Before setting foot on Mount Huashan, you can enjoy a full view of the mountain through the terrain model of Mount Huashan, with a scale of 1:800, at the new Tourist Centre. The mini version of Mount Huashan is placed beneath a glass floor, making a very clear and three-dimensional impression as if you are looking down at the real mountain from an airplane.

The geological bureau estimates that Mount Huashan, the highest and the youngest of the Five Great Mountains, is still rising at present. The five major peaks of Mount Huashan, including the East Peak, the South Peak, the West Peak, the North Peak, and the Central Peak, were described by an ancient geologist in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534) as forming a giant lotus flower. The South Peak is the highest at an altitude of 2,154.9 m above sea level.

According to some ancient scripts, Mount Huashan is composed of one single granite stone of an immense size, more than 20 km long, 7.5 km wide and as high as 2,000 m. In many cases, mountains are shaped by collision during tectonic movement, but Mount Huashan seems to be an exception. What force could form such square walls? How was the mountain shaped about 200 million years ago? To answer this question, let’s begin with the folk legend of the Great Deity.

 

 

According to the legend, the Queen Mother of the Heaven accidentally knocked over a cup of jade ambrosia during her peach feast while listening to the Monkey King’s joke. This incident in heaven resulted in an unprecedented

 

flood down on the earth. The fierce waters were stopped by a huge wall and a lake was formed there. The Jade Emperor of the Heaven sent the river god — the Great Deity to put right this chaos. The Great Deity, holding one end of the wall with one hand and raising his foot to kick the other end, tore apart the enormous screen; and in a flash, water rushed through to the east. The split wall became what we see today as Mount Huashan and Mount Shouyang. This may sound unconvincing, but believe it or not, we do find some ‘evidence’ on the cliff wall of the East Peak such as the God Palm.

If this tale is not enough, a scientific explanation of its geological environment should do the trick. Mount Huashan, a branch of the Qinling Mountains, undergone 2.7 billion years’ of evolution. During the Tertiary, the north part of the Qinling Mountains, which sank due to geological faulting, became today’s Weihe River Basin. The Qinling Mountains kept rising and up till the Cretaceous this colossal monolith granite stone covered an area of 150 sq km, the ancestor of Mount Huashan at present. Since the granite made it susceptible to weathering, plus years of crustal shift and water erosion, the cliff walls of Mount Huashan were sharpened into a state of awe-inspiring isolation.

 

 

The image of the three major peaks of Mount Huashan resembles a lotus flower and a golden ingot at the same time. Therefore, it is regarded as a sacred mountain of wealth. Its appearance alone is not enough to establish its fame; we need some proof from the theories of feng shui.

 

Geologi c a l l y spea k ing, Mount Huashan, located at the Yellow River Delta, connecting the Qinling Mountains in the south and the neighbouring Weihe River Basin in the north, is of great significance on the feng shui map of China.

Ancient Chinese represented the five directions, east, west, south, north and centre, with five basic elements, gold, wood, water, fire and earth. Each of the five directions is under the protection of different patron beasts: the blue dragon of the east, the white tiger of the west, the suzaku of the south, the tortoise of the north and the god of earth of the centre. According to Zhu Xi, a philosopher in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279), Beijing is located at the centre of China, protected by mountains across the country. On this feng shui map, Mount Huashan is located at the direction of the white tiger, forming a natural screen with Mount Taishan to guard the vast land of China.

According to ancient records, the Five Great Mountains (Mount Taishan in Shandong, Mount Huashan in Shaanxi,Mount Hengshan in Hunan) were especially named by Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty (206BC-220AD). Mount Huashan was located to the west of the Central Plain. Since in the Five Elements, gold represents the west, it is natural that Mount Huashan became the symbol of wealth, dominating all the treasures in the country.

In addition, the local environment is held to have great feng shui. The three major peaks, the South Peak, the East Peak and the West Peak, stand like the base of a tripod, sided by the North Peak and the Central Peak, with 36 small peaks standing in front of them. This imposing formation, which resembles the emperor’s court, has always been regarded in past dynasties as a holy place. Ma Chengde, the Abbot of Yuquan Garden, told us that all the springs and streams of Mount Huashan gather at the temple. The place draws water like a funnel, so does it draws wealth, through the valley of Mount Huashan to the mountain foot and then into Huayin City. Therefore, the valley, where the flow of fortune is supposed to pass, has been favoured by Taoists as an ideal place to practice Taoism.

