Wulingyuan Scenery
Wulingyuan Scenery by Bi Ye. Wulingyuan rises abruptly in western Hunan. Like the famous Xiang embroidery, it presents the motherland with a beautiful embroidery; Wulingyuan has brewed the fine wine of happiness and sweetness for the Tujia, Miao, Bai, and other ethnic minority people of Xiangxi. Hunan has four rivers: Xiang, Zi, Yuan, and Li. The Xiang River is large, the Zi River is long, the Yuan River is dangerous, and the Li River is clear. The clear Li River is the most charming, as if all the spiritual beauty of nature were concentrated in Wulingyuan. Peculiar scenery...
Wulingyuan Scenery
Bi Ye
Wulingyuan rises abruptly in western Hunan. Like the famous Xiang embroidery, it presents the motherland with a beautiful piece of embroidery; Wulingyuan has brewed for the Tujia, Miao, Bai and other ethnic minority peoples of Xiangxi a sweet wine of happy life.
Hunan has four rivers: the Xiang, the Zi, the Yuan, and the Li. The Xiang River is great, the Zi River is long, the Yuan River is treacherous, and the Li River is clear. The clear Li River is the most charming, as if all the spiritual beauty of nature were concentrated in Wulingyuan.
The peculiar scenery comes from Wulingyuan. Those peaks that rise straight from the ground and stand towering into the clouds, amid drifting clouds and moving mist, some look like mighty warriors in armor and bearing swords, and some look like slender, gentle maidens singing softly and dancing gracefully.
Wulingyuan is a wildlife reserve. It has rare wild animals seldom seen in the world, such as the white river deer, white monkey, unicorn, and water-carrying fowl; it has the glass snake, whose whole body is transparent so that its internal organs can be seen; it has the piglet snake, which has a small tail and is shaped like a laundry club; it has the flying tiger, which has wing membranes and can glide; it has the giant salamander, whose cry sounds like a baby's wailing, the plump rock frog, and the tiny rock fish; it has the dove tree, rare in the world, whose blossoms open like white doves spreading their wings; it has the thousand-year catalpa tree, into which water cannot soak and insects cannot bore, with fine grain and hard wood; it has the lobster flower, which blooms like a lobster; it has the eight-angle lotus that mirrors itself in the clear stream, and the "lady's golden hairpin" and "golden belt" that hide on the cliffs; it has the affectionate red bean, the mountain lychee laden with red fruit, the fragrant wild orchid, and the lantern mushroom like a red lantern...
What is most attractive is that Wulingyuan is a land of song and dance. The girls of the Tujia, Miao, and Bai peoples who grow up in the Wulingyuan area can all sing and dance. Their dancing is graceful and their singing is loud and clear. Because of the spiritual beauty of the mountains and rivers, Wulingyuan produces beauties. "In plain maiden dress, unknown in her secluded chamber, she is all the more thought-provoking."...
The Deep Green Suoxiyu
"Three thousand pillars of peak forest," all within one stream. The mountain peaks stand like giant pillars. Three thousand pillar-like peaks cluster together like a forest, forming a "peak forest." Three thousand pillars of peak forest, like golden hairpins, like jade pillars, are arrayed along both banks of Suoxi. The clear flowing water reflects the green peaks, and Suoxiyu is emerald green and deeply secluded.
Suoxiyu's May azaleas and October red leaves are enchanting. In the valleys wound around by Suoxi, there are dozens of kinds of alpine azaleas. When the azaleas bloom in May, red, white, and purple, they are a riot of color; and in October, when the maple woods are touched by frost, red leaves cover the mountains, like fire and like sunset clouds, brilliant and dazzling.
Now, in the gorge where Suoxi leaves the mountains, a dam is being built. The stone dam is several dozen meters high and can store a great quantity of water. In the future, in the Suoxi Reservoir, green mountains will cast their reflections, clouds will linger, and swans and cranes will fly in to preen their wings and sport in the water, adding a magical color to Suoxiyu.
