Into Qingyuan Prose
An article about Dreaming China: "55 Places to Go in a Lifetime" once made me sleepwalk. I am like a pious recorder, transplanting my dreams bit by bit, and then lingering over and over again. During my trip to southern Fujian in the golden autumn of September 2013, I originally planned to go to Changting, the most beautiful town. However, due to the inconvenience of transportation, I had to reluctantly give up and instead went to Quanzhou to explore the Taoist holy land Qingyuan Mountain.
Below the stone carving with the words "Qingyuan Mountain" engraved on it, colorful flowers are blooming in the flowerbed before reaching the mountain gate. Although I can't call them by name, I can't resist the fact that they bloom in clusters and blossoms under the bathing sun, showing their smiles to their heart's content.
Walking up the slope, the sparse shops on the roadside are very quiet, silently showing the completely different characteristics of this place from the noisy other places. The towering trees on both sides of the road block out the sun and reach into the sky. In the wooden display windows on both sides, pictures and pictures of the scenery give a detailed introduction to Qingyuan Mountain. It is located in the southeastern part of Fujian, on the northeastern bank of the lower reaches of the Jinjiang River. It is a granite mountainous hill with undulating terrain and abrupt rocks. The main peak is 498 meters above sea level. It is dependent on the mountain city of Quanzhou and reflects each other. It is like a bright pearl in the famous city of Quanzhou, shining brightly. Dazzling light. Historically, it was also named "Quanshan" because of its numerous springs, the city was named "Quanzhou" because of the mountain, and the mountain was so high that it reached the clouds, also known as "Qiyun Mountain". It is a national natural and cultural heritage. It is majestic, colorful, and has secluded forests and ravines. It is quite spectacular. It is famous for its 36 caves in the past. It now has 9 large-scale stone sculptures from the Tang, Five Dynasties, Song and Yuan Dynasties, and cliff carvings from all dynasties. Covering an area of ??600 square meters, these precious cultural sites are integrated with the natural scenery in the southeast of Xiuguan, making people feel relaxed and happy and forget to leave. It is known as "Wuyi in the north and Qingyuan in the south". It has been famous since the Tang and Song Dynasties.
As I watched the pictures carefully along the way, I gained some intuitive understanding of Qingyuan Mountain, and unknowingly I had reached the archway-style mountain gate. It is divided into three rooms, with people and vehicles separated. The main facade is like a "picture scroll spread out horizontally", which means that the beautiful scenery of mountains and rivers is contained in the scroll. There is a plaque on the front of the mountain gate "Qingyuan Mountain" and on the back "Fujian Yuxiu". We haven’t climbed the mountain yet, but we already have the eager desire to try it.
When you enter the mountain gate, you can see banyan trees with crowns like umbrellas everywhere. They are lush and dense, and their well-developed roots are deeply rooted in the soil along the long branches. Each branch grows into a tree. A new banyan tree. Between the two big trees is a stone carving of Confucius greeting Laozi. They sat on both sides of the stone table, their images and expressions lifelike. In 523 BC, Confucius traveled thousands of miles to visit Laozi. After returning to the state of Lu, he said to his disciples: "What I have seen of Laozi is like a dragon. His knowledge is deep and unpredictable, his ambitions are high and difficult to understand; he is like a snake who can move at any time. Flexing and stretching, it changes like a dragon in time. Lao Dan is my true teacher! "When three people are walking together, there must be one who is my teacher!" The founder of the Confucian school and the originator of Taoist culture asked the sage, and he had a profound understanding.
