Travel Notes 22 Taihang Mountain Grand Canyon: A world of “stones”
1 Taihang Mountain Grand Canyon
The Taihang Mountain Grand Canyon was named one of the “Top Ten Most Beautiful Canyons in China” by National Geographic Magazine. The name is by no means unfounded.
Linzhou City was called Lin County when I was a child. Starting from Linzhou City, drive 20 kilometers west to reach the Taihang Grand Canyon. The Taihang Grand Canyon is a mountain for men: the cliffs are high, the peaks are majestic, and the masculinity is exposed. It is a typical representative of northern landscape scenery.
I grew up at the foot of the Qinling Mountains. I always thought that the Qinling Mountains were famous for their masculinity. But after seeing the mountains here, I couldn’t help but laugh at myself for being “vulgar”. Here is the world of "stone".
The 2 smallest waterfalls
"The water in Peach Blossom Pond is a thousand feet deep, not as deep as Wang Lun's gift of love to me."
Although the Peach Blossom Pond here is not as deep as Li Bai's painting Thousands of feet, but it is still a puddle of clear water, unfathomable.
What’s rare is that the cliffs here are as sharp as an ax and a knife, and are thousands of feet high! Straight into the sky! "Hey, it's so dangerous!" But it's like the tiny fists of both hands gently enveloping a pool of clear water.
What is even more surprising is the waterfall floating down from the thousand-foot cliff. It can be said to be the smallest waterfall I have ever seen. You see, the thin strip hanging down in the photo, dancing in the wind, like silk, is the waterfall! Don't think of it as sunshine. "The water flows down three thousand feet, and it is suspected that the threads fell from the sky." Don't tell me that you can't see clearly in the photo. I, a short-sighted person, had to rely on repeated instructions from tourists and my neck hurt to see this waterfall. In order to see it more clearly, I walked around the pond water training feet and legs. When I got close to the water training, the wind turned it into a burst of rain and mist, which wet me all over. Presumably the fairy didn't want us mortals to discover her secret, so she gave a little warning. What an abrupt immortal.
It is said that in summer when there is a lot of water, the waterfall falls from the sky, raising thousands of layers of mist, and tourists dare not get even closer. It's a pity that I didn't get to see him.
It is precisely because of these shortcomings that tourism is so beautiful.
3 Wang Xiangyan: The Story of the "Slave Prime Minister"
Wang Xiangshan is located 2 kilometers south of Shibanyan, Linzhou City, Henan Province. It is a tough mountain that is common in the north, with rolling hills, deep forests and secluded valleys.
Wangxiangyan has Zhuque Peak in the east, Qinglong Peak in the north, White Tiger Peak in the south, and Golden Tortoise Wangri Peak in the west. These wonderful masterpieces of nature are in line with what people often say: "Suzaku in the front, Xuanwu in the back, The green dragon on the left and the white tiger on the right” correspond to the geomantic treasures.
We were exhausted when we reached Wangxiang Mountain, so we chose a slow and slow road instead of the steep road - the stop-and-go road that other travelers used to go down the mountain. Just stop.”
Wang Xiangshan also has a name called Shibanyan. Take a look at the hotels here with layers of stone slabs in the mountains and you will know that these three words are well deserved.
On the way up the mountain, I met this kind old lady selling souvenirs. I bought her dried sweet potatoes and dried hawthorns. She was very happy because she had to walk a long way home and she could walk with less things.
She gave me a string of grass beads. Reminds me of my cousin who used this when I was a kid to make me happy. The old lady said that her straw beads had been used as door curtains for a year, so they had lost their luster. I bought a small souvenir elsewhere - a unicycle for 15 yuan. My cousin laughed at me for not seeing the world.
I finally found the statue of Fu Shuo. I was so tired.
Why is this place called Wang Xiangshan? More than 3,000 years ago, Shang King Wu Ding and slave prime minister Fu Yue lived here. The place where the king and prime minister lived was of course called Wangxiang Mountain.
Fu Yue was the second prime minister born from a slave in the Shang Dynasty. He and Yi Yin during the Tang Dynasty were known as the "double slaves" in history.
When Wu Ding, the 22nd king of the Shang Dynasty, was a boy, he was sent here by his father Xiaoyi to live with civilian slaves, which is today's "experience life". Wu Ding lived in the lower class, gradually learned labor skills and developed simple living habits. He also made friends with his slave Fu Shuo. The two fell in love with each other at first sight and cherished each other.
When Wu Ding became king, he thought of using Fu Shuo, but was afraid of opposition from the nobles. In order to recruit Fu Shuo, he thought hard and came up with a clever plan, which was to use people's superstitions to stage a pantomime that shocked civil and military officials.
One day, Wu Ding said sincerely to the ministers: "I have become the king. I hope to have a man of great talent and virtue to help me govern the country. Please recommend him." After counting the names of his cronies, Wu Ding always shook his head and sighed. Suddenly, he fainted. After a while of resuscitation, he slowly woke up, but said nothing. Top-notch acting! If it were today, Wu Ding could definitely win the Oscar. In this way, Wu Ding slept in the palace for three years without saying a word. One day, Ganpan was convening ministers to discuss matters. Wu Ding burst out laughing, and the ministers were stunned - it turns out that even vegetative people can wake up one day! Wu Ding said: "There is hope for our Shang Dynasty! I dreamed of the late king, and he recommended to me a great sage named Fu Shuo, saying that this man would definitely be able to assist me in governing the country." The ministers believed it. Immediately follow the direction pointed by Wu Ding. Finally I found Fu Shuo here. Fu Yue was taken to the palace of Yindu. Wu Ding was overjoyed to see Fu Shuo, his good friend from back then, and nodded repeatedly. So he quickly asked Fu Yue to change his court clothes, worship him as prime minister, and asked the ministers to address Fu Yue as "Dream Father". Fu said, "A scholar will die for a confidant." He used three years of time to achieve unprecedented development in the Shang Dynasty.
In order to commemorate this "slave prime minister", people called the mountain where he lived "Wangxiang Mountain" and built a statue of Fu Shuo here. He looks very young, I always thought he was an old man.
Fu Shuo in this story is common, but Wu Ding is not common...