At the outlet of the Suoxi dam, a waterfall will pour down in flight. The spray, surging and swirling in the deep pool of the gorge, will be like a great blooming lotus, called the "Lotus Waterfall."
In the reservoir upstream from the Lotus Waterfall, tourists can take a boat directly to the reception station. Viewing the scenery of Suoxiyu along the water route, with the murmur of water and the splash of waves, wildflowers reddening both banks and green mountains swaying in emerald reflection. In this beautiful landscape, you will surely scoop up to your heart's content the cool water gathered from a thousand springs and a hundred ravines, and wash away the dust brought from beyond the mountains. If you are a young girl, you will reach out to pick a wildflower on the bank, smell its fresh fragrance, then tuck it into your hair, lean forward over the green waves to see your reflection. The smile at the corners of your mouth, the light in your eyes, mirrored in the calm water, truly make one admire one's own reflection and secretly feel enchanted.
The tributary of Suoxi is Ganxi. Following the Suoxi Reservoir, one can boat to the "Ten-Mile Gallery" of Ganxi.
The Ten-Mile Gallery is naturally formed. What magnificent pictures nature has painted for people. Along both banks of Ganxi are arrayed one towering, steep peak after another. With people's wonderful imaginations, some look like peacocks with high phoenix-like crests, some like pagodas standing toward the sky, and some like leaping lions and tigers. Especially when white clouds fly past the summits, white clouds and green peaks reflecting each other, as you gaze, it seems the mountains sway gently. These peaks, like a painting, are the creations of nature, giving one a feeling of beautiful marvel.
What is even more astonishing is that atop mountains a thousand fathoms high, among those sheer cliffs and precipices, amid the wreathing gauze of clouds, patches of emerald green appear. Those are patches of mountain fields. The mountain fields appear and disappear in the clouds, and one cannot help marveling at the miraculous skill of the farmers. How did they climb up to sow and harvest?
With the light of morning and evening, with the movement of the sun, with the differences of clear and cloudy weather, with the density of cloud shadows, the scenery of the Ten-Mile Gallery changes endlessly. Among the peak forest, mist rises steaming; distant and near peaks show many layers, and the shades of mountain colors differ. When a pale evening haze shrouds the peak forest, the ancient pines that have grown upside down on the peaks for hundreds and thousands of years appear even more deeply green; when the morning sun or the setting sun shines on the peak forest, the purple sandstone cliffs glitter with golden light, and the assembled peaks seem blazing bright. Walking forward along Ganxi, it seems every mountain is a famous painting displayed before your eyes, truly too beautiful to take in all at once.
Tao Yuanming wrote "Record of the Peach Blossom Spring," and in "Record of the Peach Blossom Spring" he wrote of a man of Wuling. Now, in these Wuling mountains, entering the Ten-Mile Gallery, one cannot help being delighted and amazed: the Peach Blossom Spring on earth is sought right here!
Leaving Gan Stream, we follow the merry flow of the Suo Stream upstream. Along the way the water is so clear you can see to the bottom—the glinting pebbles and drifting water plants are visible through it. Mountain folk carry baskets on their backs down from the hills to market, baskets full of day lilies and wood ear mushrooms, full of red peaches and green plums, full of fragrant mushrooms and bamboo shoots. Mount Wuling feeds the mountain people with its full breasts, and the Suo Stream nurtures the mountain people with its sweet milk.
Right here upstream on the Suo Stream, amid these rich mountains and beautiful waters, there is a great natural karst cave called Yellow Dragon Cave. The cave is 30 li long, discovered by eight militiamen exploring with eight torches. Entering the cave, you are met by a piercing chill. Electric lights have been strung through the cave, but the cave is vast and the lights sparse, leaving it dim and hazy. What is that sound splashing in the darkness? It is the underground river, its waves rushing and roaring at your feet.