To the east of Mount Huashan there lies a ‘black dragon’, a dangerous ridge which resembles an enormous flying dragon. In Chinese feng shui, both the dragon and the colour black represent water, which is the symbol of wealth. Plus, Mount Huashan is located in the direction of Gold. As it is said that gold generates water, this ‘black dragon’ naturally becomes the most auspicious symbol of wealth.

 

It is recorded in history that sacrificial rites at Mount Huashan had begun long ago since 2,600BC.

Xiyue Temple, first built in the Western Han Dynasty, in which Shaohao the mountain god is worshipped, was designed to the royal standard including palace constructions such as the screen wall, dismounting stele, chessboard streets and a meridian gate.

At the South Gate of Xiyue Temple, which i s cal led Haol ing Gate, the inscription ‘敕脩西嶽廟’ (Chizao Xiyue Temple), meaning built by order of the emperor, on the arch caught our eyes. The inscriptions, as well as the architectural style and decorations, all serve to tell us that this is a royal place, but at the same time don’t forget the severe hierarchical system in ancient society. Since Xiyue Temple could only rank as second level for holding national sacrificial rites, the construction could not cross the level of the highest standard. Taking the example of the doornails on Lingxing Gate, there are nine rows and only seven columns of doornails compared to the nine rows and nine columns in the Forbidden City. Also, the nine-dragon carving on dougong brackets under the roof, with its subtle difference from the royal standard, shows the exact status of Xiyue Temple. The architect made a smart design to present the grandeur of the temple while observing the hierarchical system carefully. The nine dragons open their mouths slightly to differentiate from the fully open mouths of the nine dragons in the royal palace.

The Tianwei Zhichi Memorial Arch is another representative of its splendour. Built during the Reign of Wanli Emperor (1572-1620) in the Ming Dynasty, it is inscribed with whole pictures of a ‘royal parade’ and a ‘birthday feast of the deities’, full of patterns of auspicious plants and animals from the Chinese tradition.

The sacrifice was held in Haoling Hall on a big T-shaped platform. Five rows of steps led to this platform. The middle one was reserved for the emperor only while his courtiers followed him on both sides; the outermost steps were for foreign guests. Luckily, the middle steps are now open to tourists and I definitely took the central one, imagining what it felt like to walk on the emperor’s path.

The highest building in Xiyue Temple is Longevity Tower, where the view of the three rivers’ convergence (the Yellow River, the Weihe River and the Luohe River) is seen in the distance. That’s why it is also called ‘river-viewing tower’. Standing on the top of the tower, you can also see the imposing and spectacular Mount Huashan in the south. This is what Xiyue Temple, the ‘royal shrine’ of Mount Huashan, possesses.

It is recorded that during the Spring and Autumn Period (770BC-476BC), two states broke into war to fight for the right to perform sacrifices at Mount Huashan. Sacrificial rites, an occasion of peace and protection, ended up being an excuse for war. How ridiculous this sounds! I wonder on which side Shaohao, the mountain god, would have stood in this fight.

We don’t know who the mountain god protects; nonetheless on the 3rd of the third lunar month, thousands of people come to the Temple Fair at Mount Huashan and join the grand prayer ceremony at Xiyue Temple. According to the ancient tradition, scriptural-chanting and god-worshipping rituals are held in all the local temples. The mountain road from Xiyue Temple up to the mountain top is packed with believers.

Other than this traditional sacrifice, this annual event is becoming more colourful, including a mountaineering festival, chess contest, painting and calligraphy show, shadow play, the performance of folk music. It is another important annual event besides the Spring Festival.

 

The Taoist philosophy emphasises harmony and refutes deliberate action, discounting life and death while pursuing spiritual immortality. It is the wish of all Taoists to reach eternity beyond death. To achieve this, they choose the most ideal environment to practice Taoism.

 

Mountains are always an indispensable element in the history and practice of Taoism. Taoists believe that the heavenly landscapes are likely to be the abodes of deities and therefore favourable for their practice. 36 Celestial Caves were selected within 150 km around Mount Huashan. It is said that there are 72 and a half caves at Mount Huashan, but even the locals, who are most familiar with the mountain, can barely find even 30 caves. So where does the anecdote of 72 and a half caves come from? Why half a cave? Legend has it that He Zhizhen, a Taoist living during the early years of the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368), was the first person to dig caves and pave roads on Mount Huashan. Unfortunately, all his caves were taken by other Taoists. This scenario recurred for all his 72 caves. At last, in order to put an end to this, he chose to make his dwelling on the summit of the Southern Peak, a no man’s land. In the end, he died in the process of digging, leaving behind half a cave and an enduring mystery at Mount Huashan.

