Nestled amongst green waters and rocky mountains, represented by Shangqing Stream and Zhaixia Grand Canyon, Taining County comprises an exceptional geographical environment. The name of this place, literally meaning “peace and safety,” was bestowed by Song Dynasty Emperor Zhezong in 1086. He did so at the request of a local scholar named Ye Zuqia.

Taining is small – less than 10 square kilometers in area with a population of only 30,000. A river known as Jinxi (Golden Stream) flows through the town, stringing together the streets and lanes, and along the streets the locals meet, linger and chat. Lush and in abundance here are forests of age-old trees, their branches extending to form shelter-like canopies.

These two senior nuns have long lived in the temple which stands on Li’s Rock.

In the central district of the town, there is a well-preserved stone-and-wood house dating back to the 1620s. This was first the residence of Li Chunye, a minister of war during the Ming Dynasty. At one end of the street leading to the minister’s residence is a well, surrounded by a one-meter-high, 10-centimeter-thick fence polished from a huge intact stone. There are many such wells in the town, mostly alongside the water conduits that line the streets and lanes.

In the early 11th Century and the early 12th Century, in succession, two men of Taining, Ye Zuqia and Zou Yinglong, placed first in the highest imperial examination, and each was conferred the title “Number One Scholar.” Today, whenever their names are mentioned, the locals cannot conceal their pride. Some attribute the success of the two scholars to the tranquil environment of their hometown. In a suburban mountain valley sits the “Number One Scholar Rock,” a formation of stone at which, it is said, Zou Yinglong studied and prepared for the imperial examinations. One can visualize it: Hundreds of years ago, in this secluded valley, a young man carried his books and enough food for several days, climbed the precipitous red rocks, improvised a desk within a cave, and set about his studies.