Amid the surging sound of the underground river, we wind and climb a thousand stone steps to a huge limestone chamber of over a thousand square meters, its ceiling like the vault of heaven, with mountains inside the cave. The dim light lends it an air of mystery. On the mountains stand forests of stalactites—some white as jade pillars, some tall as ceremonial columns, some coiled and lying crosswise, some standing erect like pagodas. These hundreds and thousands of stalactites—some agate red, some emerald green, some crystal white, some ink-jade black, some golden yellow—are rich and varied, glowing in all seven colors. Even more wondrous: some, in the gurgling mountain springs, look like a pond of lotus leaves emerging green from the water; some, in the rain and dew, look like a tree of golden flowers in bloom…
What a magnificent Yellow Dragon Cave—it is a treasure of our motherland, a subterranean palace of nature.
Yellow Dragon Cave is a living cave; the stalactites that took hundreds of millions of years to form are still growing today.
In Suoxiyu there is another spot named for a cave: “A World of Its Own.”
“A World of Its Own” lies between two towering peaks, a valley a thousand zhang deep, damp, dark, and cool, with moss-green cliffs so slippery underfoot. A narrow, steep stone stairway winds upward along the perilous peaks and sheer cliffs. Climbers scramble up on hands and knees, trembling with every step.
But once you reach the summit, your heart and mind open wide. The stairway you just climbed was merely the steep, perilous stretch of the gorge. Only upon reaching the top do you see a broad expanse of emerald water atop the peak. This is a high-mountain reservoir, named “A World of Its Own.”
In “A World of Its Own,” the deep water is green, and the inverted reflections of the blue peaks make the water seem an even richer emerald. Standing on the dam and gazing across the reservoir, green trees stand all around like a jade screen, and mountain flowers ring it like colored ribbons—a landscape of quite a different charm.
Would you dare go swimming? The depth and icy cold of the water make one hesitate. One thinks: if only a small dock were built by the shore, and one could drift in a little boat around the reservoir, absorbing the natural spirit and washing away the dust of the world—how refreshing and ethereal that would be.
Below the cliffs of “A World of Its Own” stands a small hydroelectric station, drawing water from the reservoir above through a penstock to generate power. Though its output is modest, at night the mountain villages around Suoxiyu twinkle with light, like strings of pearls fallen to earth, adding a bright night scene to the silent mountain forests and bringing to the households on the cliffs both the charm of mountain life and the allure of modern living.
Yet nothing is more delightfully unusual than the macaques of Suoxiyu. The mountain forests of Suoxiyu are quiet and deeply green—an ideal home for troops of monkeys. The macaques of Suoxiyu are small, clean, and clever.
The macaques live in troops. Protected and unafraid of people, they love to run down to the mountain gullies near the Suoxiyu reception station, where the streams gurgle, to drink and play while begging snacks from visitors.
Old macaques lead the troops, mother monkeys carry their young, and they play in groups in this paradise of nature.
There was an old man who understood monkey talk and could sing monkey songs. Wherever his monkey song carried, troops of monkeys would gather around, neither crying nor clamoring, quiet and serene. His monkey song was a lilting, gentle, pleasant sound.
The monkeys understood the old man's song and came leaping from all four mountains, swinging through branches and bounding over streams, standing solemnly and waiting for a fine meal.
And indeed, his song was a promise, and the man kept his word. The old man scattered kernels of corn like gold across the ground, letting every macaque eat its fill.
The troop romped and chased one another as they ate the corn—the old caring for the young, the mothers for their infants. Old monkeys let the mothers eat more, to bring in milk for nursing the young. The little monkeys were mischievous and loved to run about, and the mothers would always carry them back; the little ones could only hang upside down in their mothers' arms, swaying as they nursed.
