According to legend, Mayilu descended to the mortal world and married Yi Divine King Zhiga Alu. They raised offspring and brought blessings to the Yi tribes. Later, the Heavenly Emperor ordered Mayilu to return to the celestial palace. She could not bear to part with her husband, descendants, or the azaleas she had planted. Finally, she transformed into azalea flowers so she could stay with her family forever.

The Yi people have revered Mayilu ever since and enshrined her soul as the Flower Goddess. Every blooming season, they come to offer sacrifices. The Yi ancestors raised funds and hired skilled craftsmen to build this temple and carve the statue of the Flower Goddess, praying for longevity, peace and more gorgeous blossoms. This age-old custom has survived to this day.

In the 4th year of the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty (1371), Aicui, the native chieftain of Guizhou, pledged allegiance to Zhu Yuanzhang and was appointed the Pacification Commissioner of Guizhou. Ten years later after Aicui passed away, his wife Madam Shexiang took over the Yi tribal administration.

Ma Ye, the governor dispatched by the imperial court to Shuixi and nephew of Empress Ma, acted arbitrarily. He bullied and oppressed the Yi people on purpose, trying to provoke Madam Shexiang into an uprising so the imperial army could conquer Shuixi. The forty-eight Yi tribes assembled outside the commissioner’s mansion, ready to attack Ma Ye.

Madam Shexiang knew that killing Ma Ye would easily trigger a large-scale imperial military suppression, bringing catastrophe to the local people. She made up her mind to travel all the way to the capital Nanjing to lodge an appeal to the emperor. Zhu Yuanzhang was deeply moved by her arduous journey and granted her an audience. After hearing the whole story, the emperor was shocked: “I ordered him to pacify the local tribes, but he tried to stir up a rebellion and shake the foundation of the Ming Dynasty!” The emperor treated Shexiang courteously and recalled Ma Ye for punishment. Deeply touched by the emperor’s decisive handling, Madam Shexiang built a postal road stretching 280 kilometres (560 li) from Guiyang in the east to Bijie in the west to strengthen ties with the imperial court and boost local economy. Nine postal stations were set up along the route: Longchang, Liuguang, Guli, Shuixi, Xixi (Shexiang Station), Jinji, Geya, Guihua and Bijie. Since Longchang was the first station, the whole postal system became known as the Nine Post Stations of Longchang.

It was a miracle for a woman to preside over such a huge project under the primitive conditions of that era. Amazingly, the route basically coincides with National Highway 321 built in New China, which fully demonstrates Madam Shexiang’s extraordinary foresight.

To commemorate this outstanding Yi heroine, the scenic area built this attraction to express people’s profound respect for her.

We have now reached the viewing peak. When mountain winds sweep over the slope, red azaleas surge like rolling fire dragons and blazing flames. The horse-tail azaleas glow the brightest, brilliant red to the core. Other varieties display bright scarlet, water red, light pink, flesh pink and rose pink, forming a striking red sea. White azaleas surge like ocean waves, pure and flawless, mixed with yellowish white, purple white, grey white and green white blossoms. Purple blooms look like agates, ranging from deep purple, lavender to rose purple. Yellow flowers include cream yellow, canary yellow, pale yellow and lime yellow, elegant and noble.

Different colours mark different varieties: deep red for Rhododendron delavayi, bright rose red for Rhododendron fortunei, cream white for Rhododendron irroratum, purplish pink for Rhododendron amoenum, pale flesh colour for Rhododendron coriaceum, and rose pink for Rhododendron pulchrum. There are also tree azaleas, large white azaleas, embroidered-leaf azaleas, dark red azaleas and noble azaleas. Some blooms are as graceful as Yang Yuhuan, while others are as slender as Zhao Feiyan. All in all, countless azalea varieties form a breathtaking floral feast.

The valley boasts tall azalea forests and abundant varieties: pink Rhododendron amoenum, cream Rhododendron irroratum, large white azaleas and deep-red horse-tail azaleas. It is also a paradise for golden pheasants, a Class II national protected animal. It is said that anyone who spots a golden pheasant will enjoy good luck: men will meet beautiful ladies, and women will meet handsome gentlemen. Please walk slowly and quietly to catch a glimpse of them.

