Panorama of Huashan
Southern Peak of Huashan (Photographed by Li Fengsen)
As the ancients said, “A mountain without rocks is not strange, but a mountain without pure rock is truly extraordinary.” The pure rock of Huashan is truly “grandly strange,” majestic and splendid, with its unique beauty capable of transforming one's spirit at first sight. Poet Meng Jiao of the Tang Dynasty praised Huashan in his poem “A Visit to Cloud Terrace View on Mount Huashan,” describing it as “The uniquely spiritual Huashan, with ever-fresh grass and trees. The mountain is made up of five-colored stones, and the water springs from a colorless spring.” Firstly, the main body of Huashan is composed of a purely complete giant granite block, in the shape of a column, standing tall and straight, with its four sides like sheer cliffs, steep and towering, reaching into the clouds. Secondly, the mountainous formation resembling a lotus flower created by the three main peaks hugging each other is also a manifestation of “the grand strangeness of the rock.” Additionally, due to the cracking and seismic activity of the earth's crust, many anthropomorphic and zoomorphic shaped strange rocks are scattered throughout the scenic area, forming unique and interesting stone landscapes, and most of these strange rocks are accompanied by a magical and beautiful legend, adding to the liveliness and mystery of such scenery.
Immortal's Palm Cliff
“Ode to the Immortal's Palm”
For ages, it stands erect against the blue sky, Neither an odd carving nor a beckoning hand. How wonderful would it be to scoop up the waters of Heaven's Pool And sprinkle them down to save the drought-stricken seedlings.
This poem “Ode to the Immortal's Palm” was written by the Tang Dynasty poet Liu Xiang. It is said that Liu Xiang later became famous because of this poem and was called “Liu Xianzhang.” The Immortal's Palm Cliff is located on East Peak of Huashan, referring to the east-facing cliff wall of the East Stone Pavilion Peak. The forces of nature have carved a palm-shaped stone pattern onto the cliff face, tens of meters high, with distinct fingers, vivid and lifelike, known as the “Immortal's Palm of Huashan.” Because of its magnificent spectacle, it has been listed as the first of the “Eight Scenes of Guanzhong” in Shaanxi Province. There are many myths and legends about the Immortal's Palm of Huashan throughout history. In ancient times, today's Mount Shouyang in Shanxi Province, east of the Yellow River, was connected to Huashan as one mountain, where the Yellow River was blocked, forced to flow around in a curved path, causing floods and disasters year after year, making life difficult for the common people. The river god, Juling, feeling pity for the hardships of mankind, pushed Huashan with his hands and stepped on Mount Shouyang with his feet, causing the earth's axis to break and the mountain ridge to split, moving it to make way for the river, allowing the river water to surge eastward between the two mountains. Ever since then, the imprint of Juling's hand has remained on the summit of Huashan, while his footprint remains at the foot of Mount Shouyang. This is how the Immortal's Palm Cliff came to be.
Cliff of Reflection
Located on the waist of South Peak outside the Southern Gate of Heaven, at the end of the perilously long Skyline Plankway of Huashan, the top of the cliff covers an area of over a hundred square meters. Three sides are cliffs, and one side is a mountain wall. On the mountain wall, there is a cave named “Hezu Cave,” inside which is enshrined the first deity of Huashan, who was He Yuanxi, the excavator of the Skyline Plankway in the Yuan Dynasty. To reach the Cliff of Reflection, one must traverse the perilous Skyline Plankway of Huashan, so few people come here. Upon arriving at the top of the cliff, one feels the serene emptiness of the valley, with a sense of being completely isolated from the world, involuntarily entering a state of deep meditation and having thoughts of reflection. Do you remember the “Smiling Proud Wanderer” we watched? Linghu Chong was the one who faced the wall in meditation here and accidentally discovered the martial arts secrets inscribed on the cave walls. Although there are no martial arts secrets for everyone to discover in reality, the Cliff of Reflection on Huashan is still a place worth visiting.
Quanzhen Cliff
Those of you who have read Jin Yong's wuxia novels must have heard of the Quanzhen Sect. So what about Quanzhen Cliff? It is located west of the Southern Gate of Heaven, a cliffstone extending southward in mid-air from the peak of Pine and Cypress Peak. One can reach the base of the cliff by passing through the Southern Gate of Heaven and crossing the Skyline Plankway. In the abdomen of the cliff is He Lao's Grotto, a place for cultivation opened by the Taoist He Zhizhen in the early Yuan Dynasty. The “Record of South Peak” describes: “The cliff resembles the shape of a bowed head, covering the grotto above, with the words ‘Quanzhen Rock' written in red. Though one knows it was made by man, it is impossible to go up from below or down from above; did someone walk on air to create it? How miraculous!”