The old man had once made his living catching monkeys, singing monkey songs to trap them and sell them. Now Wulingyuan has established a wildlife reserve where hunting is forbidden, and the old man has become a staff member at the reception station, singing monkey songs and feeding the monkeys in the service of tourists.
Listen—how beautifully the old man sings his monkey song. He sings the charm of Suoxiyu, he sings the customs of Wulingyuan.
The Lofty Tianzi Mountain
Climbing Tianzi Mountain from Suoxiyu, the cliffs stand steep, the forests dense, the paths winding, and the stone steps spiraling. Though the mountain is high and the wind cold, people still sweat through their clothes as they climb. Pausing to catch their breath, they can hear the chirping of birds from all around, pick wildflowers by the cliff edge to enjoy their fragrance, and cup their hands to drink the clear spring water trickling down the rock faces.
The climb is strenuous, but it is also full of wild delight. Set against the blue sky, opening into the void, is “Tianmen” (Heaven's Gate). Seen from afar, “Tianmen” is like a finely engraved mirror, its frame the towering rock peaks, its surface the blue sky and white clouds. To ascend “Tianmen,” the mountain path twists like nine turns of the intestines, and the stone steps rise like a ten-thousand-step heavenly ladder. Yet when people catch sight of “Tianmen,” they always want to summon all their strength and climb straight up.
Reaching “Tianmen,” the heavenly wind blows, cooling the whole body. This “Tianmen” is a cliff that has endured wind and rain erosion for eons, leaving only a hollowed-out giant rock, with two pillars facing each other and a beam spanning across, forming the shape of the character “door.”
Sitting on “Tianmen” to rest, looking back and down, the mountains lie prostrate below. The Camel Peak of Suoxiyu looks like a camel from the vast northern desert, covered in dust from its journey; the peak forest of the Ten-Mile Gallery appears like countless wisps of mist and cloud before your eyes, gently drifting.
Illusions can elevate the spirit and silently transform the soul. Lingering at “Tianmen,” gazing at the rivers and mountains for a thousand miles, looking up at the vast sky for ten thousand miles, the field of vision is boundless and the heart infinitely expansive. It seems as if one is not trekking between heaven and earth, but soaring through outer space.
Having exhausted every ounce of leg strength to climb the high Tianzi Mountain, one then discovers that Tianzi Mountain is a miracle of mountain-building movements. It turns out that Tianzi Mountain is not a single peak, but a flat-topped plateau, stretching for thousands of miles, like a plain.
This flat-topped mountain in Xiangxi, honored as Tianzi Mountain, is most aptly named. The flat-topped crown worn by ancient emperors was flat on top, and the bright cliffs, waterfalls, green trees, mountain flowers, and wild fruits on the front and back slopes of Tianzi Mountain—are they not the pearl strings and tassels of that flat-topped crown?
Standing on Tianzi Mountain and looking around, the entire Wuling range comes into view. The vast distant mountains are like ocean waves at the horizon, surging and leaping; the emerald peak forests rising above the surrounding mountains are like steel awls piercing the blue sky. High mountains and deep valleys, heaven and earth without bounds—what a magnificent and majestic spectacle this great nature presents!
Even more extraordinary is that at the center of the Tianzi Mountain plateau, the earth's crust suddenly sank, forming a valley dozens of miles long. This enormous valley is called “West Sea.” “West Sea” is shrouded in mist and clouds, with sheer cliffs standing along its shores, bottomless in depth. Within, hundreds of peak forests thrust up through the mist, their bases invisible, with ancient pines hanging upside down from the peaks, presenting a scene of infinite variety.
These ancient pines growing on the cliff tops of the peak forests have trunks hanging upside down and branches stretching sideways. The moisture of the mist and clouds enables them to grow in the cracks between rocks; though the trees are small, their root systems are well developed. The pine bark is cracked like red scales, yet the needles are green. These many red pines, each growing at the summit of a peak, have withstood a hundred or a thousand years of wind and frost. They coil their roots in stone crevices and grow in harsh, water-scarce conditions—how tenacious their vitality is.
