The Supernatural Tianzi Mountain
Nature's creative power is more divine and beautiful than any artistic creation—this is my greatest impression after climbing Tianzi Mountain many times. Tianzi Mountain lies within Wulingyuan in western Hunan, at an altitude of over 1,200 meters. Its two kinds of supreme beauty are both inseparable from the word "divine." One is the beauty of its natural scenery, which displays many distinctive features.
This article is compiled from the original travel notes on the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com); it is a record of trips from earlier years. Time-sensitive information such as ticket prices, schedules, and accommodation prices is subject to the latest announcements from scenic areas and transportation authorities; the itinerary ideas and attraction introductions still have reference value.
The creative work of nature is more divine and more beautiful than any artistic creation—this is my greatest feeling after climbing Tianzi Mountain many times to view the scenery.
Tianzi Mountain is located within Wulingyuan in Xiangxi, Hunan, at an elevation of more than 1,200 meters. Both kinds of peerless beauty of this mountain are inseparable from the word "divine."
One kind of peerless beauty is the beauty of its natural scenery. This beauty displays many characteristics. For example, standing on Tianzi Mountain and looking out, those tens of thousands of mu of stone pillar peak forest are as vast as an ocean, making one feel relaxed and happy, and marvel endlessly. The structure of Tianzi Mountain is so exquisite: around the mountain foot and mountainside are protruding rock pillars and rock peaks, yet at the summit there is a platform more than ten kilometers long. On it are several thousand mu of flat land and forest. During the "Cultural Revolution," a farm was established here and a "May Seventh Cadre School" was set up; "four categories" elements and "rightists" were often gathered here for "reform." My friend Mr. Qin Dailun, the planning editor of this book, had a father, Qin Ge, who as a rightist from Sangzhi County labored here in reform—as a shepherd. Qin Dailun was then six years old and also accompanied his father herding sheep on Tianzi Mountain. At that time, many educated youths from Hunan Province also underwent training on this mountain. The grain planted on the summit platform once filled the bellies of many people. However, in the 1960s and 1970s, because of land reclamation for grain on the summit of Tianzi Mountain, it had almost become bare. The scenery then certainly was not as beautiful as it is now after being clothed in green. Only by restoring its original vegetation and appearance does Tianzi Mountain make people feel it is even more beautiful. Another example is that the cloud and sunset scenery of Tianzi Mountain is also extremely beautiful. Tianzi Mountain is cloudy, rainy, and foggy, especially in spring and summer, when the weather is very changeable. A just-cleared sky may suddenly be covered by dark clouds, then mountain winds blow wildly, and raindrops pour down on one's head. The rain comes quickly and goes quickly. When the dark clouds scatter and the swift rain stops, mist and clouds rise in clusters among the peak forest. At this time, those towering stone pillars appear and disappear amid the wreathing mist and clouds, their shapes constantly changing; like people, like objects, like animals, just like an ever-changing kaleidoscope, leaving one dazzled. After a while, if the sun shines, the mist and clouds over the tens of thousands of mu of peak forest become even more gorgeous and varied. The beauty at this moment is truly too wonderful for words. In addition, every scene on Tianzi Mountain has its own characteristics and is worth careful viewing. If these scenes were to be ranked first, second, and third, in my personal view, I would vote for General Rock, Imperial Brush Peak, and Shentangkua. My comment on General Rock is: a lone peak standing alone, battle robe draped over its body; a wonder through the ages, divinely resembling a general. My comment on Imperial Brush Peak is: shaped like a brush shaft, with a tip above; the Son of Heaven wields and writes, and the myriad people obey. My comment on Shentangkua is: like a riddle, like an illusion, mysterious and unfathomable; the heroic spirit of King Xiang seems still present. I think these three scenic spots can be rated as the "three wonders" of Tianzi Mountain. These three wonders, even among all the fine scenery of Zhangjiajie, should also be first-rate scenes of resounding fame. Of course, many other landscapes of Tianzi Mountain are also very beautiful, and to absolutely rank them superior or inferior is also very difficult to distinguish.
Another kind of peerless beauty of Tianzi Mountain is the beauty of history and humanities. Tianzi Mountain has the legend of King Xiang Tianzi. This legend is very heroic and moving, and in a certain spiritual sense it further enhanced the fame of Tianzi Mountain. Regarding the matter of King Xiang Tianzi, there are few records in official histories, while local gazetteers and local rumors have had several versions. Some say King Xiang Tianzi was the ancient Tujia ancestor Ba Linjun, some say King Xiang Tianzi was a man of the Southern Song period, and some say King Xiang Tianzi was a man of the late Yuan and early Ming. According to research on the Xiang clan genealogy, the third version should be more accurate. It was on this basis that I wrote the historical novel The Legendary Zhangjiajie. King Xiang Tianzi was named Xiang Dakun and was originally a son of a tusi. In the late Yuan and early Ming, Xiang Dakun first followed Ming Yuzhen in establishing the Daxia state in Shu. After Ming Yuzhen's defeat and death, Xiang Dakun wandered to the Sangzhi area. Before long he raised a banner and rose in rebellion at Tianzi Mountain, established a state and proclaimed himself king, and called himself "King Xiang Tianzi." He intended to make Tianzi Mountain the center and build an ideal state of "supreme virtue and supreme goodness." In his youth, King Xiang Tianzi had left home to study Daoism and had also read The Analects and other Confucian books, and later on"loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, trustworthiness, gentleness, kindness, respectfulness, frugality, and yielding"He was very interested in these twelve characters and planned to use them as a creed to win over the people and to establish and govern a nation. Unexpectedly, not long after the uprising of King Tianzi, Zhu Yuanzhang urgently dispatched Yang Jing, the Pingzhang of Huguang, Tang He, the Marquis of Zhongshan, and Zhou Dexing, the Marquis of Jiangxia, among others, who successively led tens of thousands of government troops to the Tianzi Mountain area to suppress the rebellion. King Tianzi led his troops to rise in resistance. After several years of resisting the suppression, the Tianzi Mountain area was left with traces of bloody battlefields everywhere. Place names such as General Rock, Baizhang Gorge, Point General Platform, Divine Troops Gathering, and Planting Flag Valley all originated from this. Because his forces were outnumbered, King Tianzi ultimately jumped off a cliff at Shentang Kua and ended his own life. After his death, the Tujia people specially built three King Tianzi Temples at Tianzi Mountain in his memory. Precisely because King Tianzi's life experience was very legendary, his tales and stories added an even stronger air of mystery to Tianzi Mountain.
The natural beauty and legendary beauty of Tianzi Mountain are combined very aptly and exquisitely. When visitors view this peerless scenery of Tianzi Mountain, all without exception marvel at these beautiful scenes created by uncanny workmanship. Those who can feast their eyes on this mountain may also count themselves lucky as travel enthusiasts!