Why did Xu Xiake write a book?
When Hengjiang arrived in the Landu area, he seemed particularly calm, calm and content. Looking from a distance, the surface of the river looks like a jade belt. The water is clear and green, and the river and sky are the same color, like a long and beautiful landscape scroll. The Dengfeng Ancient Bridge, built in the 24th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1597), is like a rainbow lying on waves, spanning the river. There are green vines and dills among the stones on the bridge, adding a bit of vitality to the vicissitudes of the ancient bridge. Dengfeng Bridge has always been relatively famous in Huizhou. Wang Daokun, a native of Shexian County who once served as Zuo Shilang of the Ministry of War in the Ming Dynasty, wrote a long "Dengfeng Bridge Notes", describing the construction process of the bridge. Later, Dengfeng Bridge was repaired several times. Walking up the stone steps to the bridge, you can see Qiyun Mountain not far away. In the local area, few people call Qiyun Mountain Baiyue, but they all like to call it Qiyun, "Qiyun, Qiyun". It seems to be more like a fairyland when it is aligned with the clouds. Standing on the Dengfeng Bridge, overlooking Qiyun Mountain, you can see numerous peaks, green mountains, steaming clouds and mist. Looking up, there is a large fresh and green field. The rapeseed flowers that were not supposed to bloom until April couldn't wait to bloom before the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.
Xu Xiake, the great ancient traveler, climbed Qiyun Mountain along the old road of Dengfeng Bridge. The first time Xu Xiake visited Qiyun Mountain was in the first month of the Bingchen year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty (1616). At that time, Xu Xiake had just visited Tiantai and Yandang in Zhejiang. After arriving in Huizhou, he first climbed Mount Huang, and then rushed to Xiuning without stopping, leaving the west gate. Following the stream, we arrived at the foot of Qiyun Mountain in the snowy dusk. After having a meal at the foot of the mountain, we braved the wind and snow, held a lantern, and climbed the stairs overnight to stay at Langmei Temple in the mountain. That night, Xu Xiake was lying alone in the mountain house, listening to the sound of hail outside the window, tossing and turning, unable to sleep at night.
When Xu Xiake woke up the next day, Qiyun Mountain was already covered in silver. The mountains were covered with coral-like jade trees, and icicles several feet long hung on the cliffs. Xu Xiake started to put on wooden clogs and walked up the mountain on ice. First we went to Taisu Palace, and then climbed to Wenchang Pavilion to enjoy the mountain scenery in the snow. Qiyun Mountain seems to deliberately hide the best scenery in the mountain from the great traveler. Suddenly the clouds open and the sun rises, and sometimes there is heavy snowfall. Xu Xiake was stunned to see the ever-changing scene.
Xu Xiake stayed in Qiyun Mountain for six days. For the past five days, it has been snowing heavily in Qiyun Mountain and filled with clouds and fog. The blurred mountain scenery made Xu Xiake unable to see clearly. Until the sixth day, Qiyun Mountain "a wisp of clouds opened in the east, and it was bright and clear". After the snow, the scenery finally emerged clearly. Standing on the top of the mountain, Xu Xiake took in a panoramic view of the mountains and couldn't help but feel elated.
This trip in the snow left a very deep impression on Xu Xiake. In Qiyun Mountain, Xu Xiake wrote "Diary of Traveling to Baiyue". When visiting Huangshan, Xu Xiake once lamented that "there are no mountains in the world when climbing Huangshan". When he came to Qiyun Mountain, he immediately regretted it. Qiyun Mountain and Huangshan are completely different styles. Although Qiyun Mountain is slightly inferior to Huangshan in terms of scenery, he also likes the unique style and cultural connotation of Qiyun Mountain. Xu Xiake has always been reluctant to leave Qi Yunshan. Two years later, Xu Xiake found another opportunity to visit Qiyun Mountain again. This time he could really see Qiyun Mountain clearly and appreciate the style of Qiyun Mountain. Xu Xiake only visited four mountains twice in his life, namely Huangshan Mountain, Tiantai Mountain, Yandang Mountain and Qiyun Mountain. What can be concluded is that for Xu Xiake, a great traveler, any place he can visit twice must have a unique style.
But since ancient times, the light of Qiyun Mountain has been eclipsed by Huangshan Mountain in Huizhou. "When there is beauty, there is no way to be bright." Compared with the "ladies and gentlemen" Huangshan Mountain, Qiyun Mountain seems a bit "Xiaojiabiyu", but Xiaojiabiyu has its own flavor of Xiaojiabiyu. In fact, Qiyun Mountain and Huangshan Mountain are completely different styles. They are more connotative and more bizarre. There are thirty-six strange peaks in Qiyun Mountain, and the peaks and peaks are in the painting; there are seventy-two strange rocks, and all the rocks are beautiful. There are strange mountains, strange rocks, beautiful water, secluded caves, forests, Taoist viewpoints, and inscriptions and stone carvings scattered throughout. Such uncanny craftsmanship forms the uniqueness of Qiyun Mountain. What's more, because it is a Taoist resort, Qiyun Mountain has a unique charm. This kind of "charm" lies in the fact that it coincides with the spirit of Taoism to some extent.