Imperial Edict Avoidance Cliff
It is located northwest of the Heavenly Gate on South Peak of Huashan. Here, the two cliffs on the east and west sides jut out towards each other, forming a trench in the middle. The eastern cliff leans forward, hanging in mid-air like a canopy, with its cliff face covered in beehive-like stone cavities. A rectangular stone cave is carved into the belly of the cliff, with an area of about 3 square meters. A log bridge spans the entrance to the cave and connects to the western cliff; removing the log makes it impossible to enter the cave. The name “Imperial Edict Avoidance Cliff” is engraved above the cave entrance, traditionally said to be in the handwriting of Chen Tuan. Before the Song Dynasty, Imperial Edict Avoidance Cliff had no such name. Historical records describe it as a place where ancient recluses hid valuable scriptures. According to the “Collection of Huashan,” during the Northern Zhou Dynasty, the Daoist Jiao Daoguang once lived in seclusion here. After the famous recluse Chen Tuan avoided the imperial edict here during the Song Dynasty, the cliff acquired its name and became a famous scenic spot on Huashan.
Guarding Body Cliff
It is located north of the Star-Plucking Rock on the peak of West Huashan. According to folklore, there was once a filial son whose parents were both gravely ill and had not recovered despite prolonged treatment. Hearing that the God of Huashan was efficacious, he climbed the mountain to worship the deity for medical help. During his prayer to the God of Huashan, the filial son vowed that if his parents' illnesses were cured, he would offer his own life as repayment for the divine grace. Sure enough, when the filial son returned home, his parents had already recovered and had even gone back to farming in the fields. To fulfill his vow, the filial son came to Huashan and jumped off the cliff without hesitation, yet he felt as if someone was lifting him up, as if riding a long wind, floating in a dreamlike state. When he regained consciousness, he found himself still lying at home, as if it had been a dream. The filial son knew that it was the God of Huashan who secretly helped him, so he bid farewell to his parents and became a Taoist priest on West Huashan. Moved by the sincerity of the filial son, later generations named this place the “Body Sacrifice Cliff.” During the Qing Dynasty's Daoguang era, Li Rong's great-grandfather Li Renlong renamed the Body Sacrifice Cliff as the “Body Contemplation Cliff” to prevent others from imitating the filial son's actions, encouraging disobedient and rebellious people who visit here to reflect upon the filial son, self-examine, and repent. Later, some people believed that sacrificing oneself to save one's parents was not commendable, and also referred to the cliff as the “Guarding Body Cliff,” to educate future generations that life is precious and should not be thrown away lightly.
Ear Brushing Cliff
Walking south from North Peak, you begin to climb the path leading to the main peaks. Not far from North Peak is “Immortal's Slit,” which is followed by “Ear Brushing Cliff.” Here, one side is an overhanging cliff that protrudes outward, while the other side is a bottomless abyss. As tourists pass through this area, they fear being forced off the cliff by the mountain's terrain, needing to cling tightly to the cliff wall and slowly sidestep their way along. At the narrowest points of the path, the cliff wall brushes against the ear, hence the name Ear Brushing Cliff. Yuan Hongdao once wrote a poem describing the danger of Ear Brushing Cliff: “Wayfarers often lean against the earthen wall, the green cliffs leaning toward the sky can also be described. If you want to know how perilous the path is, look at the scar on my face left by the green moss.” This describes not only brushing the ear against the cliff but even the face touching the green moss. Now, two people can walk abreast on Ear Brushing Cliff, but at some places, one can still feel the danger of brushing the ear as before. Have you experienced the feeling of brushing your ear against a cliff?
Sun and Moon Cliff
Huashan is famous for its rocks, and every strange rock has a beautiful and touching legend. After passing Ear Brushing Cliff, the two rocks seen here are called “Sun and Moon Rocks,” with the left representing the “Sun” and the right representing the “Moon.” The four characters above them are “Arc of Celestial Light,” and sometimes at night, a very dazzling light appears here. Legend has it that when Wu Zetian ascended Huashan and passed by here, seeing the two rocks that resembled the sun and moon, she ingeniously created her own character “Zhao,” because these two peculiar rocks stand atop the azure sky and overlook the empty valley, symbolizing supreme authority and the embodiment of light. (Compiled by Li Fengsen, Huashan Tourism)