Wondrous Mountains and Waters of Zhangjiajie
Wondrous Mountains and Waters of Zhangjiajie by Liu Xiaoping. Among the wonders of Zhangjiajie—wondrous mountains, waters, clouds, rocks, trees, and rare birds and exotic beasts—the wonder of the mountains ranks first. Without wondrous mountains, wondrous waters have no source, wondrous clouds have no support, wondrous rocks have no backing, wondrous trees have no covering, and rare birds and exotic beasts have no hiding place. The wondrous mountains of Zhangjiajie are recognized by the world and have drawn global attention. Zhu Changzhong, professor at Tsinghua University and famous landscape architect, said: "Zhangjiajie is the number one wondrous mountain under heaven." The writer Sun Sun also…
Zhangjiajie: Fantastic Mountains and Extraordinary Waters
by Liu Xiaoping
Among the wonders of Zhangjiajie—its fantastic mountains, waters, clouds, rocks, trees, and rare birds and animals—the fantastic mountains rank first. Without fantastic mountains, the fantastic waters would have no source, the fantastic clouds no support, the fantastic rocks no foundation, the fantastic trees no covering, and the rare birds and animals no hiding place.
The fantastic mountains of Zhangjiajie are recognized by all the world and have drawn global attention. Zhu Changzhong, professor at Tsinghua University and renowned landscape architect, said: “Zhangjiajie is the most fantastic mountain under heaven.” The writer Sun Sun praised it as “embracing the beauty of Huangshan and Guilin, blending the elegance of Mount Lu and Mount Heng (Nanyue).” The world-famous Hong Kong photographer Mr. Chen Fuli's photographic work “Eagle of the Mountain” once won the Royal Photographic Society award (a prize of 100,000 pounds). After winning the award, he told the world: “More than half of the honor won by 'Eagle of the Mountain' belongs to Zhangjiajie.” It is said that in the early days of Zhangjiajie's development, Mr. Chen would stay in Zhangjiajie for a period every year, the longest being as long as 3 months. To shoot “Eagle of the Mountain,” he once brought a tent and stayed beneath the “Eagle Beak” of Yaozi Village for 3 days and 3 nights. Just when the sky cleared after rain, mist and clouds curled around the mountains, and the “Eagle Beak” was hidden in the sea of forest and veil of fog, like a mighty eagle spreading its wings about to fly. At that very moment, a goshawk soared over. Illuminated by the setting sun, what a picture of two eagles flying wing to wing and setting each other off! In that instant, Mr. Chen pressed the shutter, and from then on the British Royal Photographic Art Gallery has kept a precious and immortal work.
The mountains of Zhangjiajie are fantastic because they seem to possess spiritual nature, standing out among the accompanying mountains. Years ago, Mr. Wu Guanzhong was urged by friends to go there to sketch. Along the way he saw only yellow earth and withered grass, with only black and white flocks of sheep as the most striking colors. The mountains were not high, merely ordinary hilly terrain, and his heart could not help but grow cold. But after the car turned dozens of bends, the terrain changed greatly: peaks and ridges rose steeply, green trees piled up in emerald layers, and it was completely a strange and deep world. Mr. Wu's “first reaction was to think of Guilin and Huangshan. The beauty here does not yield to Guilin, but the peaks are more mysterious, more concentrated, more upright, and more wild than Guilin's!”
The mountains of Zhangjiajie are fantastic because, looked at from any angle, above or below, sideways or front, they all become stories and wonders. The majesty of Huangshizhai, the steepness of Yaozi Village, the seclusion of Golden Whip Stream, the elegance of Chaotian Temple, the wildness of Shedao Valley—each scenic area has its own uniqueness. The incomparably wonderful Wuling sandstone peak forest is the essence of Zhangjiajie's fantastic mountains; without its peak forest, the whole of Zhangjiajie would lose its meaning. Three thousand peaks, each vividly lifelike and different from the others: “To use people as metaphors, some are like generals directing with calm assurance, some like husband and wife reunited after long separation, some like sisters linking sleeves and talking of old times, some like children and grandchildren bowing in rows at one's knees. To use beasts as metaphors, some are like tigers roaring with open throats, some like eagles spreading wings and flying high, some like lions enthroned as kings facing south, some like monkeys heading north in search of food.” The childhood-sweetheart “Husband and Wife Rock” leans close and whispers. In this way, for billions of years, they have together endured wind, rain, and thunderbolts, and together enjoyed joy and happiness. They understand life and share the sweet rain. “Traveling a thousand miles, crying to heaven and knocking on earth to rush together, disregarding shame, disregarding traps, embracing each other and pouring out their hearts—this writes large the courage and power of love.”
Painters say: The wonder of Zhangjiajie is like an immortal Chinese landscape painting. Every stone peak, every rock-growing tree, is the masterstroke of nature's great master. Landscape architects say: The wonder of Zhangjiajie lies in its resemblance to a giant bonsai, built high on the rolling high platform of the Wuling Mountains, and every detail that composes it is an art bonsai worth cities.
