shadowy， which is also very perfect！
Although cutting off by mountains， a Xanadu is also created. This area is crisscross in traffic， and has bridges and waters. There are green furrows. The people are nice and simple and the natural scenery is beautiful. There is a northsouth grand canyon vertically separated in the village， which is deep and long. The cliff is like screen and the sandstone is like cinnabar. A fresh spring plunges from stone walls， with sound of thunder， cold air rising and clouds， which is spectacular.
In the large valley of Cliff Tin Ditch， there are 17 villages from north to south. The traffic in the ditch is crisscross. The climate is cool， and you can hear dogs bark and cocks crow. The people are simple and honest. The same red slates houses， hedges， windlasses and stone rollers give us poetic pastoral scenery， which is pure， fresh and pleasant. The magnificent mountains and rivers， and beautiful historical legends， make people linger.
Comfortable Accommodations in Splendid Central Plains
Hotels of various styles are located in this splendid Central Plains―Henan Province； some are low-key； some， in the acme of fashion； some， with strong Zen； some， with wonderful stories. Living there， you have the feeling of time staggering. You will love these hotels at first sight， dedicate to at second sight. If you go there once， you will never forget it.
Enjoy the Comfort on the Cloud JW Marriott Hotels Zhengzhou Greenbelt is located in the top half floors of Millennium Plaza in Zhengzhou Central Business District Greenbelt. With 60 floors and 280 meters high， the building is known as central China’s tallest building and it is also one of Zhengzhou’s landmarks， which is affectionately called"big corn" by locals. JW Marriott Hotel Zhengzhou Greenbelt is the first hotel managed by Marriott International in Henan province， and also the seventh JW Marriott brand hotel in China. The hotel is adjacent