Due to its spectacular scenery and outstanding natural beauty, Panshan has long attracted emperors of successive dynasties to visit. Emperors such as Cao Cao of the Wei Dynasty, Emperor Taizong of the Tang, Emperors Taizong and Shengzong of the Liao, Emperor Shizong of the Jin, and the Qing emperors Kangxi, Qianlong, Jiaqing, and Daoguang all made pilgrimages to Panshan, paying homage to the Buddha and engaging in Zen meditation. Because of the great attention paid by rulers across the ages, extensive construction was undertaken on the mountain, with temples and monasteries erected, thereby enriching its cultural landscape. During the Wei and Jin periods, the Shaolin Temple was founded; in the Tang dynasty, the Tiancheng, Wansong, Yunzhao, Shangfang, Qianxiang, Tianxiang, and Dingguang Fó relics pagodas were built; in the Liao period, the Ancient Buddha Relics Pagoda was constructed; and in the Qing dynasty, the Panggu Monastery was established. During the Qianlong era of the Qing dynasty, the imperial retreat known as Jingji Villa was also built. The Qianlong Emperor stayed there more than twenty times, while the Jiaqing Emperor visited seven times. The frequent visits of emperors throughout history further elevated Panshan’s prestige and renown.
When emperors, scholars, and military commanders visited Panshan, the sight of its picturesque landscapes often stirred their emotions, inspiring them to compose poems, engage in poetic exchanges, bestow names, and inscribe plaques—praising Panshan’s scenic wonders and expressing their innermost sentiments. For instance, after returning from his eastern campaign against Goguryeo, Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin, once stationed his troops at Panshan and penned the widely celebrated verse: “Green fields host the imperial pavilion; Lu Long turns the banners of war. Distant hills gleam like brocade, long streams wind like ribbons. Sea‑borne mists rise in layers of towers, cliff pines spread their thousand‑foot shade. Here one may roam and revel—why seek pleasure beyond Xiangcheng?” Emperors Kangxi and Qianlong left behind even more poems, couplets, and inscribed plaques on Panshan. Nor were there few poems composed by military leaders in praise of the mountain. During the Tang era, the patriotic general Li Jing, who served as Minister of War and held other high offices, returned from his campaign against Goguryeo alongside Emperor Taizong. He ascended the West Terrace of Panshan, drew his sword, danced, and sang aloud the “Song of Sword‑Dancing”: “Climbing the lofty ridges, I gaze in all directions; clutching the rainbow‑colored banner, I sever the arc of the rainbow. Alas, the three armies sing of triumphant return!” From this lofty vantage, he gazed far and wide, his sword‑dance cleaving the sky, his spirit majestic and grand. The general’s heroic bearing, extraordinary talent, and noble character are fully captured in these verses, which have also bequeathed to posterity the renowned scenic spot known as “Sword‑Dancing Terrace.”
The renowned Ming‑dynasty general who fought against Japanese pirates, Qi Jiguang, also left behind a timeless masterpiece on Panshan: the poem “Ascending to the Summit of Panshan.” It reads: “With the cry of the frost‑horn, grass and trees wither; atop the clouds, the stone gate opens. In the north wind, I have never grown drunk on frontier wine; countless crows return as autumn leaves fall. So long as my battle‑axe can quell the murderous aura, what matter if white hair marks the years spent at the border? On this peak where my name is inscribed, whom shall I share it with?—the very stage where General Li once danced with his sword.” The poem expresses deep reverence for the patriotic Tang‑dynasty general Li Jing, while also voicing the poet’s own lofty resolve to repel foreign aggression. Over the centuries, countless scholars and literati have visited Panshan and composed odes in its praise. Among them were Chen Shou, author of the “Records of the Three Kingdoms” during the Jin dynasty; the celebrated literary figure Tao Yuanming; Li Daoyuan, compiler of the “Commentary on the Waterways Classic” in the Northern Wei period; the Tang poets Chen Ziang and Gao Shi; the Ming‑era writers Fang Xiaoru, Yuan Hongdao, Mi Wanzhong, Wang Shizhen, and Liu Dong; and the Qing dramatists Kong Shangren and Hong Sheng, along with the literary figures Wang Shizhen, Zhu Yizun, Gao Shiqi, and Li Wei. All of them journeyed to Panshan, leaving behind no fewer than a thousand poems that, from myriad perspectives, celebrate the mountain’s majestic splendor.