In the open space in front of the stone carvings is the Laojun Rock, the largest existing Taoist stone statue of Laojun in my country, which was carved in the Song Dynasty. The stone statue wears a hood, with clear forehead lines, straight eyes, a high nose bridge, a right ear hanging down from the shoulder, a flying beard, a smile on its face, its left hand resting on its knees, its right hand resting on a table, its index finger and little finger tilted forward slightly, as if they can play with objects. Sitting majestically with the green mountains at the back, it shows the empty mountains and deep valleys, far away from the world, with a unique charm of transcendence, indifference and tranquility. Although such a great wise man has "no eyes", you seem to be able to see his deep and wise gaze, because he has been tightly integrated with the earth. He seems to know everything and understand everything. With more than a thousand years of history, Laozi’s irreplaceable thoughts and the artistic conception of the unity of nature and man have won the reputation of “Laozi is the best in the world”. Who can compare with it? The whole stone statue looks majestic and amiable. It can be called a treasure of ancient Chinese stone carving art.
When you look up at the stone statue of Laojun, you will naturally recall the famous saying in Laozi's Tao Te Ching, "The best is like water." The highest state of being a human being should be like the character of water, benefiting all things without striving for fame and fortune. In fact, many beautiful things in the world are like water: true love is like water, wisdom is like water, culture is like water, and history is like water.
Climbing up the stairs along the ancient road, the mountain road becomes increasingly steep. From the light steps at the beginning until you are out of breath and dripping with sweat. After walking for more than ten minutes, I had to sit on the cold steps, let the mountain breeze gently blow away the sweat on my face, take a rest, and continue moving forward. After twists and turns, we have already climbed halfway up the mountain. The empty mountains here are quiet and full of greenery.
Standing in front of the huge General Stone, looking out at the beautiful Quanzhou City, I saw the clear West Lake, with its sparkling waves, people boating on the lake, and the broken bridge looming, as if I were on the shore of the West Lake. The Fujian-Taiwan Margin Museum stands on the shore of the West Lake. The structure of "round sky and square earth" reflects a humanistic spirit and the characteristics of Fujian and Taiwan. On both sides of the long and narrow mountain road, on the steep boulders, cliff carvings from past dynasties appear from time to time. A large number of cultural relics and historic sites allow you to be surrounded by them, and you will be deeply attracted by these precious cultural relics.
After passing Zhenyi Pavilion, you will arrive at the Amitabha Rock Mountain Gate. Entering the mountain gate, you can hear the sound of Mi Tuo Waterfall in the empty valley, and see the waterfall flying down from the cliff, rolling up thousands of piles of snow and splashing thousands of dendrobium beads. Here there are huge rocks and towering ancient trees. The nearby "Heavenly Couple" is two different tree species hugging each other tightly, one is a Double Ninth Festival tree and the other is a banyan tree. They are entangled like glue and paint, and after more than 300 years, they are like a pair of loyal lovers. Under a pine tree, the word "dustless" is clearly engraved on a huge stone. It is accompanied by the mountains and rivers and the green pine trees. It seems to warn all living beings to welcome every sunrise with a dust-free heart and feel with heart. Relax every sunset, listen attentively, shake off the dust of the years, restore the true nature of life, and treat everything in life with a grateful heart.
Follow the guidance of the road signs and cross Amitabha Rock, which is the stupa of the eminent monk Hongyi.
Stand in front of the stupa, stop to gaze and meditate. This is a square stone chamber with imitation wood structure made of white granite. In the center of the room is an egg-shaped stupa with a stone lotus seat, and a tearful ink painting by Feng Zikai for the master is embedded in the center of the inner wall. The entire stone tower is integrated with the surrounding space, cliff carvings, and green mountains and forests, making it even more solemn and solemn, making people who come to pay homage feel doubly nostalgic. Master Hongyi pursued art throughout his life, and was especially good at poetry, calligraphy and painting. Many of his penetrating thoughts entered people's hearts through his calligraphy works. His calligraphy expresses an aesthetic feeling of simplicity, tranquility, and no rigidity or beauty. His detachment also contains a delicacy that cannot be surpassed by the wind or the saint. The last inscription of the former master of the stupa, "Sorrow and Joy", is the most concise evaluation and summary of his life. The master visited Qingyuan Mountain many times during his lifetime, and was full of praise for Lao Tzu who sat leisurely in the mountains and rivers of vegetation. His motto of "being detached and calm when nothing happens" is the same as Lao Tzu's "living in a good place, having a kind heart, and being kind and benevolent". , good words and good faith, good governance, good deeds, and good timing.