In terms of Feng Shui, Qiyun Mountain is indeed a treasure land. The entire mountain is graceful and has an air of immortality.
The Xin'an River Valley stretches across the three districts of Shexian, Tunxi and Xiuning. Along both sides of the Xin'an River there are mostly low mountains and hills. Although they are as continuous as waves, their mountain shapes are unremarkable. However, this plainness seems to only pave the way for Qiyun Mountain's grand appearance - ——The mountains stretch to Landu, suddenly becoming steeper, revealing a rugged shape. The contiguous Danshan Mountains are verdant, with lush forests and light haze. This is Qiyun Mountain, where the Taoist Immortal Style is most vividly displayed.
Qiyunshan Taoism flourished during the Qianyuan period of the Tang Dynasty (758-760). It is said that the Taoist Gong Qixia practiced in the Qizhen Rock shelter and became an immortal, which made him famous in one fell swoop. Since the Song Dynasty, Qiyun Mountain has attracted many Taoists to come here for Qing Dynasty. During the Baoqing period of the Song Dynasty (1225-1227), the alchemist Yu Daoyuan (named Tianguzi) built the Yousheng Zhenwu Temple in Qiyunyan. According to the "Qiyun Mountain Chronicles", since the establishment of the Zhenwu Temple, people in the four countryside encountered droughts, floods, and locust plagues, or asked for children to cure diseases. Yes, everyone who comes to Qiyun will respond to their requests. Since then, Qiyun Mountain has become famous in the south of the Yangtze River and has become a Taoist holy land.
Any religion uses its own discourse system to communicate with God and obtain knowledge, insight and power from there. Taoism is no exception. Different from Buddhism and Confucianism, this local teaching has always regarded the individual liberation of life as its ultimate goal. However, this extremely personal approach can easily fall into illusion due to its excessive emphasis on "skills". The same is true for the understanding of landscape. Qiyunshan's Taoist masters of all generations can be said to be professional researchers of life systems. From the perspective of "the unity of nature and man", they corresponded the universe's graphics, colors, orientations, and human body structures with the overall landscape structure of Qiyunshan. They followed the pictures and followed the script. Therefore, Qi Yunshan became the master of Feng Shui theory.
The origin of Qiyunshan religion is Xiyan, but Tian Guzi chose the east coast. He followed the Feng Shui principle of "Qi will disperse when it rides on the wind, and stop when bounded by water." There is Hengjiang River at Dongyan, surrounded by mountains and water, sheltered from wind and water, and full of vitality.
The Jiuli Climbing Stone Road in the dense forest behind Dengfeng Bridge is a winding and deep incense road. There are thirteen pavilions built here, which not only protect passers-by from wind and rain, but also gather energy to fill gaps. There is a large gap between Zhonghe Peak and Wangxian Peak, which seems to be discouraging in the eyes of Taoists. So he built a Wangxian Pavilion here, thinking that he solved this problem.
Zhenxian Cave is a unique place in Feng Shui. When the mountain reaches this point, there are three twists and turns, winding back like a city, and a pool of clear water accumulates. The water is so angry that it gathers it, which is good luck in the eyes of Taoists. The two peaks of lion and elephant, far and near, form an ideal arch. A place like this must be enjoyed by a person with a strong Taoist heart, so Emperor Xuanwu was invited into the True Immortal Cave.
Taisu Palace is the largest palace in the mountain. The location of Taisu Palace was completely built in accordance with the pattern of the Four Spiritual Beasts. The Four Spiritual Beasts are the Taoist Qinglong on the left, the white tiger on the right, the Suzaku in the front, and the Xuanwu in the back. Taisu Palace has Bell Peak on the left, Drum Peak on the right, Yuping Peak behind, and Xianglu Peak in front. There are also five clear springs symbolizing the five elements that merge into one water in front of the palace, which means that the ninety-nine will return to one. As the main hall, Taisu Palace is located at the center of the inner ring of Qiyun Mountain. It is the core part and an acupoint in Feng Shui. Yuxu Palace is the oldest existing Taoist temple in Qiyun Mountain. There are two stone squares at the entrances at both ends of the passage in front of the temple, namely Yunlong Pass and Fenghu Pass, for gathering Qi. Yuxu Palace was originally built according to the situation of the mountain. At first glance, it seems to be integrated with the mountain. This hiding place shows the natural way and the clever workmanship of heaven.
Qiyunshan’s life gate is Xiaohutian. The pot is a gourd, which is a must-have for Taoist alchemy and is regarded as a fairy. Immortals such as Zhang Guolao and Lu Dongbin must carry gourds. The mystery generated by Hutian will certainly leave endless space for people's imagination. The overall construction of Qiyun Mountain adopts the Hutian model. The Wangxian Pavilion is the mouth of the gourd, and the small Hutian is the small gourd in the big gourd. A gourd-shaped gate was specially built at the entrance of Xiaohutian, mainly to gather the fairy spirit. Inside the "pot", there are a series of stories about rising clouds and soaring clouds. These are all "secret medicines" that attract people.
