Gexian Village: A Taoist Immortal Reborn

Gexian Village (Gexiancun) takes its name from Ge Xuan, a Taoist adept said to have refined his elixirs on the sacred Gexian Mountain above. The village at its foot is a recent, carefully built recreation of a riverside Taoist town — and like its neighbour Wangxian Valley, it saves its best for the night.

葛仙村得名於道家修士葛玄——相傳他曾在村後的靈山葛仙山煉丹。山腳下的村落是近年精心營造的臨水道家古鎮，與鄰近的望仙谷一樣，把最美的一面留給夜晚。

Why come after dark

By day Gexian is a pleasant riverside stroll of bridges, tea houses and Taoist halls. After dusk it transforms: thousands of lanterns reflect in the water, incense drifts from the temples, and performers stage fire dances and "molten-iron" spectacles — sparks thrown against the night in showers of gold.

白日的葛仙村是一段愜意的水畔漫步——小橋、茶肆與道觀。入夜則煥然一變：萬盞燈火映入水中，香火自殿宇飄散，表演者獻上火舞與「打鐵花」——熔鐵擊向夜空，迸作金色火雨。

The molten-iron fire show

The night’s set piece is “datiehua” — a centuries-old folk craft once shared between blacksmiths and Taoist temples. A smith melts scrap iron to around 1,600°C, then a performer flings a ladle of the glowing liquid at a wooden board or the temple wall. It shatters into a roaring fountain of sparks that briefly lights the whole courtyard gold — fireworks made of iron rather than gunpowder.

夜晚的壓軸是「打鐵花」——一項流傳數百年、曾在鐵匠與道觀間傳承的民間絕活。鐵匠將廢鐵化為約1600°C的鐵水，表演者再將一勺熾熱的鐵汁甩向木板或殿牆，瞬間炸開成一蓬金色火雨，把整個廣場照得通亮——這是以鐵代火的煙火。

A sky full of wishes

The signature moment comes when the crowd gathers in the square below the gate towers to release sky-lanterns together. Hundreds of paper lanterns lift off at once, each carrying a written wish, while fireworks burst above the ridgeline — the whole valley turning the colour of fire.

最具標誌性的一刻，是人群聚於門樓下的廣場齊放孔明燈。數百盞寫滿心願的紙燈同時升空，煙花在山脊上炸開——整座山谷染上火焰般的暖色。

Gexian lies in the same eastern-Jiangxi cluster as Sanqing and Wangxian, so the three slot neatly into one unhurried loop.

葛仙村與三清山、望仙谷同處贛東一帶，三者可串成一條從容環線。