to Zhengzhou International Conference and Exhibition Center， and Henan Art Center. The design inspiration of Millennium Plaza comes from Songyue Pagoda with a history of 1500 years， and is designed by famous SOM. The aluminum sunvisors outside build the whole building’s tower structure， which can reduce glare and solar heat at the same time of absorbing sunlight at the maximum. The interior decoration of the building reveals the rich history and culture of Central Plains： the brown metal represents bronze ware； turquoise is the symbol of ancient jade culture； in guest rooms and meeting region， the ancient bronze culture presents itself perfectly through modern frame artwork.
Song Yang Academy―An Idea Dialogue with Ancient Literati
嵩阳书院 与古文人来一场思想的对话
嵩阳书院是我国创建最早影响最大的书院之一，它与江西庐山的白鹿洞书院、湖南长沙岳麓书院、河南商丘的睢阳书院并称为中国古代“四大书院”。书院建制古朴雅致，中轴线上的主要建筑有五进，廊庑俱全。尤其是院内的两株古柏，被汉武帝封之为“将军柏”。
嵩阳书院为儒学说的传授之地；想要进入书院，首先经过红色牌坊的仪门，上面写字“高山仰止”四个大字。意思是说孔子的品质和学识像大山一样足以让后人敬仰。在进入仪门之前，学生们都要注意自己的言行穿戴，不至失礼。
穿过“高山仰止”的牌坊，眼前是一条平整的灰色石板路。紧接着是一格一格的石板台阶，都被两侧茂密的绿竹拥护着。时间倒回，仿佛看到一位位古代的莘莘学子，快步奔向学堂。
台阶下的右方是红柱灰瓦的“碑亭”，碑亭下是东魏时期遗留下来最早的石碑之一，石碑上有许多佛教造像，保留有北魏时期造像“曹衣带水”的风格。上面的文字是典型的魏碑体，介于楷书和隶书之间，字体刚健、笔力圆阔，也是魏碑书法的上品。顺着台阶拾级而上，一个的灰色围栏凸起的圆形区域出现在视线里，中间一棵茂密的杏树，放着一个敦实的石桌配着四把圆柱形的石椅，这是为纪念孔子杏树下筑坛而讲学的旧例所建。
大唐碑就在附近，它是嵩阳书院的三宝之一，石碑的造型彰显出唐代建筑的大气、宏伟和壮观的风格，碑基上雕刻有很多精美的造像，雄厚稳重，更衬托出碑身的挺拔流畅；上面的碑帽端庄飘逸，尤显整体的灵动和浑厚。
来到“嵩阳书院”真正的大门前。一对石狮神采奕奕注视着，见证了无数的学子清流，达官显贵出入此院落。它们全部一视同仁，缄口不语。整个嵩阳书院的建筑都属于灰筒瓦覆盖、硬山卷棚式建筑，代表着儒家主张朴素、中庸、平和的思想理念。大门上“嵩阳书院”四字是仿照苏东坡字体所写，门两侧柱子上有副对联为乾隆皇帝御笔，“近四旁为中央，统泰华衡恒，四塞关河拱神岳；历九朝为都会，包伊洛涧，三台风雨作高山。”气势磅礴，充满了浪漫主义的文笔色彩。
书院里的“大、二将军”魁梧地屹立在院内，倒在墙头柏树的“大将军”树身向南斜卧在“凸”字墙上。树冠浓密宽厚，郁郁葱葱，犹如一柄大伞遮掩晴空。气炸肚皮的“二将军”柏位于“大将军”柏往北处，虽树皮斑驳，躯干龙钟，但生机旺盛，虬枝挺拔。树干下部已糟朽洞穿，南北相通，能容五六个人。树干顶端自然形成一尊观音像面向东方，形象逼真，栩栩如生。两根弯曲如翼的庞然大枝，左右伸张，形如雄鹰，展翅欲飞。巍巍将军柏，更给嵩阳书院增添了一笔浓重的历史色彩，使人不由想起它那悠久的历史故事。
如今我们已不像古人一样在书院里学习，但作为龙的传人，依旧对书院有着独特的情怀。尤其是那古色古香的院落，和它那一份清幽僻静，以及浓郁的书香气息。让烦躁的人都能静下心来，静静地去思考，去品味。
Have an Innocent Morning Class in Shaolin Temple