If it rains during the day and clears afterward, under the rising sun in the east or the slanting sun in the west, a gorgeous picture unfolds before your eyes: the surrounding mountain mist fresh and green, a rainbow spanning the sky. At this moment, in the valley bottom beneath the thousand-pillar peak forest, water vapor steams up, slowly rising in wisps of milky white cloud gauze, then gathering into white clouds among the peaks, gently flying toward the sky.
The cloud gauze rises from the valley bottom, wreathing a thousand peaks, forming islands in what seems like surging white waves. The summits of the peak forests float above the clouds. How deep the valley is, with no path to be found—for thousands of years, no one has dared to descend.
A small path passes through a peninsula-like cliff face, extending above the deep valley. This is the mysterious “Shen Tang Bay” (Spirit Hall Bay). On the sheer rocks of Shen Tang Bay grow ancient pines, with a bottomless abyss below, shrouded in boundless mist, unfathomable in depth. Whether it is an echo in the empty valley or an illusion, one hears what seems like the howling of wild wind, the surging of raging waves, and the roaring of fierce beasts from below. As if made by heaven and earth, a giant rock spans above the abyss. Sitting on the rock, looking down at the mist and clouds in the valley, listening to all sounds of nature in chorus—this too is a pleasure of the natural world.
Having climbed up to Tianzi Mountain, walking from the east end to the west end, skirting a corner of the “West Sea,” is twenty or thirty li. The path winds and twists among jagged rocks and scattered stones, sometimes with cliffs rising sheer ahead, sometimes with spring water spreading underfoot. The mountain road is hard to walk, leaving one drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. Before long, a road passable by car will be opened here, and where cars cannot go, carriage roads will be built. By then, to leisurely enjoy the mountain scenery, cars will move slowly, horses' hooves will clop-clop, and people's voices will ring with laughter.
When horses trot along the mountain road with bells jingling, those driving them will be young men or women dressed in the festive attire of the Tujia or Miao people. The girls' garments woven with colored silk threads will shimmer, and their jade ornaments will tinkle with the horse bells—what a moving scene that will be.
For now, people walk on foot along the edge of the “West Sea,” which has a charm all its own. Although the travelers come from all parts of the motherland, and some even from foreign lands, with different skin colors and different languages, this beautiful landscape elevates the spirit, and the love of beauty binds people's feelings closely together.
Whether in mountain bays, at cliff corners, or seeing each other from afar, or discovering wonders and strange sights, climbers call out to one another, voices carrying far and near, shaking the mountain forests. Imperceptibly, this became a way for tourists to pass on information.
Even more interesting is that, while walking in the mountains, you may find a flowered handkerchief hanging on a branch in front of you. The handkerchief flutters in the wind, inviting someone to claim it. No one knows which careless young man or girl lost it. The handkerchief has color and fragrance, and is lovable. It was hung on the branch half-jokingly, yet it reflects the beauty of human hearts, where the object is light but the meaning is weighty.
Travel cultivates people's character. Walking in the mountains in summer heat, sweat soaks through one's clothes. Along the way appear cool large mountain caves, places for people to rest. When this group of tourists sees another group arriving, they immediately clear the coolest corner for the newcomers to enjoy the shade.
Who is hungry? I have dry provisions in my shoulder bag; who is thirsty? I have spring water in my canteen. Although tourists may have only met once, they seem like old friends of many years, sharing everything, as close as brothers, sharing sweetness and joy together.
Passing Shengtang Bay and continuing west along the "West Sea," the trees and woods are green, and the mountain road winds in and out among the green shade.
In the early morning, people set out from the reception station at the eastern end of Tianzi Mountain, stepping on dew, and only reach the reception station at the western end of Tianzi Mountain when the sun leans west.
