Chapter 8 Section 2 Famous Mountains of the Loess Plateau

A book written more than 2,000 years ago said: "The mountain of Taihua is cut into squares, its height is five thousand feet, and its width is ten miles." This is a very vivid description of the momentum of Huashan Mountain in Xiyue.Mount Hua is located on the banks of the Yellow River and the Wei River, bordering the plains in the north and mountains in the south. The main peak is 2,100 meters above sea level, standing above all other mountains.Du Fu has a poem praising it: "Xiyue is respected at all places, and all the peaks stand like children and grandchildren." Huashan "stands upright in the middle of the pass and shines on the western land".

As the saying goes: "A road in Huashan since ancient times", mainly refers to the dangerous road from Qingkeping to the main peak.Qingkeping is 1,125 meters above sea level, which is half the height of Huashan Mountain. It is a relatively open valley platform, and upwards is the precipitous West Peak.The horizontal distance between the two places is only six or seven hundred meters, but the height difference is as much as one thousand meters.To climb this thousand-meter cliff, one has to go through five dangerous roads and countless dangers.The first is the "thousand-foot building", which is a rock gap formed by weathering along the vertical joints of granite, and a vertical trough-style climbing road chiseled by hand.The width of the stone steps can only accommodate half a foot, and the width of the gap can only allow two people to pass sideways.The second is the "Hundred Chi Gorge" with walls and hanging ladders.The third is the "Laojun's Furrow" where the cliff is close to the gully and the depth is not deep enough to the bottom.After this, you can climb Yuntai Peak (North Peak), which is surrounded by volleys and topped as flat as a platform.The North Peak is a good place to view the scenery, surrounded by huge peaks, towering high into the sky, the most spectacular is Nan Wangxiong's dangerous main peak landscape.From Yuntai to the main peak, you have to go through two dangerous roads, "Moer Cliff" and "Canglong Ridge".Canglong Ridge is a granite ridge as narrow as a wall and as deep as an abyss.The ridge is one li long and only one or two meters wide. It looks like a dragon's back and a fish's back. The ancients passed here, "you have to ride away from the ridge, and you can enter gradually", that is, to straddle the ridge with your legs and support it.Now there are guardrails on both sides, so you can walk up the mountain and fully appreciate the beauty of the dangerous peak.

After crossing the ridge, and then turning over "Longkou" and "Tongtianmen", you will arrive at the Huading where the pines and ancient trees are shaded, and the Yao grass and beautiful flowers are blooming.Huading is surrounded by three peaks in the east, west and south, and the middle and lower level of the extremely small valley, with dense ancient trees, dangerous outside and secluded inside.It is difficult for those who have not gone through all kinds of hardships to enjoy this kind of strong contrast between danger and danger.Huading takes the Zhenyue Palace as the center, and the west peak that is 100 meters away is the west peak that is 1000 meters away. Standing on the "star-picking platform" that can reach the sky with your hands, read Li Bai's poem: "How majestic is the Xiyue Mountain, and the Yellow River is like the sky. "Come", you can better understand Huayue's true meaning.The South Peak is slightly higher than the West Peak and is the main peak of Huayue Mountain.At this point, I feel that "there is only the sky above, and there is no mountain to be equal to. When you raise your head, the sun is approaching, and when you look back, the white clouds are low" (Poetry by Kou Zhun in Song Dynasty).Dongfeng has become the famous Xianzhang Peak since ancient times because of the five finger-shaped traces on the cliff (Figure 6).It is amazing to watch the sunrise at Dongfeng, and it is also beautiful with the ancient pines of Huashan Mountain in various poses and with different expressions.

Huashan, the western mountain, has a large-scale Yuemiao, built on the northern foot plain, and a central axis connects the Yuemiao and Huashan into one landscape.Huashan was once the world of Taoism. The cultural landscapes of Huashan, such as roads and temples, fully reflect Taoism's advocacy of nature, pursuit of mystery, and the artistic conception of strange dangers in aesthetics, so it complements Huashan's natural dangers.For example, the Qunxian Temple was built between the cliffs of the rocks, the chess pavilion was built on the top of the isolated peak, and the Helao Cave was built on the cliff.There are almost no dangers when climbing Huashan, and there are no dangers and no roads, but they are dangerous but not dangerous.The beauty of Huashan lies in the word "dangerous". Only by climbing the cliff can you appreciate the infinite scenery.