少林寺 上一堂洗净铅华的早课
来到少林寺时，正好赶上9月3日少林寺“纪念抗战胜利七十周年祈福法会”。在这个特别的日子，好多信仰佛教的人也早早来到少林寺，和少林寺僧人一起上一堂早课，一起诵经、听经，让自己感受心灵的净化的同时，为祖国祈福。
大约清晨5点，夜幕还没有完全褪去。我们赶到嵩山少林寺大雄宝殿，与僧人们一起上早课。没有了白天熙来攘往的喧嚣，飞檐斗拱的大雄宝殿显得更加肃穆、神秘。烛光柔和地从门窗溢出，这是此时少林寺里最明亮的地方。
没有灯光，没有声响，大殿里点燃着四支红色蜡烛。大雄宝殿是少林寺做佛事的地方，供奉着释迦牟尼佛和他的两弟子阿难、迦叶，药师佛，弥陀佛，以及少林寺的禅宗初祖达摩祖师和代表着力量武功的紧那罗王菩萨。烛光映衬下，菩萨们更多了一些威严。
这时殿内一片静寂，似乎可以听到人们的呼吸声。大堂两侧，僧人和沙弥都整齐排列站立着。方丈在两名侍者的陪同下，准时步入大殿，合掌、闭目，立于释迦牟尼佛正前方。这时，大殿东侧的大钟被撞响，清脆悦耳的钟声打破静寂，穿越殿堂，响彻心扉。随即，诵经声响起，那是所有僧人喉音和心声的共振，嘤嘤嗡嗡，绕梁不绝。
天色渐渐放亮。拜观世音菩萨，僧人们排队依次走向大殿，在大殿门口两边排成四列，边走边诵经，双手合十。方丈也加入队列，与普通僧人一样。诵完观世音菩萨，200多人又依次重返殿内，队形依然整齐、有序。接着，有节奏的诵经声又嗡嗡响起……
诵经完毕后，方丈走出大殿，所有人十分安静地散去，原来是下早课了。少林寺的早课没有听到一个人说话，包括方丈，大家除了诵经还是诵经。 随后，大雄宝殿东侧的斋堂响起钟声，方丈已端坐在斋堂正中一尊佛像的后面，僧人们依次坐在斋堂两旁的长条木几上。
堂前侧的挂钟又被敲响，僧人们一起诵起了供养咒。诵经声中，一个僧人拿起两把精致的小木戈，在馍筐里挑起一小块馍头，放到斋堂前的一个石柱上，寓意施舍。但见一群飞鸟，立即飞过去啄食。开饭了，早饭是白馍、小米红薯粥、凉拌黄瓜和面筋。斋堂两边同时有几名僧人发放食物，斋堂里依然十分安静，没有人说话。 结束后，僧人们回到各自的住所休息，随后各自开始一天的劳作与生活。寺院里，只有几名清洁工在打扫院落。天色渐渐明亮起来，大雄宝殿的壮观宏伟初现，准备迎接来自世界各地的游客。
Listen to the Zen Music and Enjoy the Kung Fu Zen Music Shaolin Grand Ceremony
尘嚣之外・听禅赏武 禅宗少林・音乐大典
禅宗不著文字，直指心性，讲求顿悟。音乐是表现禅境的最佳方式。在嵩山峡谷中奏响的禅乐与大自然的各种声响――水声、风声、林涛、虫鸣合在一起，构成一种天籁般的禅韵。
整个演出场地坐落在嵩山山谷之间，180度的全景视觉，配合美轮美奂的山林清泉，若隐若现的古刹禅院，静静地听水声、风声、虫鸣。近600人的禅武演绎，少林僧侣的现场唱诵，春夏秋冬的四季变化，直指人心的佛乐禅音，让沉睡万年的中岳文化重放异彩，映照人间。
观众席围绕着舞台，可以坐在蒲团上，迎风看水，听禅赏武，令人的心情轻松而愉快。就在这个晚上放下一切杂念，可以休息，可以感受这场大阵容和大气场的实景演出，所带给你的领悟。
演出由潺潺水声而起，灯光的照射下，几个僧人一道在不同位置的蒲团上坐禅，双手合十，舒缓合着眼。达摩祖师的身影在禅境里出现，村姑浣女从唐诗里走来，菩提树的唱吟，空山雨后的喧闹，僧与俗的对话，一切都在溪流声中化成清凉禅意，流进人们的心底……
不同节奏的木鱼演奏讲述着少林武僧成长的历程，顽皮的少年，刚强的壮年，修持的晚年。一群打水的小和尚欢快地从桥上跑过，传说的牧羊女穿着粉色印满白色碎花的服饰，戴着嫩粉色的头巾缓缓地赶着羊群走来……忽然间，所有灯光都暗了下来，唯独留下一抹照耀在牧羊女身上。她清脆的歌声打破了木鱼的禅定，为这片佛国的净土带来了人间的美丽……
由“达摩面壁”开始，讲述千年古风的承传。而在嵩山实景间以全新方式演绎的少林武术――风铃、风拳、风棍、风旗，少林武术掀起了山岳林涛。刹那间我们感悟到天地之大美，这是武术的展示，也是山河的画卷。
一轮圆月缓缓地从山的一头升起，圆月下呈现出少林寺塔林，一座座塔赫然而立。远逝高僧在幻境中出现，向我们讲述禅宗故事。春夏秋冬，四季的变幻在轻重缓急的鼓声中轮回，瞬间，寒山、古寺、塔影、山月，一幅幅图画在眼前掠过……梅花桩上的武僧似乎突破了生命的限制，向上伸展，化成天地精灵，飞翔于永恒……
一个妙曼身着黄纱女子与一个俊俏布衣男子端坐在石头上，女子双手抚琴奏乐。随后，少林乐僧的唱诵在山林中响起，庄严而舒缓。这仿如看见天地间一派祥和景象，将音乐大典演出推向高潮。演出尾声时佛光普照，天地祥和。这是禅对自然的吟咏，对生命的眷爱，对天地万物的礼赞！最后，所有的演出人员齐齐亮相，鞠躬谢幕。我却无法抽离，迟迟不愿离去……