The reception station at the western end of Tianzi Mountain is located above the Tianzi Mountain canyon, with peak forests standing tall. In the distance, rumbling cannon-like sounds carry over; those are road workers building the mountain road. Before long, cars will be able to wind up the mountain from behind Tianzi Mountain.
This reception station is a scenic spot of Tianzi Mountain, surrounded by large orchards. The sweetness of papaya, the fresh sweetness of peaches, the crisp sweetness of plums, the overflowing fragrance of the mountain orchards make tourists who have just entered the reception station feel relaxed and joyful.
The young women at the reception station are all high school graduates. They have just started working not long ago, lively and warm-hearted. They bring spring water for visitors to wipe away sweat. The spring water is so clear it reflects people's figures, clean and cool. When the tourist guests sit in the long corridor facing the mountain breeze to rest, the young women bring cup after cup of mellow cloud-mist tea to quench their thirst. Finally, they bring tourists peaches and plums on trays. The peaches and plums are washed clean with spring water, gleaming like pearls on the trays, tempting people to taste them. Everyone vies to try the sweet peaches and crisp plums produced by Tianzi Mountain, feel a mouthful of fresh fragrance, and all give a thumbs-up, smiling as they thank the young women.
At nightfall, the mountain forest is silent, and the round moon rises in the east. Moonlight is like water, and from deep in the mountain forest occasionally comes the nighttime cry of birds. On this mysterious and wonderful night, loud singing rises over Tianzi Mountain. These are the young women performing for the tourists the folk dances and folk songs of the Tujia, Miao, Zhuang, and Bai peoples.
The young women's dancing is graceful, their singing voices sweet and melodious, carrying the charm and rich emotion of the ethnic minorities of Xiangxi.
The night songs left a deep impression; returning to sleep late at night, the dreaming soul still lingered among the light dance steps and sweet songs.
Green Zhangjiajie
Zhangjiajie was originally called Qingyan Mountain. Its landforms are peculiar, with "three thousand peak forests and eight hundred waters," and each mountain peak is like a spear, sword, or halberd. The lush primeval forest sends forth green and drips emerald between the peaks and canyons, and it is a famous national forest park.
In the primeval forest of Zhangjiajie, there are rare "living fossils": the dove tree, whose flowers bloom like doves; the three-pointed fir, whose leaves are like halberds; the noble ginkgo; and the towering dawn redwood.
In the high mountains, there is much rain in summer, and the air is fresh and cool. Whenever it clears after rain, among the columns of peak forests, mist rises and steams, forming veils of cloud, winding around the mountainsides and floating over the treetops. When people arrive at Zhangjiajie, it seems their bodies also drift with the clouds and mist, feeling transcendent and removed from the world, doubting whether this is the human realm.
There is a highway winding up to Zhangjiajie. In midsummer, people come to the mountain one after another. Here, a scenic tourist area has already been established. Every day, visitors are like weaving threads. The Golden Whip Rock Hotel is full every day, so people have no choice but to stay in the surrounding "family inns."
Besides hotels and family inns, Zhangjiajie's tourist spots also have small shops, small restaurants, and teahouses. Every day at sunset and dusk, in front of each "Thousand-Mile Fragrance" and "Binshe" restaurant, and under the awnings of the teahouses selling Sangzhi Maojian and Dayong famous tea, people from all over the motherland sit packed layer upon layer. After touring Zhangjiajie for a day, this is the good hour to fill one's stomach, quench one's thirst, and rest, forming a mountain market, bustling beyond measure.
Zhangjiajie's buildings have high upturned eaves, are simple and elegant, and are rich in ethnic style. Here, connecting the two ends of the market street, there is a red bridge built of red sandstone, and around the garden-style buildings are placed red stone round tables and stone stools, also polished from red sandstone. Whenever at early morning sunrise, evening sunset clouds, or on a night of stars and moon, this red bridge and these red tables and stools shine with red light, giving people a feeling of joy. Under the morning sun, in the glow of the evening clouds, under the deep blue stars or the bright moonlight, sitting in twos and threes by the red stone round tables, chatting about the affection of mountains and waters and talking of love in the world, how pleasant that must be!