 

Chen Tuan, (871-988), also known as Master Xiyi, the sole figure of Taoism at Mount Huashan, is now ‘sleeping’ in front of Yuquan Garden. He is a master of physiognomy, medicine, and the science of health preservation. He creatively combined the study of the I Ching with the science of health preservation in Taoism to draw a new type of diagram and used it to teach others the practice of Taoism. For this, he is known as the ancestor of Taoist diagrams in China. The most well-known Taiji diagram is derived from his Wuji-diagram, which was the most significant Taoist diagram.

 

In the beginning, Chen Tuan was living on Mount Wudang in Hubei Province. The legend says that there are five giant dragons of different colours dwelling in a deep lake in the valley of Mount Huashan. They often transformed into the figures of old men to listen to Chen Tuan preach at Mount Wudang. One day, they told Chen Tuan that it is not at Mount Wudang but at Mount Huashan that he will complete his practice. As they were saying this, they showed their true nature and carried Chen Tuan on their backs and flew back to Mount Huashan. This is how Chen Tuan arrived at Mount Huashan. The story is told through the Five-Dragon Bridge outside of the West Gate of Mount Huashan. This bridge was built in the year 1985, decorated with five dragon-head carvings on one end and five dragon-tail carvings on the other end.

Mr Ma, the abbot of the Yuquan Garden, told me that Chen Tuan had already reached the age of 77 when he moved to Mount Huashan and officially became a Taoist at the age of 88 before his ‘rebirth’. It proves that it’s never too late to learn and that sometimes fate does play an important role in finding one’s own Taoist practice.

 

It is said that Emperor Taizu of the Song Dynasty lifted taxation on Mount Huashan during his reign (960-976). This privilege had much to do with Chen Tuan.

According to the anecdote, Zhao Kuangyi, the first emperor of the Song Dynasty, was born in a poor family. He began to take care of himself when still young and learned great kungfu. Yet he indulged in gambling and more seriously turned out to be a bad loser. If he lost, he would either cheat or beat others. Eventually he got into trouble and became wanted, so he ran away to Mount Huashan.

 

C h e n Tu a n k n e w t h a t some ‘extraordinary’ person was coming, so he disguised himself as a peddler selling peaches in order to meet this great man. As a master of physiognomy, he immediately saw that this man would be the future emperor. He tried to awaken this young man, saying ‘you’re such a fine young man; why don’t you join the army at Tongguan Pass in Shaanxi and do something for the people in this time of war?’ Thanks to Chen Tuan’s advice, Zhao Kuanyi did join the army and soon became a general. Then he returned to Mount Huashan, intending to thank his mentor.

There seemed to be no trace of the old man, but he met an old Taoist playing chess in Yuquan Garden. Zhao Kuangyi was attracted to the game and started to play with the stranger. Two rounds ended with a tied score. The stranger suggested moving their game to the mountain top.

The game continued on a narrow mountain peak in the valley beside the East Peak. Zhao Kuangyi was beaten in a dozen rounds in a row, losing all his money and anything else he had with him. Still, he wouldn’t give in. As he had nothing on him to bet, he raised his eyes and saw the towering mountain in front of him. They made a deal that whoever won the game would take Mount Huashan. Certainly, Chen Tuan was the winner in the end. Zhao Kuangyi, as he always did when losing a bet, tried to destroy their pact. Before his hands reached the paper, Chen Tuan breathed towards the pact and it was blown onto the mountain wall and stuck there as if by magic. Zhao was taken aback by what happened and didn’t awaken until Chen Tuan said ‘thank you, your majesty!’

Later, a pavilion was set up there to memorialise this chess game. The unfinished game of the two was preserved on the stone table. There’s only one access to the pavilion, that is, through the fearful Sparrow Hawks Cliff. You have to hold on to an iron chain on the wall and climb down slowly. When you reach the bottom, you’ll need to stand sideways and turn your body around carefully. To go there, you need to face a deep abyss below your feet and you need the aid of climbing equipment. You need to buckle up!

 

The Emperor Taizu of Song paid much respect to Chen Tuan, calling him Master Xiyi and listening to his thoughts on governing the country. With his help, the rule of the Song Dynasty achieved fair stability and peace without the problems of eunuch autocracy and warlord separatism.

Emperor Taizu sent gifts and offered Chen Tuan a position in his court many times, but all in vain. The latter devoted his time to practising Taoism, having no desire for money and vanity!