Beiyue Hengshan is located six kilometers south of Hunyuan County, Shanxi.There are two places in Beiyue history, the other is Changshan in Quyang County, Hebei Province.Changshan is located in the west of Hebei Plain, standing in front of Taihang Mountain, with majestic scenery and convenient transportation. There is also a large-scale Beiyue Temple in Quyang.After the late Ming Dynasty, Mount Heng was identified as Beiyue. Mount Heng is more than 1,000 meters high, magnificent and extraordinary.The main peak is 2017 meters above sea level.To the west is Cuiping Mountain, the east and west peaks face each other, and a fault cuts in the middle. The Hun River cuts a canyon along the fault, named Jinlong Gorge.The situation is dangerous, and it is an important traffic channel between the ancient Shanxi Plateau and the North China Plain.It has been a battleground for military strategists since ancient times, so it is known as the "Famous Mountain of Absolute Village" that controls the pass and brings water.The rise of railway transportation in modern times has changed the original traffic pattern, so the meaning of Hengshan as a passage "extreme village" has also changed.However, as a historical, cultural and natural heritage of the motherland, Hengshan is still glorious.Especially the Hanging Temple, which is built on the cliff of Hengshan Canyon, can be called a famous mountain wonder that has illuminated through the ages.The Xuankong Temple is located on the west cliff of Jinlong Gorge. The location of the Xuankong Temple is beyond what people can imagine.It is built in a nearly vertical cliff concave wall about 200 meters high, with a depth of no more than 10 meters and a length of about 40-50 meters. It is 80 meters away from the bottom of the valley and about 150 meters away from the top of the mountain.Just on this concave wall, relying on the rock as the foundation, the house is built on the cliff.Carrying Cuiping Peak on its back, facing Tianfeng Ridge.Up to the cliff, down to the valley.The plank road is flying, and the pavilions are suspended in the air.The structure is dangerous and the shape is peculiar.Xu Xiake, a traveler in the Ming Dynasty, praised it as "the giant view of the world".

Xuankong Temple has 40 large and small halls, which were first built in the Northern Wei Dynasty and maintained in successive dynasties. It is a temple integrating Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. There are more than 80 copper, iron, stone and clay Buddha statues in the temple. In addition, Beiyue Palace, Beiyue Temple and Huishan Mansion in Hengshan are all ingeniously integrated with the cave wall of the mountain, which is fascinating. Mount Wutai is located in the south of Mount Heng and in the north of Wutai County, Shanxi.Known as the "Roof of North China".Mount Wutai is called Wutai because it is surrounded by five towering mountains that look like platforms.The highest peak is Beidou Peak in Beitai, with an altitude of 3,058 meters. Among the five peaks is the low valley basin - Taihuai Town, with an altitude of about 1,700 meters.The temperature of the hottest month in Taihuai Town in summer is 17.8°C, which is known as the "cool world", so Wutai Mountain is also called Qingliang Mountain.

Mount Wutai is famous both at home and abroad as a famous Buddhist mountain. During the Yongping period of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Indian monks came to China to preach and called Mount Wutai the place where Manjusri Bodhisattva performed his teachings.Emperor Ming of the Han Dynasty was invited to build a temple here.Since then, after more than 1900 years of construction and development, there have been many temples and temples facing each other, and temple buildings of different forms in different eras have formed Wutai Mountain's unique Buddhist cultural landscape.The most concentrated area of ​​temples is Taihuai Town, which is surrounded by five platforms, the land is flat and wide, the clear springs are gurgling, the environment is elegant, and it has an extraordinary artistic conception.There are 14 famous temples, and the main temples are concentrated around Lingjiu Mountain, which is protruding in the southeast of the basin. Because of the momentum of the mountain, it goes straight to the peak. Among them, the largest and oldest temple is Xiantong Temple at the foot of Lingjiu Mountain.Covering an area of ​​more than 80,000 square meters, there are more than 400 buildings of various types, and there are many precious cultural relics, such as copper halls, copper towers, large copper bells, large copper pots and Wuliang halls.In addition, the top of the Bodhisattva on Lingjiu Mountain and the 56-meter-tall White Pagoda in the Tayuan Temple at the foot of the mountain are both signs and symbols of the Buddhist site (Figure 7).