People who come to Zhangjiajie, drawn by its fame, include scientists exploring nature's mysteries, farmers who have prospered, retired professors on holiday, retired veteran cadres, and mountaineering athletes. The largest group among them is college and university students, who take advantage of their summer vacation to flock in groups from thousands of miles away to this beautiful Zhangjiajie.
Those who prefer staying in family inns are mostly young women. The small wooden buildings of the family inns face the mountains, with beautiful scenery. They travel to Zhangjiajie in groups, and in the morning they dress and comb their hair in the breeze, their long hair flowing, making them look even more lovely. The green mountains add charm to the young women, and the young women add beauty to the green mountains.
In the great natural gallery of Zhangjiajie, there is a Golden Whip Stream. The stream water is clear and flows along the foot of Zhangjiajie's peak forest. As the mountain terrain varies, strange and wonderful sights appear along both banks of the stream.
Among the peak forests of Zhangjiajie, the one that interests people most is Golden Whip Rock.
Golden Whip Rock rises above the peak forest, entirely different from the other peaks. From the foot of the mountain to its summit, it looks as if it were chopped by an axe or cleaved by a knife. No trees grow on it. Bright and shining, tall and towering, four-sided, it is like an angrily raised golden whip pointing straight into the clouds. What is especially astonishing is that Golden Whip Rock stands close to a huge peak. The huge peak closely resembles a mighty eagle, its head raised high, wings spread in the air, with one wing powerfully half-embracing Golden Whip Rock, full of majestic momentum. This is the famous "Divine Eagle Guarding the Golden Whip."
Golden Whip Stream takes its name from Golden Whip Rock. Golden Whip Stream is a wondrous and beautiful stream endowed by nature. It stays green even in rainy weather and never stops flowing even in long droughts. This is clearly because the surrounding mountains are lush with trees, the soil and water are well conserved, and the water source is abundant. The water quality of Golden Whip Stream is good and meets international first-class drinking water standards. From this point of view, the clarity and purity of Golden Whip Stream are all the more delightful.
A shady path winds into Golden Whip Stream. Peak forests stand on both sides like walls, and the stream water is so clear that the bottom is visible. Red, green, and white pebbles in the stream glitter in the water. Sometimes the stream flows gently in curves, reflecting the shadows of trees and the skylight sifting through the gaps in the forest; sometimes it washes over large stones, on which green moss grows, and a kind of tiny "rock fish" swims clearly about.
What makes people even more reluctant to leave is that in some places Golden Whip Stream gathers into pools. The mountain forest is deep and secluded, and the pool water appears emerald green amid the mountain woods. When the pools are deep and the water overflows, it interweaves like silver nets from among the rocks, forming water curtains and many small waterfalls cascading down, giving people the enjoyment of nature's tranquility and quiet beauty.
In Golden Whip Stream there is a "Purple Grass Pool."
Purple Grass Pool lies in the deep, dark green mountain forest and can wash away dust and grime. Tourists who come here sit silently by the pool, look down at their reflections cast into the deep water, and quietly watch the rock fish at play in the pool, and all worldly thoughts vanish.
Right by Golden Whip Stream, in the thick woods beside Purple Grass Pool, the corner of a thatched hut appears. This is a small restaurant where travelers can satisfy their hunger and quench their thirst.
This small restaurant appears by Purple Grass Pool as if by a miracle. It is jointly run by three young people, two men and one woman, providing dining convenience for tourists entering the mountains. The young woman is warm and clever, serving guests tea brewed with Golden Whip Stream water, while the two young men are busy cooking rice and stir-frying dishes. Around a small square table sit several young people who have come into the mountains to travel. Together they need spend only one yuan to eat stir-fried shredded potatoes, stir-fried green peppers, and tomato soup. The green peppers are hot, the shredded potatoes fragrant, and the tomato soup light and sweet. Eating these vegetarian dishes is even more flavorful than eating meat.