In this way, Qi Yunshan plausibly understood the principle of "the unity of heaven and man" and constructed a blueprint for ascending to heaven and attaining the Tao. In fact, the theory of "unity of nature and man" has always been an illusion that Chinese culture deceives itself. It is understandable to regard "unity of nature and man" as an ideal. The key is how to integrate "heaven" and "man" . In most cases, such means and paths are self-deception, like the clouds and wind on Qiyun Mountain, which cannot be grasped.
Of course, the "charm" of Qiyun Mountain lies in its unique Danxia landform. The unique landform features are also an important reason why many scholars in history favored Qiyun.
Taoist priests do not understand geological concepts and only give them illusions. According to modern scientific interpretation, this Danxia landform refers to the red rock system formed by the subsidence of lakes in the Cretaceous of the Mesozoic Era. In this geological state, the mountains are like a colorful cloud floating in the green mountains and green water, and like red coral inlaid with tens of millions of red agates. This kind of Danxia landform seems to have more in common with Taoism. It is like the alchemy furnace that Taoists dream of. In such an alchemy furnace, you can refine excellent elixirs, become immortals, and ascend to heaven.
The heyday of Qiyunshan Taoism was the Ming Dynasty, perhaps because Emperor Jiajing himself was an amateur alchemist. He had been obsessed with the art of immortality for many years, seeking relief. It is said that during the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Yan, the 48th generation of the Taoist Longhushan Zhengyi sect, went to Qiyun Mountain to seek an heir for the emperor. As expected, the queen gave birth to a son. Emperor Jiajing was so happy that he inscribed the plaque "Qiyun Mountain" on it and built the "Xuantian Taisu Palace". From then on, the Taoist temple in Qiyun Mountain became more prosperous. Hundreds of years later, Emperor Qianlong also had golden words to say about Qiyun Mountain. This elegant emperor in the peaceful and prosperous times visited Qiyun Mountain privately incognito, and repeatedly praised Qiyun Mountain as "a unique scenic spot in the world and the number one mountain in the south of the Yangtze River." This made everyone jealous.
Throughout the ages, Qiyun Mountain has attracted many celebrities, anecdotes, and literati with its beauty and wonders. In Qiyun Mountain, they expressed their feelings in the green mountains, or wrote poems and inscriptions, or wrote books and paintings. Li Bai, Zhu Xi, Hai Rui, Tang Yin, Qi Jiguang, Xu Xiake, Yuan Mei, etc. all left poems and essays handed down from generation to generation in Qiyun Mountain. These poems and essays were carved on the cliffs by Taoist temples, and Qiyun Mountain became one of the famous mountains with many cliff carvings. It is worth mentioning that Tang Xianzu of the Ming Dynasty had not been to Huizhou when he wrote "I have never dreamed of going to Huizhou" when he wrote "I have been obsessed with it all my life." Moreover, this poem still had a lot of resentment towards Huizhou. When Tang Xianzu was 58 years old, he came to Huizhou because he was invited by a salt merchant in Xiuning. The first mountain Tang Xianzu climbed in Huizhou was Qiyun Mountain. Tang Xianzu also wrote a poem about Qi Yunshan: "The ripples of the Xin'an River are steep, and the white mountains are like a king." It seems that it was Qi Yunshan who changed his impression of Huizhou and gave his previous poem another meaning. The meaning of praise.
In modern times, it should be said that the best article written about Qiyun Mountain is Yu Dafu's "A Journey to Baiyue Qiyun". When Yu Dafu went to Qiyun Mountain, he still took the Dengfeng Bridge road. On April 3, 1934, Yu Dafu broke up with Lin Yutang, Pan Guangdan and other four people who had come with him a few days ago. He and the other four people set foot on the Dengfeng Bridge and began to climb Qiyun Mountain. That trip also left a deep impression on Yu Dafu. Yu Dafu and the others set out from Xiuning County in the early morning and arrived at the foot of Qiyun Mountain at 11:30. They enjoyed the mountains and scenery along the way and gained a lot. In Qiyun Mountain, this group of literati walked for a full day, but only saw half of the scenic spots in Qiyun Mountain. Later, Yu Dafu and the others could no longer walk, so they had to sit on a sedan chair and be carried back to Xiuning by the sedan bearers. When they got into the sedan chair, they all sighed in unison: "Today's day was finally worth it. I saw Qi Yun and toured Baiyue. Even if I don't go to Huangshan, I can still tell people about it."
Qiyunshan is indeed charming. Compared with Huangshan Mountain, Qiyun Mountain attracts tourists more with its spiritual essence and cultural connotation. Culture always has deep meaning. While Chinese culture is based on Confucianism, it also has branches from Buddhism and Taoism, which makes the entire society present a rich and balanced situation. When they are proud, people can "live high in temples and worry about the people"; but when they are frustrated, they can place their feelings in the mountains and rivers and seek spiritual comfort from Buddhism and Taoism. Qiyun Mountain, precisely because of the psychological premise of society, has become a treasured habitat that people of all dynasties cannot live without