Meng Liang Stairway

Meng Liang Stairway is at the entrance to Qutang Gorge, also on the southern bank of the river and to the east of the Whitewashed Wall. It is a Z-shaped series of holes nearly a meter apart and about one-third of a meter deep.

A legend said that Yang Jiye, a famous general in Song Dynasty who fought against barbarian invaders, was murdered by treacherous officials and was buried on top of Mt. White Salt, which was guarded by soldiers. General Yang's loyal comrade in arms, Meng Liang, wanted to bring his body home for burial. One dark night, he began to carve out a staircase to reach the grave but was discovered by a monk. The monk mimicked the rooster's crow to make Meng Liang give up his work, thought the down was breaking. Meng Liang got so angry when he found what happened that he hung the monk upside down on the cliff as punishment. Now to the east of Meng Liang Stairway is a slightly protruding rock which looks like a bare-footed monk being suspended upside down. That came to be known as the Hanging Monk Rock.

Another theory about stairway suggests that this flight of holes reaching halfway up the cliff provide access to the sections of a city wall found on top of White Salt Mountain which is 1,400 years old.