Grotesque Rocks

 

Grotesque Rocks of the Yellow Mountains     On every peak of the Yellow Mountains there are numerous grotesque rocks with such vivid names ''Immortal Pointing the Way'', ''Magpie on a Plum Tree'', ''Eighteen Arhats Facing the South Sea'', ''Goddess Embroidering'', ''Immortal Sunning His Boot'', ''Squirrel Skipping to celestial Capital'', ''Golden Cock Crowing towards the Heavenly Gate", '' Monkey Gazing at the Sea'', '' Boy Worshiping Buddha Guanine'' and ''Rock Flying from afar'', etc. These fantastic rocks turn the Yellow Mountains into a museum of natural sculptures.

These grotesque rocks were created by the nature. Early in the Quaternary Glacier Period, the landforms of the Yellow Mountains underwent great changes. Permeated and eroded by the glacier for millions upon millions of years, some rocks were splited open and others collapsed. Owing to exposure to nature over the years, rocks gradually took various shapes. Huge grotesque rocks with inscriptions such as ''Dragon's Head'', ''Tiger's Head'','' Fascination'' and '' Eternalness'' --one sees at Peach Blossom Stream and the lower place of Cloud Valley Temple in the Yellow Mountains were rushed here by the glacier.

Stone inscriptions of the Yellow Mountains Numerous stone inscriptions of past generations are extant. They are specimens of fine calligraphy as well as literary descriptions of the Yellow Mountains scenery ''Clouds in a myriad forms'', '' Fantastic and beautiful '', '' Peaks piercing the sky'', ''A picture painted by the hand of Nature'', ''Magnificent and fanciful'', ''Beautiful rivers and mountains'', ''A roaring stone lion'', ''Hark! The dragon's roaring', ''A recumbent cloud'',' ' Fascinating ", "Eternalness", "Intoxicated rock'', etc. The last one has a legend behind it: Li Bai, the great Tang poet, was said to be so enraptured by Yellow Mountains scenery that he drank his fill and sang wildly walking around the rock. At last the rock got intoxicated together with the tumbled poet.