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The wonders of Beiyue Hengshan Mountain. (Image source: Adobe stock)
Chinatraditional culturethe famous mountain group “Three mountains and five mountains“It has profound symbolic meaning. The three mountains usually refer to the three sacred mountains in myths and legends: Penglai, Yingzhou, and Fangzhang, or actually refer to Tianshan, Changbai Mountain, and Kunlun Mountain. The five mountains include: Dongyue Taishan, Xiyue Huashan, Nanyue Hengshan, Mount Hengshan in the north and Mount Song in the middle are the most powerful Mount Tai in the east, and the most dangerous Mount Huashan in the west.HengshanThe wonders of Mount Song in the middle and the beauty of Hengshan in the south have long been famous around the world.
In ancient times, the status of the Five Mountains was elevated to that of a country. Emperors of all dynasties often held consecration ceremonies in places such as Mount Tai to show their respect for heaven and earth and to pray for peace in the world. The Five Mountains are the product of the ancient worship of mountain gods, the concept of the Five Elements, and the Zen of the emperors. Songshan is famous for the Shaolin Temple and is an important birthplace of martial arts and Zen culture.
Mount Hengshan is located in Hunyuan County, Datong City, Shanxi Province. Mount Hengshan has been one of the birthplaces of Taoism since ancient times and is known as the “Fifth Cave of Taoism”. In Jin Yong’s works, in addition to the Hengshan Sect, one of the Five Mountain Sword Sects, he also mentioned the Hanging Temple, which has survived for thousands of years. The Hanging Temple is the only existing hanging temple in China. It is a temple integrating Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism.
Speaking of the wonders of Beiyue Hengshan Mountain, there is such an interesting story. Among China’s three mountains and five mountains, except for Beiyue Hengshan, there are mountain gates. Why doesn’t Hengshan have a mountain gate? It turns out that there is a folk legend: In ancient times, there was a scholar in Quyang County, Hebei Province who was very filial to his parents. One day, the scholar’s mother fell seriously ill, and even after many famous doctors were invited, the patient could not get better. The scholar was very worried. One night, his mother had a dream. The dream showed that there was a big mountain in the north-west direction, and there was a person on the mountain who could cure her illness.
The scholar asked someone to inquire and found out that the mountain in the north-west direction was Mount Heng in Shanxi. So he immediately went to Hengshan to seek medicine. When he arrived at Hengshan Mountain, he burned incense and made a wish: “If my mother can be healthy, I will kowtow from Quyang to Hengshan Mountain step by step.” After making the wish, he asked the Taoist priest in the temple for some herbs.
The scholar rushed home, boiled the herbs and gave them to his mother. After drinking a few herbs, the scholar’s mother’s illness was indeed cured.
Seeing that his mother’s illness had recovered, the scholar immediately fulfilled his promise. He carried dry food on his back and kowtowed step by step towards Hengshan Mountain. His filial piety moved the mountain god of Hengshan Mountain, who used his divine power to throw a huge stone with the word “Hengshan” engraved on it to Quyang County.
Before the scholar walked out of the gate of Quyang County, he was surprised to see a huge stone falling in front of his feet, with the words “Hengshan” engraved on it. It means: “Your (sincerity) has arrived.” The scholar was greatly impressed, so he donated money to build a temple at the place where the boulder fell, named “Beiyue Temple”, and a plaque hung on the door of the temple “Beiyue Hengshan Gate” , which means that when you arrive in Quyang County, Hebei Province, you have reached the first gate of Beiyue Hengshan Mountain. In fact, Quyang, Hebei Province is still more than 300 miles away from the main peak of Mount Hengshan. This story not only reflects the emphasis on filial piety in traditional Chinese culture, but also reflects the relationship between man and nature, and man and gods.
Qiao Yu, a talented scholar from Jin Dynasty who was a Jinshi during the Chenghua period of the Ming Dynasty (1465-1487 AD) and later served as Minister of War in Nanjing, was fond of poetry and landscapes throughout his life. He wrote a wonderful “Travel Notes on Mount Hengshan”. The record says: “The road was more dangerous, and the journey lasted three miles until we reached the Yue Temple. The ancient statues were in ruins, and Yu Suyan worshiped again. There is a flying grotto above the temple, with two cliffs standing on it. It is dangerous and hollow. It is said that flying in Quyang County, today There are still stone protrusions, so those who were timid to ascend in the past dynasties were worshiped in Quyang, thinking that Yi Yueling lived there. “Qiao Yu’s poems and personal travels added authenticity to the folk legend.
Taoist practice is to achieve enlightenment and become immortal, so Taoists have many magical powers. During the Northern Wei Dynasty, Hengshan’s Taoist culture reached its peak and became the holy land of the Quanzhen Sect. Many famous Taoist figures, such as Zhenjun Sanmao, Zhang Guolao and Zhang Sanfeng, one of the Eight Immortals, practiced here and left behind many legends and good stories.
Zhang Sanfeng said in “The Journey to the North at the Age of Thirty-two”: I feel forgotten when I return to Jiji, and my black gauze is transformed into a Taoist costume. In the Ming Dynasty, I went to Xishan with a sword and a harp to see Taihang. “Zhang Sanfeng, armed with sword and harp, passed through the Taihang Mountains and first came to Hengshan, one of the Taoist cave heavens. According to legend, Zhang Guolao, one of the eight Taoist immortals, lived in seclusion in Hengshan, leaving behind a large number of miraculous remains.
Zhang Sanfeng believes that Hengshan corresponds to the essence of Bi and Pleiades in the sky, and is one of the blessed places in the Taoist Cave Heaven. “Where Bi Subaru condenses, Hengshan Mountain has a high atmosphere. The vines and vines touch the cliffs, and the pines and cypresses roar and fly into the sky. How vast is the Shuoye, the spiritual wind is howling. On the Jielu Fairy Ridge, you can see the flying stars in the sky.” (“Hengyue”)
Zhang Sanfeng built a cottage on Wangxian Mountain and devoted himself to finding the way. For sixteen long years, I have never encountered the great road. Zhang Sanfeng left behind a famous poem “Yuyou Song”, which touches on the shortness of life and sighs that the true way is hard to find:
“You sing songs, you sing songs. Forty-eight years are spent in vain, how long can one’s lifespan be! For sixteen years, the Zhushuo Heng Mountain has passed, and the exchanges between Yan and Zhao have become a passing wave. It is better to carry the harp, sword, and tidy hat, and walk eastward to Penglai to sing Taoist songs.”
So Zhang Sanfeng turned east and walked eastward to Qilu (today’s Shandong) to find the world of gods in Penglai…
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