Besides meals, the small restaurant also sells local famous products. Pack after pack of "Cloud Mist Tea" produced in Wulingyuan, sealed in plastic bags, is so sweet and fragrant; bottle after bottle of "Xiangquan Liquor" produced in Xiangxi Autonomous Prefecture is so mellow. Travelers can taste them here while resting, or happily carry them out of the mountains.
This small restaurant opens in February each spring when the flowers bloom and closes in October when the leaves fall. For nine months of the year it serves the people entering the mountains. How many travelers from all over the world it has received! The spring flowers and autumn red leaves of Golden Whip Stream are both loved by travelers. In spring there are flowers blooming and fading; in autumn there are leaves turning red and falling. But the splendid scenery of Golden Whip Stream goes beyond the spring flowers and autumn leaves. Besides the "Divine Eagle Guarding the Golden Whip," which people never tire of gazing at, there is also the wonder of "Three Nanmu Trees Embracing a Rock."
"Three Nanmu Trees Embracing a Rock" is right beside the small restaurant. Three not very large nanmu trees all twist together on one rock. Among the countless peaks and trees, these three nanmu trees, growing by Golden Whip Stream while embracing a rock, nourished by the mist, have green branches and leaves and stand gracefully. The beautiful scenery of nature coincides with human virtue. Are not these "Three Nanmu Trees Embracing a Rock" a clever image of the three young people in the small restaurant?
Among Zhangjiajie's scenic spots there is also Huangshizhai, a great high mountain. Zhangjiajie has much rain in summer, and once it rains, mountain torrents surge, making the road up Huangshizhai hard to travel. Many tourists can only "hear about the scenery." The mountains and waters seem to have feelings, as if Zhangjiajie does not let tourists see everything at once, leaving the most beautiful scenery to lure them to come again next time.
When you leave Zhangjiajie, there are two things worth taking as souvenirs: one is a handkerchief printed with scenes of various places in Zhangjiajie, and the other is a walking stick with various birds and beasts carved on its handle. The handkerchief is as thin as gossamer; carrying it is like taking away with you the countless veils of cloud from Zhangjiajie's thousands of pillar-like peaks. The walking stick is flexible, and leaning on it will add strength to your steps, so that from Zhangjiajie you can travel throughout the country and around the world.
The deep green Suoxiyu, the towering Tianzi Mountain, and the emerald Zhangjiajie—these three scenic spots make up the Wulingyuan Scenic Area.
In this magical and beautiful Wulingyuan Scenic Area, in order to develop tourism, multi-level tour routes are about to be developed, with aerial cable cars to be installed, roads for automobiles to be opened, platform paths for horse-drawn carriages and stone forest paths for pedestrians to be laid out. Through multiple routes and multiple perspectives, visitors will be able to fully enjoy the scenery of Wuling Mountain and add to their pleasure in traveling.
Wulingyuan will also establish a "Wuling Amusement Park" at the high mountain lake, letting waterfalls from the surrounding peaks flow into the high mountain lake. This will not only attract wild geese and mandarin ducks, but also cranes and swans, adding lively scenery to Wulingyuan.
Wulingyuan is a place where the Tujia, Miao, Zhuang, and Bai ethnic groups live together, and it is a famous hometown of song and dance. The beautiful mountains and waters have nurtured many ethnic minority girls who are good at singing and dancing, and this has an even more alluring charm for tourists.
Wulingyuan is different from the many mountains in China, with thousands of pillar-like peaks shrouded in clouds and mist, majestic and magnificent. It is a bright pearl of the motherland's scenery, an amusement park on the land of China, and a fairyland and spiritual realm that holds the mysteries of nature.