If Not Mount Wang Mangling， How Can You Know Taihang Mountain？
群峰之巅看云卷云舒
有人这样形容王莽岭：天下奇峰聚，何须五岳攀？有人感慨：八百里太行，此处才是真正灵魂所在。有人认为王莽岭壮观之处，莫过于日出，其磅礴辉煌之势，一如泰顶。有人说王莽岭的挂壁公路是世界奇观……
抵达王莽岭时，正好赶上难得的雨天。据当地村民说：一年也就下两三场雨。远远望去，整个王莽岭云雾缭绕，群山若隐若现，如此难得的仙境，就让我们这样不期而遇地“碰”上了！王莽岭的主要景观散落在山顶上不同的地方，需要绕着山石栈道游览。
乘车来到山顶，开始顺着山路徒步而行，路旁成片紫色、白色的小花簇拥在一起，淡雅却不张扬。远远望去，一条条蜿蜒崎岖山间小路环绕着一座座山峰，也是颇有美感的一种景观。不知不觉间，一种特殊的实体构造出现在面前。几十米高的石峰，外表看似层层叠叠的薄板组成，酷似书本，这种石峰几十尊连成一片，形成峰林，旁边的石碑上写着“天授兵书”四个绿色大字。
观日台是王莽岭的制高点之一，在台上看日出是王莽岭最具魅力和震撼力的景致。每天清晨，远处都会有山岚雾帐。云海慢慢地爬上山头，绿色山峰峡谷变得若隐若现，犹如腾云驾雾的仙境一般。偶尔东边大雾弥漫，西边云中日出，就可以看见奇异罕见的耀眼佛光。
途经当年“刘秀跳”的悬崖，视线被两个悬崖上茂密的绿植所阻挡。依稀可以看见狭长的悬崖，深不见底。回想当年刘秀在被人追赶万般无奈地纵身一跃，让他在绝处逢生。据说当年王莽赶刘秀时，王莽在此安营扎寨，刘秀则在对面的孤山上安营扎寨，一天夜里刘秀来王莽的军营里刺探军情，不料却被王莽将士发现，尾追到此。情急之下便一跃而起，跳了过去。
站在方知崖上，可以看到对面的奇峰青山，又可以看到河南的村庄，也是观赏云海的好地方。总会时不时地遇到有画家在上面支着画架，看看远方，在画纸上涂涂抹抹。不一会儿，一幅壮丽的画卷就呈现在眼前。陵川棋子山是世界围棋的起源地。2004年，原中国棋院院长、九段国手陈祖德先生与世界围棋冠军、韩国围棋大师曹熏铉先生就在此对弈。当天云海在奇峰中飘荡，山坡上松涛阵阵，野花盛开，两位大师心旷神怡，对此美景赞不绝口，只下了开局就无心恋战，专心致志欣赏起美丽的景色来。 只有在下山时，才可以乘坐景区的观光大巴穿越王莽岭7.5公里的挂壁公路。挂壁公路横插在山体间，曲折多弯。挂壁公路上间隔着一个个如小窗般的洞口，坐在车里可以从洞口望见外面的风景，尤其是顺着山势往下看，令人不由一颤，深不见底的万丈深渊。穿越在迂回曲折挂壁公路上，一定要系好安全带，因为整个人都无法掌握重心，随车身摇摆，既惊险又刺激，当然还可以欣赏到绝壁上的特有美丽。
Xanadu Hidden in Remote Mountains
藏在深山的世外桃源
锡崖沟，一头牵着河南，一头属于山西。这个坐落于王莽岭景区南端四周落差1000多米的深谷之中的小山村是如此清静怡人。借由山水横切顽石，长年累月，造就一流飞瀑。水丝飘飘，随风飞旋，清凉自在。夏日里，这雾蒙蒙的太行山脉，影影绰绰，也是极好的！
大山的阻隔同时也造就了一个世外桃源，该区谷底阡陌交通，沔桥流水，田畦青翠，民风纯朴，自然风光秀丽，村中有一南北走向的大峡谷垂直分开，深邃悠长，峭壁如屏、砂岩如朱，一股清泉从壁间飞流而下，涛声如雷，寒气上逼，云雾飘渺，蔚为壮观。
在锡崖沟的大山谷中，从北到南分布着17个自然村。沟内阡陌纵横，气候凉爽，鸡犬相闻，民风淳朴。清一色红石板垒成的屋子、篱笆墙、水辘辘、石碾子，诗一般的田园风光，清新宜人。壮美的山川与优美的历史传说，使人流连忘返。
响水河，发源于王莽岭南麓。百丈深的峡谷之上，龙王桥横空卧波；桥下十几丈高的瀑布如一条条彩练，直泻而下，落入深不可测的龙王潭中。透过瀑布，隐约可见那神秘幽深的青黄二龙洞。打在石子上的水珠，如落入玉盘，清脆悦耳。倒生柏，生长在离龙王桥200米的悬崖上。头朝下，根向上，阴差阳错地生长在岩缝间，向世人展示着它神秘的生机。
这里还隐藏着一座天然的浴池“爽身淮”。每临夏日，峡谷中的山风送来阵阵凉意，人们在爽身淮上捡美石，浴泉水。泉水经大山灵气的浸染，富含各种矿物质，浴之，饮之，舒筋活血，养颜益寿。美人峰，位于锡崖沟东面的马东岭山。夕阳西下，眺望东山，那乳、那眉、那秀发、那微微隆起的小腹、那纤长的曲线轮廓，恰似一位沐浴的少女。
此外，还有西莲寺、东莲寺、后晶宫、祖师顶，这里的每一处地方都蕴含着大自然的独特恩赐，流传着那些美丽动人的传说。