Mount Heng

🌟 Nanyue Mount Heng: The Zen-inspired Landscape That Stands Out Among the Five Sacred Mountains 🌟 Walking along the mist-shrouded mountain trails of Mount Heng, I suddenly understood why ancient poets described it as "Mount Heng soaring like a bird." Revered as the "Mountain of Longevity," its seventy-two peaks stretch across 400 kilometers, resembling a giant bird spreading its wings—majestic yet exquisitely beautiful. 📜 The Past and Present of Mount Heng Known as the "Mountain of Longevity" in antiquity, Mount Heng was designated as one of the Five Sacred Mountains as early as the Yao and Shun eras. It is not only the Third Grotto-Heaven in Taoist cosmology but also a cradle of Chinese Zen Buddhism. From the Sui and Tang dynasties to the Ming and Qing, countless literati left their poetic marks here. Li Bai praised its "verdant peaks piercing the purple heavens," while Han Yu immortalized it with his verse: "Where the sun shines on Mount Heng stands an academy of renown." 🏯 Nanyue Temple: The Ancestral Home of Zen The Nanyue Grand Temple, built during the Liang Dynasty of the Southern Dynasties, served as the primary site for imperial sacrifices to the Southern Sacred Mountain. Its treasured Song Dynasty stone carving, the "True Form Chart of the Five Sacred Mountains," preserves the topography of that era. Fuyan Temple, nestled mid-mountain, was the meditation ground of Zen Master Huairang, the Seventh Patriarch, and remains a thriving center of worship today. At dawn, the temple bells resonate through the valleys, transporting visitors back to an age steeped in Zen. 🌅 The Sunrise Spectacle at Zhurong Peak At 4 a.m., we ascended Zhurong Peak under a starry sky. When the first rays of sunlight pierced the sea of clouds, painting the sky in crimson, Xu Xiake’s words—"mornings unveil Mount Heng’s clouds"—finally made sense. At the summit, Zhurong Hall enshrines the fire god Zhurong, believed to have been Emperor Yan’s temporary palace during his royal tours. 📿 The Millennia-Old Buddhist Legacy of the Scripture Depository Built in the Tang Dynasty, the Scripture Depository is one of Mount Heng’s oldest surviving wooden structures. Strolling under its ancient ginkgo tree, with golden leaves carpeting the stone steps, feels like listening to whispers of a thousand years of Buddhist wisdom. Pro tip: November is the best time to witness the ginkgo’s golden splendor—a scene rivaling "an empire cloaked in golden armor"! 🍃 The Poetic Retreat of Water Curtain Cave At the foot of Zigai Peak, Water Curtain Cave features a hundred-meter cascade plunging from the cliffs. Ming Dynasty explorer Xu Xiake’s favorite spot, he described it as "a flying waterfall before the cave, like the Milky Way pouring down." Visit in summer to bask in the cooling mist—a perfect escape from the heat. Mount Heng, a sacred mountain encoding the essence of Chinese civilization. Here, every stone tells a story, every cloud weaves a legend. Only by visiting Mount Heng does one realize how landscapes can truly speak to the soul.