 Huangshan (the Yellow Mountains) in China's Eastern
Anhui Province is like a glittering green leaf viewed from an earth satellite high up in
the sky; the Yellow Mountains are like a cluster of large, purple Spring Heralding Flowers
in full bloom seen by tourists on the surface of the earth.
They are not only mountains, but also a sea, a sea of mountain peaks, a sea of clouds, a
sea of pine trees, a sea of flowers, a sea of light, a sea of poetry. It is a sea of
paintings. No wonder, the mountains have also been called the Yellow Sea
(Huanghai).
Beautiful are the mountains: they constantly change
their appearance, graceful, wondrous, forever fresh and unconventional. There stand the
towering peaks, but in an instant they will turn into islands above a sea of clouds, and
the pine trees growing out of the crevices will look as if they had taken root in the
clouds, reminding the tourists of the "jade foliage on golden branches" in the
legend. As the year passes from one season to another, as the weather changes from rain to
shine, as the sun sets and the moon rises, the mountain changes, continually taking on new
looks. Even if you visit The Yellow Mountains a thousand times, each time you
will discover new beauties and enjoy new experiences.
Beautiful are the mountains: they combine the real and the unreal. The
peaks, rocks, pine trees, waterfalls and springs all bear descriptive names. The peaks are
called by such names as Lianhua (Lotus), Tiandu (Celestial Capital),
Yuping (Jade Screen) and Jiulong (Nine Dragons); the rocks by such names as
"Golden Cock Crowing towards Heavenly Gate", "Squirrel Skipping to
Celestial Capital", "Monkey Gazing at the Sea" and "Magpie on a Plum
Tree"; the pine trees by such names as Yingke (Greeting Guests),
Tianhai (Probe the Sea), Heihu (Black Tiger) and Wolong (Recumbent Dragon): and
the waterfalls and springs by such names as the Jiulong (Nine
Dragons)Waterfall, the Renzi (Inverted-V) Waterfall, the Baizhang
(¨Thousand Feet) Spring and the Mingxian
(Ringing String) Spring. If you compare these fancy names with what you see, you may find
that they do not really match. But, set off by the mist and tinted by light, these scenic
spots, seen from the right angle, will look more real than what their names signify. They
will be more lifelike and more fascinating. The Lianhua Peak will be a lotus flower rowing
out of the clouds high up in the sky. The golden cock will be ready to fly towards the
gate leading to Celestial Capital. The pine tree by the name of "Yingke" will be
extending its arms to welcome guests from afar. And the stone lute beneath the
Mingxian
Spring will send out enchanting melodies.
Beautiful are the mountains: though old, not old, they
are eternally youthful. Resulting from cataclysmic crust movement about 100 million years
ago and named Yishan in the ancient Qin Dynasty (221-207B.C.), and later renamed the
Yellow Mountains in the Tang Dynasty (618-907A.D.), the mountains are very old indeed. Yet
they are young and graceful. Not relying on artificial decorations, the scenery is simple
and natural, manifesting youthful vigor and heroic  grandeur. The peaks here vie with one
another in thrusting into the sky. The rocks here vie with one another in being grotesque.
The pine trees here compete with one another in elegance. The flying
clouds here link up the mountain and the sky. The hot springs here,
forever bubbling, give mankind an endless flow of warmth and fervor. Even the Magua trees
that have comedown from glacier periods put forth new leaves every
spring looking so
beautiful and so young. |
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