The thick forest and rich humus soil create ideal growing conditions for wild gastrodia tubers, shiitake mushrooms and wood ears. The local gastrodia tuber contains 14.8% gastrodin, ranking first nationwide. A popular Yi hospitality tea named Kowloon Divine Herb grows here, with a mellow taste that refreshes the mind and nourishes the skin, leaving a lasting aftertaste.

Thousands of thrushes once lived here in flocks, with males and females singing in duets. Their chirps became even louder and clearer when azaleas bloomed in the third lunar month. An ancient poem goes: Amid misty rain comes lovely spring weather,

Thrushes sing loud while farmers sow together.

With stunning scenery and birdsong echoing among blossoms, this ridge has long been a dating venue for young men and women of all ethnic groups. They express their heartfelt feelings in folk songs: A thrush sings loud up in the tree,

The young man listens carefully below.

If my girl sings on Thrush Ridge,

I’ll turn into an eagle and soar to her side.

This grove has the densest growth of Rhododendron delavayi across the whole scenic area. The flower gets its name from the big red tassels on horse bridles. The trees grow tall with dense clusters of blossoms; a single tree can bear two or three hundred blooms. The fiery flower clusters redden the sky, the land, as well as tourists’ cheeks and hearts.

According to Yi legends, after the Six Yi Ancestors separated their clans, the Deshi branch of the Mo tribe migrated to northwest Guizhou to cultivate land and multiply. Long ago, there was a beautiful Yi princess named Suoma, the third daughter of Tusi Pule. She was exceptionally wise, hardworking and breathtakingly beautiful. Eagles would stop mid-flight admiring her looks, and all birds grew jealous of her singing voice. A diligent and kind Yi shepherd boy named Azhe fell in love with her. As agile as an eagle in flight, he was brave enough to scare wild beasts away. Suoma and Azhe privately pledged to marry each other. However, arranged marriage was the tradition in ancient times, and Pule firmly opposed their union. On a moonlit quiet night, the couple fled to the remote Kowloon Mountain. They survived on wild fruits, mountain taro and spring water. They brewed rice wine with sweet spring water, and Suoma sang a lovely toast song: When cloud meets rain, we raise our cups with rainbows;

When sun meets moon, we toast with countless stars;

When a girl meets her beloved lad, heaven and earth drink together;

When friends and relatives gather, Suoma will toast you three hundred cups.

They lived in harmony with local clans and won universal respect. Tragedy soon befell them. The tribal chieftain Azhiluoni coveted Suoma’s beauty. He ambushed and killed Azhe while the young man picked wild fruits, then forced Suoma to marry him. Suoma chose to leap off the cliff and die for love. The azaleas stained red with her blood turned into fiery horse-tail azaleas. Her soul transformed into a cuckoo bird. Even today, walking among the blossoms, visitors can almost hear the bird’s mournful cry calling “Azhe! Azhe!”

This road, built more than 500 years ago, is known as Shexiang Road. Let me tell its history.

Constructed during the Hongwu reign of the Ming Dynasty, it was a grand project initiated by Madam Shexiang, the regent and outstanding Yi female statesman of the Shuixi Pacification Commission. It connected directly with the Shuixi Postal Station on her Nine Post Stations of Longchang route.

It is said that when Madam Shexiang inspected the finished postal line and reached Shuixi Station, she learned that local Yi people suffered terribly from poor transportation. She immediately ordered a key official to lead local Yi villagers to dig the mountain path.

The route ran over jagged rocks and steep slopes. Without gunpowder or machinery, the construction was extremely tough. Inspired by Madam Shexiang’s devotion to the people, officials and villagers united as one. With only hammers and chisels, they cut the rocks and carried stones by shoulder and back. The road was finished within half a year. To remember Madam Shexiang’s kindness, local people named the road Shexiang Road. A Yi ballad praises this project: Who built the road linking Yi villages far and wide?

We remember Shexiang for bringing prosperity to our tribe.

She paved the road to a well-off life,

A woman outshining all men with her noble pride.