The rapid development of tourism has provided visitors with conditions to examine Zhangjiajie's artistic and aesthetic value from many angles. I once took a helicopter of the “Golden Eagle Company” and looked down over Zhangjiajie, adding a completely new feeling. When the plane flew at low altitude, I saw stone peaks standing in forests, competing in wonder and beauty, eager to pierce the blue sky. After the plane rose, the clouds and mist below hid the outlines of the mountains, and above the sea of clouds only stone pillars stood in forests. The brown quartz sandstone peak forest glittered in the sunlight. Amid the surging and rising sea of clouds, fog veils curled around—a freehand painting of a Penglai fairyland. When we returned by plane and looked back, we saw only the vast sea of clouds, with three thousand wondrous peaks, high and low, uneven. The outline of a magic city. I have never seen a mirage, but I think a mirage can be no more than this—yet this is a real mirage.
Some may say: Zhangjiajie lacks waterscapes. I say: “Wrong. Water does not lie in depth, nor in quantity, nor in filling the eyes with a world of water. Zhangjiajie's water, though not comparable to Dujiangyan and Jiuzhaigou, which Mr. Xiao Fuxing called classics of water, is nevertheless not to be captured by a single word 'extraordinary.'”
In the world, beautiful waters, elegant waters, crystal-clear waters, limpid waters, and vast waters each have their famous places; Zhangjiajie is the famous place of extraordinary waters. In the world there are many large and small reservoirs built in river valleys and basins, but it is hard to see reservoirs built on mountaintops. Zhangjiajie has two mountaintop reservoirs, “Baofeng Lake” and “Xiejiayu.” They contain clear trickling streams and also gather unruly and violent mountain floods. No matter how dry the year, when touring Zhangjiajie you need not worry about difficulty in finding water. When the season of “autumn waters sharing the same color with the long sky” arrives, you will see the two mountaintop reservoirs bright as mirrors: a patch of cloud in the sky, a moon at the bottom of the water—what intoxicating, poetic, tranquil, and serene waters!
What makes Zhangjiajie's water even more extraordinary is Golden Whip Stream. The upper reaches of Golden Whip Stream are several colorful streams such as Pipa Stream, Flower Stream, Shedao Valley, and Nanmu Stream. Once spring comes, they gather the springs of dense forests and waterfalls of mountain ravines, pure and bright as hada scarves, clear as crystal, drifting down. Other streams are carefree like children, but once Golden Whip Stream begins, it instantly becomes bold and brisk, generous yet still clear and bright, so pure, so white and innocent, murmuring and singing softly, peacefully heading into the distance. Golden Whip Stream is a poeticized stream, a fairyland-like stream. When you sit on the warm rocks by the stream, with pearl-and-jade splashing water before your eyes and the wind swaying the green branches and leaves on both banks, your weary mood and the fatigue and anxiety of the journey drift away like flowing water. In a trance, a bird carries a green twig and perches on your forehead, accompanying you as you quietly watch the fish at the bottom of the water. There are bird shadows, there are twinkling fishing lights, appearing in your imagined atmosphere; the stream full of free and easy water accompanies a heart that acts as if nothing matters. It makes you think of scenes of abundant stream water in the rainy season and gulls flying in the dry season. By the strange and pure stream, you freely watch the fish, and the fish freely watch you—what a heart full of Zen meaning this is!
There are two more waterscapes in Zhangjiajie worth writing about: one is Mandarin Duck Waterfall, the other is Mandarin Duck Spring. Although the waterscape of Mandarin Duck Waterfall is small, its drop is more than 70 meters, one might say its momentum is extraordinary. Because of the bond of shared ideals, no matter how many hardships lie ahead, no matter how small and weak one is, no matter whether it is a cliff or a deadly pool, they just join hands and leap together, becoming a wonder that warns and enlightens life. The flow of Mandarin Duck Spring is not large either, yet it is always in pairs, not calculating grievances and grudges, reflecting each other, making a love of heaven and earth, keeping each other company for long. According to local people, no matter how the sky collapses or the earth splits, Mandarin Duck Spring has never dried up; it is clear as ever, and drinking it is like sweet rain. If husband and wife fall out and are not harmonious, as long as they drink the water of Mandarin Duck Spring, they will be harmonious as before and share the joys of life.
Zhangjiajie's fantastic mountains and extraordinary waters are praised by the world and have intoxicated countless visitors. It is unknown how many literati and writers have “bowed in admiration.” When the writer Wei Wei toured Zhangjiajie, I had the honor of accompanying him. Although old Mr. Wei was advanced in years, his heroic spirit had not diminished. While walking and looking, he even chanted a poem:
The summer wind sends me to Lingxi,
Here the mountains and waters are called wonderful;
The Ten-Mile Gallery is never tiresome to see,
And I love even more the secluded realm of Golden Whip Stream.
(First from the 2000 edition by Educational Science Publishing House, Nine-Year Compulsory Education 《Junior High School Language Self-Study Supplementary Textbook, Volume 2》)