A Beauty Hidden in the Boudoir
A Beauty Hidden in the Boudoir Wu Guanzhong Zhangjiajie is located in the north of Dayong County, Hunan Province. It is unremarkable in appearance and unknown in name, and painters rarely know of it. When I went to Xiangxi to sketch, people introduced me to the state-owned Zhangjiajie Forest Farm. At first I listened casually, but later, after repeated recommendations from many local colleagues, I decided to go and see. Starting from Dayong County, we passed through Shadi Commune. In winter, the road was lined with yellow earth and withered grass, and only the black and white flocks of sheep were the most striking colors...
A Beauty Hidden in the Boudoir
Wu Guanzhong
Zhangjiajie is located in the north of Dayong County, Hunan Province. It is unremarkable in appearance and unknown in name, and painters rarely know of it. When I went to Xiangxi to sketch, people introduced me to the state-owned Zhangjiajie Forest Farm. At first I listened casually, but later, after repeated recommendations from many local colleagues, I decided to go and see.
Starting from Dayong County, we passed through Shadi Commune. In winter, the road was lined with yellow earth and withered grass, and only the black and white flocks of sheep were the most striking colors. At first, the mountains were not high, just ordinary hilly terrain, and after an hour's drive it was still the same, and I felt a bit disheartened. But since I was there, I decided to make the best of it and go see, even if it meant some wasted effort. Unexpectedly, the Zhangjiajie Forest Farm excited me beyond expectation, like finding a pearl lost in the deep mountains.
Not Inferior to Guilin, Comparable to Huangshan
Climbing along the forest farm road, after dozens of turns, the terrain suddenly changed dramatically: peaks rose steeply, green trees layered, as if we had reached the entrance of Peach Blossom Spring. This is the real Peach Blossom Spring in Hunan, and I was led into a strange and deep world. My first reaction was to think of Guilin and Huangshan. The beauty here is not inferior to Guilin, but the peaks are more mysterious, more concentrated, more upright, and more wild than Guilin! Guilin, with its Li River reflections and green silk belt, adds a delicate beauty. In Zhangjiajie, a winding stream runs through the valleys, with jagged rocks, possessing the robust beauty of a barefoot mountain village girl; the mountains are often rainy, with mist brushing the green hills, layer upon layer, which quite resembles the style of Huangshan. But when we saw monkeys climbing to the treetops and shaking at us, the mood was completely different from Huangshan. I only saw three or four monkeys, but it is said that the comrades at the forest farm often encounter hundreds of monkeys. Not only monkeys, but there are also rare birds and animals here. There is a water-carrying bird, unheard of before, and a mountain chicken with a pocket on its chest that carries water up the mountain after descending. Biologists will sooner or later explore this new world! As soon as I entered the mountains, I hurried into the depths of the stone forest and trees, captivated by the scenery. Only when I heard there were tigers, leopards, wild boars, and poisonous snakes... did I feel a bit afraid.
The "Painting Chapter" of Formal Structural Beauty
The Zhangjiajie Forest Farm is located upstream of the Lishui River, covering dozens of square miles. I do not understand the geological value of such dense and continuous stone peaks. But looking at the steep cliffs piercing the sky, the stone peaks and walls standing in straight lines, the horizontal lines winding gracefully, interlocking like an article. No, not an article, but the beauty of formal structure, which could be called a "painting chapter." Looking higher, there are dozens of acres of primeval forest on top, and we could only listen to the locals tell stories of climbing up there and sigh at the forest! Liu Zongyuan, Xu Xiake, and Liu E all wrote beautiful travelogues, but they mostly expressed the beauty of literary imagery; as for formal beauty, it seems difficult to express in words. People are accustomed to praising the beauty of natural forms with associations like "Monkey Gazing at Taiping" or "Boy Worshipping Guanyin," and often like to use "lifelike" as the highest praise for resembling reality. In fact, we should affirm the appreciation of abstract beauty; many stones are beautiful in themselves and do not depend on what they resemble. The stone peaks of Zhangjiajie have many names, such as the First Emperor's Golden Whip, the Three Sisters... Let people freely create beautiful stories!
Let the New Peach Blossom Spring Be Passed Down
Not for casual amusement, but to seek the beauty of painting, I have painstakingly climbed many famous mountains. I feel that Yandang, Wuyi, Qingcheng... are all inferior to this unnamed Zhangjiajie. Even compared with Emei, Emei is high and powerful, bullying others with its size, but actually lacks much character and is not as beautiful as Zhangjiajie. I believe many art workers will agree with my view. Hunan filmmakers have already written a shooting script for Zhangjiajie; I wonder how the filming is progressing? People who have worked in the bustling city for a long time can find this paradise to rest their eyes and ears, and will mistakenly think I am the author of a new "Record of Peach Blossom Spring."
It is said that because the mountain range of dozens of miles looks like a galloping horse, it is named Horse Mane Ridge. Horse Mane Ridge or Zhangjiajie, both are not yet famous, waiting for wise travelers to give this peerless beauty a more fitting name to pass down through the ages.