Nine Horse Fresco Hill – the cliff face is stained by minerals,
creating a mural resembling galloping horses.
According to legend, the nine horses were raised in heaven and attended by the Monkey King.
However, the Monkey King was not happy with his job and he often went back to Huaguoshan
Mountain and left the heavenly horses unattended. Once, when the horses were unattended,
nine of them escaped to the world to wander in the mountains where they enjoyed fresh clean
water and flowers in bloom and never came back. When a god from heaven was sent to look for
them, the horses hid in a cave. The horses were discovered by the god while bathing in Li River
at dawn, however, and in a hurry to escape they ran into the cliff side where their images
turned into stone as a punishment for not returning.
A folk ballad claims that the one who can identify all nine horses will be Number One Scholar.
To be able to identify all the nine horses you need keen eyesight and a rich imagination.