China Naming Network - Solar terms knowledge - What is the Flame Mountain in Journey to the West today?

What is the Flame Mountain in Journey to the West today?

The Flaming Mountains in Journey to the West are today’s Taklimakan Desert.

1. Description of the Flame Mountain in Journey to the West

The Flame Mountain is a famous scenic spot in "Journey to the West". It is described as a large rocky mountain with burning flames. The fire was raging, surrounded by a scorched earth and desolate land. This place is a dangerous place that Tang Monk and his party must pass through on their way to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures.

2. The real location of the Flaming Mountains

According to research by archaeologists and historians, the Flaming Mountains in the real world are considered to refer to the Taklimakan Desert in northwest China. . This desert is located in the southern part of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and is one of the largest mobile deserts in China and even Asia.

3. Characteristics of the Taklimakan Desert

The Taklimakan Desert is an extremely harsh environment and is described as a place "inaccessible to people and where no birds fly". Its geological structure is complex, with a large number of mobile sand dunes that are constantly moving under the influence of wind. There is drought, water shortage, and extremely high temperatures. It is one of the hottest, driest and harshest regions in the world.

4. Analysis of the flame phenomenon of the Flame Mountain

Although there is no real flame in the Taklimakan Desert, it does have a burning phenomenon and is called "desert fire". This phenomenon is due to the natural gas inside the loess layer in the desert rising under the action of underground pressure and spontaneously igniting when encountering oxygen. The flame produced by this spontaneous combustion appears red or blue, giving people the illusion of a flaming mountain.

5. Danger of the Flaming Mountains

In addition to high temperature, drought and harsh environment, the Taklimakan Desert also has many other dangerous factors. For example, flowing sand dunes often bury roads and buildings, causing people to become lost or trapped; at the same time, there are also extreme weather phenomena such as sandstorms and sandstorms in the desert, which pose a huge threat to people.

6. The cultural significance of the Flame Mountain

As a symbolic location in "Journey to the West", the Flame Mountain has special cultural significance. It represents the difficulties, obstacles and tribulations that Monk Tang and his party encountered on their journey to seek scriptures, and it also symbolizes the various tests and challenges that practitioners have to face on the path of spiritual practice.

Summary:

To sum up, the Flame Mountain refers to the Taklimakan Desert in "Journey to the West", and its existence brings strong visual impact and inner shock to people. Although there are no actual burning flames, the phenomenon of "desert fire" in the desert reminds people of the image of the Flaming Mountains.

As the Flaming Mountains in the real world, the Taklimakan Desert has a harsh environment and dangerous characteristics, but it is also an important place for people to explore and study nature. Protecting the ecological environment of the Taklimakan Desert is of great significance to protecting the ecological balance of the earth and promoting sustainable development.