The stone statue of Master Hongyi next to the stupa stands on a huge stone, and it lives next to the stone statue of Laojun at the bottom of the mountain. Although they are Buddhists and Taoists, they live in harmony. Out of respect for Lao Tzu and a certain tacit understanding of the soul, Master Hongyi chose Amitao Rock in Qingyuan Mountain as his final resting place. Therefore, China's two most famous philosophers always release seductive ideological oxygen in Qingyuan Mountain, floating in the mountains and forests, allowing lingering tourists to absorb and sigh to their heart's content.
The beauty of Qingyuan Mountain lies in its coolness, tranquility and harmony. The stone statues of these two philosophers are the best explanation of Qingyuan Mountain.
In the display window at the foot of the mountain, the sparkling sky lake has always been imprinted in my mind. When I found the sign to Tianhu, I suddenly felt a little hesitant. At this time, my physical strength was extremely exhausted, my clothes and pants were soaked with sweat, my heart was pounding, and I could only breathe heavily. In order not to leave any regrets on the trip to Qingyuan Mountain, I still mustered up my energy and walked along the steep steps for two hours, admiring the green mountains, and finally climbed to the Tianhu Lake located in the peak valley.
The Tianhu Dam is a hyperbolic stone arch, 30 meters high, 140 meters long and 2.8 meters wide. The dam is majestic and majestic, like a crescent moon, reflected on the turquoise water. The still water reflects the wooden houses, small bridges, and beautiful black swans playing on the water. Standing in front of the dam, looking into the distance, the winding mountains are shrouded in a thin layer of mist, hazy yet mysterious. Along the wooden plank road, we walked around the Tianhu Lake. Among the green mountains and green waters, we relaxed and posed in various shapes. We were filled with joy and laughter in front of the camera.
Walking down the dam, on the flat land on one side of the mountain road, a simple and simple wooden house decorated this green world. The owner of the shop warmly invited us to sit down and rest. After climbing the mountain all morning, we were already hungry. We ordered a few plates of light mountain vegetables and let the breeze blow away the dust.
Follow the wooden plank road on the other side of the mountain road and go down to Tianhu Lake, and soon you will come to Thousand Hands Rock.
It is also known as Guanyin Rock. The main hall houses the Song Dynasty stone sculptures of Sakyamuni and the Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Guanyin Buddha. In the temple, there are bells in the morning and drums in the evening, and there is endless incense. The peaks and rocks next to the temple are rugged and covered with maple trees. In the severe winter, the forests are dyed with color. On the east side of the temple, a stone tablet was erected with the inscription "First Mountain" written by Mi Fu, a famous calligrapher in the Song Dynasty.
After passing the "First Mountain" and passing the "Cihui Pavilion", you will find the "Jubilee in the Stone". The whole building is simple and elegant, integrating with the natural landscape. It has the characteristics of ancient residential buildings in Quanzhou during the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Surrounded by green trees, bamboos and mountain flowers, cicadas chirp and birds sing, and fish play in the pond. It is a unique pleasure to take a break and drink tea here.
Although Qingyuan Mountain is more beautiful than the southeast, its appearance is so humble and peaceful. This Quan Mountain, like Quanzhou, the historical and cultural city named after it at the foot of the mountain, does not seem to want to overly promote itself. Perhaps, only those who are willing to go deep into it, those pilgrims who are devout in history and culture, can discover its unparalleled unique value and understand its unique cultural symbols. It is like a collector with high taste and ambition who easily refuses to display his priceless treasures.
When you walk into Qingyuan Mountain, you will be filled with history and culture. If we say that Quanzhou City “was called the Land of Buddhism in ancient times, and the streets are full of saints,” then Qingyuan Mountain is “full of culture and history.”