Among the temples on Mount Wutai, there are two ancient temples that have attracted worldwide attention - Nanchan Temple and Foguang Temple.This is the earliest surviving wooden structure building in my country, and it is a treasure in the history of Chinese architecture.Nanchan Temple is located in Lijiazhuang, Yangbai Township, southwest of Mount Wutai.The main hall was built in the third year of Jianzhong in the Tang Dynasty (782 A.D.). Most of the Buddha statues in the hall are original sculptures of the Tang Dynasty, with full images, smooth lines and rich colors.Foguang Temple is located in Foguang Village in the northeast of Wutai County. There are more than 120 rooms in the temple, of which the main hall was built in the eleventh year of Tang Dazhong (857 A.D.).The Tang sculptures, murals, ink marks and buildings of Foguang Temple are collectively called "Four Wonders".They occupy an important position not only in China, but also in the history of world architecture.

With the development of science, geological scientific research on Mount Wutai began at the end of the last century, revealing its scientific value.Due to the typical development of Precambrian strata and relatively complete sequence, Wutai Mountain has become one of the key areas for studying stratigraphic correlation in the country. There are also a large number of relics of Quaternary glacial activities, which is worthy of being a geological science museum. North Wudang Mountain is located in the middle section of Luliang Mountains, in Xishan County, Shanxi Province.It is composed of more than a dozen peaks, including Xianglu Peak, Tianzhu Peak, Songdu Peak, and Qiandie Peak.The main peak, Xianglu Peak, is 2,254 meters above sea level, and most of the others are above 1,800 meters.The North Wudang Mountains are surrounded by river valleys, and the peaks are protruding, majestic and magnificent.This mountain is a granite mountain with several large-scale cliffs, which are spectacular.The vegetation is luxuriant and the ecological environment is good.

North Wudang Mountain is one of the Taoist resorts in northern my country.North Wudang Taoist Temple was first built in Tang Dynasty.There are many historical sites in the mountains, among which there are more than 20 buildings from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, as well as inscriptions, as well as historical sites such as the ruins of the ancient country city. Wulaofeng, known as Donghua Mountain in history, is a famous Taoist mountain in the north, located in Yongji County, Shanxi.Wulao Peak is 1993.8 meters above sea level. It belongs to the Danxia landform, with steep peaks, double waterfalls, and deep caves.The nearby large area of ​​Yellow River beach forest has unique scenery.Ancient Puzhou, located west of Wulaofeng Peak, is said to be the capital of Yao and Shun, and is famous as the hometown of Liu Zongyuan.Now there are still historical sites such as the Zhenhe Big Iron Bull in the Tang Kaiyuan period, Pujin Gudu River Embankment, Pujiu Temple, and Guanque Tower.There are ancient human sites in the Paleolithic Age in Longtoushan.