 

To avoid any more disruption from the emperor, he hid in a secret cave to the northwest of Nantian Gate at the South Peak. The small, 3-sq-m, cave, which was used to store valuable scriptures by the ancient hermits, is known for Chen Tuan. The three words ‘避詔崖’ (Bi Zhao Ya, meaning decree avoidance cliff) carved at the mouth of the cave was supposed to be written by Chen Tuan. The cave is located on the only road between Nantian Gate and the summit of the South Peak, but it was too inconspicuous to be noticed, a perfect place for recluses. In the past the road was narrow and steep, especially dangerous on snowy days. No one would find you even if you ‘hibernate’ there for months.

 

Chen Tuan is known for his endless sleeping for days and nights, a literally ‘sleeping immortal’. This has much to do with his longevity up to the age of 118. Ordinary people might think that he was doing nothing but sleeping. Actually that was his way of practicing Taoism.

How is that possible? It is said that while the masters were sleeping with their head in the west and their feet in the east. The body operates in harmony while the spirit breaks away to the heaven. They wouldn’t be aware of the flow of time, being away from all the troubles on earth. This is the real sweet dream. If you have trouble sleeping at night, you might come to Mount Huashan and take some advice from the Taoists.

The body of Chen Tuan is said to be buried in a cave in Xiyi Valley. According to the legend, seven days after his death, his body was still warm and was wrapped in colourful and fragrant clouds which veiled the valley for months. Maybe the body also became immortal after achieving Taoism.

There was an iron chain leading to the cave, but for fear of disturbances from tomb robbers, his disciples cut it off. Now all we can do is watch from the distance.

The Hear t o f Yuquan Garden, previously known as Xiyi Temple, was built for Chen Tuan by his disciples. The Shansun Pavilion in the courtyard was built by Chen Tuan, in front of which he planted a Saraca. He lived there, practicing Taoism while helping others with his medical knowledge. 72 windows of different shapes were decorated on the courtyard wall, a marvel lous design among al l the traditional gardens in China.

In a side hall, we found a one-meter-long sculpture of the sleeping Chen Tuan. This is the heart of the garden. During his life, Chen Tuan saved numerous people with his wondrous medicinal skill. It is said that if you touch his sculpture and pray, all your illnesses will be cured. The sculpture now is encircled because of the large amount of swarming tourists and is only open to donors.

 

However, there’s another sculpture of his which is open to tourists. This sleeping figure of Chen Tuan is as long as 11.8 m, just the height of the oldest pine tree at Mount Huashan, and as tall as 5.6 m, this figure representing the 56 ethnic groups in China. The head of this sculpture faces east, the direction of the black dragon; while his feet point to the west, the direction of the white tiger. This is the perfect sleeping position for a Taoist. Placed on the sculpture is the traditional ‘thousand-layer shoes’. The sculpture was made in such a vivid way that even the hair stick was designed to be similar to what Chen Tuan wore. It is said that if any part of your body is uncomfortable, then all you need do is to touch the corresponding part on the sculpture and all your pains will disappear. Actually, it doesn’t matter where you touch. It will work if you have faith in you.

 

 

 

 

The old tale of the Lotus Lantern has been passed down for so many generations and has developed into so many different versions, but the basic story remains the same. Sanshengmu Goddess, mother of Chenxiang, violated the law of the heaven by marrying a human being, and was thus punished with eternal imprisonment under West Peak at Mount Huashan. Her filial son, Chenxiang, grew up and saved his mother with the help of the Lotus Lantern. The family reunited happily in the end.

 

A n o t h e r g o d i s worshipped at Mount H u a s h a n b e s i d e S h a o h a o , t h a t i s Sanshengmu Goddess. She was generous and k i n d t o t h e people, protecting them from natural disasters with her magic. To express their gratitude, people build a Goddess Hall inside of Xiyue Temple. It is at Mount Huashan that she met her future husband. The two lovers married secretly. Marriage to humans is prohibited for gods. Erlang, the brother of Sanshengmu Goddess, decided to punish his sister. By using the magic power of the Lotus Lantern, he imprisoned his sister at the bottom of the West Peak. In the feudal society a favoured destination for lovers and the Goddess Hall a place to pray for true love.

 

Learning the tragic truth of his mother, Chenxiang left his shelter to start on a dangerous journey to find his mother. When he finally arrived at Mount Huashan, he was so frustrated, as he had no clue under which peak his mother was imprisoned and how to save her, that he burst into tears. His cry echoed in the valley and awoke the mountain god, who decided to teach him kung fu and gave him a powerful ax. Having learned everything from this god, he cleaved the West Peak and rescued h i s mother. The nearby Fi l i a l Peak is supposed to be where Chenxiang broke into tears. It must have been hard for the young boy to know that h i s mother was hidden right in front of him whilst he could do nothing.