Kongtong Mountain is located 14 kilometers west of Pingliang City, Gansu Province, and its main peak is 2123 meters above sea level.Legend has it that the ancient immortal Guangchengzi practiced here to become a fairy and the myths of the Yellow Emperor and Guangchengzi discussing Taoism and ascending to heaven.Therefore, King Mu of Zhou, Emperor Qin Shihuang, Emperor Wu of Han and other emperors of all dynasties visited Kongtong Mountain in admiration, thus making Kongtong Mountain a sacred mountain and fairy mountain in ancient times.Kongtong Mountain is composed of thick conglomerate (folded and raised during the Yanshan movement), the rock is hard, and fractures and interlacing are generated during the ascent process, and vertical joints are developed, forming a steep wall and a flat top, high cliffs and deep valleys, strange peaks and different caves. The strange and dangerous landscape is a rare Danxia landform in the north.The vegetation is luxuriant, the ancient pines are knotted on the cliffs, and the palaces and temples are built between the cliffs of strange peaks.In the mountains, there are Jingshui River and Meihe River sandwiched in the deep valley, with gurgling sounds, which radiate the beauty and spirit of Kongtong.It can be said that the combination of natural wonders and human-created stunts is worthy of being the pearl of the Loess Plateau. The Qinling Mountains run across the central part of my country, about 1,500 kilometers long from east to west. The main body of the Qinling Mountains is 800 miles south of Qinchuan, with an average altitude of 2,000-3,000 meters. The highest peak is Taibai Mountain, with an altitude of 3,666 meters.The mountain is very steep and majestic, like a huge sky screen.It blocks the cold northwest wind in winter and the humid southeast wind in the south, becoming an important geographical boundary between the north and the south of our country, that is, the dividing line between the subtropical zone and the temperate zone.When we pass through the Qinling Mountains by train or car, we can appreciate the wonders of nature and gain a wealth of natural science knowledge from them.Babaili Qinchuan is another name for the beautiful and rich Weihe River Valley Plain.Qinchuan is surrounded by mountains, all rivers belong to Wei, the mountains and rivers are magnificent, and the climate is pleasant. Our ancestors lived and multiplied here long ago, creating a splendid ancient civilization.The ruins of Banpo Village 6,000 years ago and the ancient city of Xi'an, which was established as the capital for 1,062 years, are world-famous witnesses of history. There are many famous ancient mountains in the Qinling Mountains, such as Huashan, Lishan, Maijishan, Zhongnanshan, Baoji Tiantaishan, Taibaishan and so on. Lishan Mountain is located 20 kilometers east of Xi'an, with an altitude of 914 meters. It is named because it looks like a blue Lima from a distance.At the foot of the mountain is the famous hot spring Huaqing Pool. The water temperature is 43°C and contains a variety of minerals, which are suitable for balneotherapy. Its medical value was discovered more than 2,000 years ago.The emperors of all dynasties who established their capital in Chang'an, such as King Zhou You, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang Dynasty, etc., all built their palaces here to enjoy themselves.Now the area of ​​the bathing pool has reached 3000 square meters, which can bathe four or five hundred people at the same time.Larger traditional gardens have also been built around the hot springs.Four kilometers east of Lishan Mountain, there is a world-famous cultural heritage - the Museum of Terracotta Warriors and Horses of the Mausoleum of Qin Shihuang.Here you can get a glimpse of the majestic picture of Qin's unification of China more than 2,000 years ago and the great creativity of the ancient Chinese people. Another famous mountain composed of Danxia landforms on the Loess Plateau is Maiji Mountain in the southeast of Tianshui City. Maiji Mountain is named for its round shape like a stack of wheat.Because it is located on the southwest side of the Qinling Mountains, affected by the humid climate in the southeast, the vegetation is dense, the mountains are emerald, the peaks are towering, and the scenery is beautiful. Especially when the clouds are shrouded in mist and rain, it is like entering a mirage.Maiji Mountain is located on the Silk Road. Since the Northern Wei Dynasty, grotto statues have been excavated, and it has become a famous treasure house of grotto art. Most of the Maijishan Grottoes are excavated on cliffs with a height of 20 to 30 meters or even 70 to 80 meters. The caves are connected by volley plank roads erected on the cliffs. Baoji Tiantai Mountain is located at the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains. In Baoji City, it is a typical representative of the Qinling Geology and landforms, with a height difference of more than 1,300 meters.The vegetation of Tiantai Mountain is luxuriant, and the natural landscape is quiet and emerald.Here is also the hometown of Emperor Yan, with a long history of cultural landscape, known as "Tiantai Tiantian Ancient".There are Yandi Bone Terrace Sleeping Hall, Shennong Temple, and Yangshao, Shang and Zhou cultural sites.