 

The West Peak, also called Lotus Peak, i s composed of a sheer cliff, on top of which stand two boulders. One of the rocks is topped with a petal-shaped slice of stone and therefore the small hole on the ro c k i s c a l l e d Lotus Flower Cave. The other rock is called Rock Split with an Axe because it has a huge fissure line as if being cut open by an ax. This is where Chenxiang rescued his mother. One or two decades ago, the legendary ax was even put up in front of the rock and was a popular landmark. It’s not necessarily the truth of this tale but its educational meaning that we should pay attention to.

 

The stor y o f the f i l i a l son has melded into the local culture. People at Mount Huashan have cultivated an honest, brave, and above all filial character. This is best demonstrated by the porters. They impressed us with their strong bodies, generous smiles, their singing and the music of their flutes. Sometimes they even dance to entertain tourists. Such an optimistic and care-free attitude is part of the unique scenery at Mount Huashan.

Liu Bo, a young man at the age of 24, was an ordinary porter. He had been in this business with his father for six years. The father and the son shouldered the entire family, a grandfather and several siblings. They charged 0.5 yuan per kilogram and could carry about 120 kg at a time. They ran one or two trips between the North and the West peaks a day. Liu Bo said that family comes before everything else. He has now graduated, but he s t i l l continues to help his father whenever he can. He deeply understands how much his father had sacrificed for the family. This provides a sharp contrast to the ego-centrism of the younger generation in Hong Kong.

 

The cliff beside the ax-cleaved stone was called Life-cherishing Cliff. It was originally named Life-abandoning Cliff. The title comes from the story of a filial son who came to pray to the mountain god for the health of his ill-stricken parents. He promised that as long as his parents could recover from their suffering, he would give up his life to recompense the god. His prayer was answered and when his parents were cured he did what he promised. As he jumped off the cliff, the god saved him and brought him back on a puff of smoke.

Later, the name was changed to Life-cherishing Cliff to tell us that weneed to cherish the gift of life given to us by our parents.

S ometimes we can’ t ex p l a i n how come social morality seems to go backwards while our l i ves are improving. Once I saw an on-line video of a student cursing his parents in public. I was deeply concerned about children’s education. Maybe we can start to make a change by taking them to Mount Huashan. Let them set foot on the path of Chenxiang’s journey to understand the moral in the tale of the Lotus Lantern.

Before I left there, I bought a prayer-lock and locked it at the Golden Lock Gate, sending my best wishes for my son. I hope to bring him there next year, and tell him the story of Chenxiang and also climb with him to the top of the West Peak.

 

 

Mount Huashan Scenic Area consists of four parts, Xiyue Temple, Yuquan Garden, the Main Peaks and Xianyu Valley. It costs only 180 yuan and takes merely two days to enjoy everything. The entire scenic area covers an area of about 150 sq km, so it would be a little challenging to walk on foot during the two days. Usually, most tourists would take the cableways and pick one or two major spots to visit.

There are more than 210 scenic spots scattered across the mountain. You might easily get lost in the mountain. So it is suggested you make your plan in advance if it’s your first time at Mount Huashan. Otherwise, you’ll regret it when you miss the best shooting moments.

 

There are five valleys around Mount Huashan, Huashan, Huangpu, Wengyu, Xianyu and Duyu. Huashan Valley lies at the centre of Mount Huashan Scenic Area, with the most scenic spots. It used to be the only way to Mount Huashan. The river winds between the mountains, sometimes slow and sometimes fast. Plants thrive on the bank and peaks mushroom along the river.

 

In the year 1994, a road through Huangpu Valley to Mount Huashan was completed and a cableway to the North Peak was opened two years later. Tourists can either go hiking via the older mountain road or take the cableway right to the mountain top. The road through Duyu Valley, which lies to the east of Huangpu Valley, is the oldest and most primitive one.

Xianyu Valley is about 25 km long. The narrow pathway zigzags through quiet and deep woods. Some parts are built against the cliff walls with nothing but some wooden stakes to support the plank. Towards the end of the valley you’ll see Carriage Lake.

Wengyu Valley extends for about 20 km to the border of Huayang Town. The river at the bottom of the valley is crystal clear. The road leads to the west of Mount Huashan, extending in a twisted way by the river. The peaks on both sides seem to be approaching each other as if about to converge. The West-Line Cableway was officially open for use early this year, leading directly to the Western Peak.