We often encounter this situation: some famous scenic spots are famous far and wide, and are said to be beautiful by word of mouth, but when we actually go to see them, they are far from the expectations, and they are forgotten after a long time. Some scenic spots, although little-known, are unique, impressive and memorable. From this, there will be more concern in my heart, and I always want to look back. Shipengshan, located outside the south gate of Haizhou District, Lianyungang City, is such a place.
It is said that familiar places have no scenery. I remember that when I visited Shipeng Mountain for the first time, I was a little distracted. The petite mountain was really incomparable with the famous mountains and rivers I had traveled on. But as I slowly got deeper into it, I couldn't help but be deeply attracted. There are many naturally formed strange rocks on the mountain, with various shapes and rugged shapes, scattered throughout the mountain. The scenery changes as you move, and it is dizzying and amazing. The hill that can be climbed to the top in twenty minutes is full of gems, every step is like an exquisite bonsai, rich in connotation, beautiful and wise.
According to expert research, in fact, as early as the Song, Ming and Qing dynasties, Shipeng Mountain was famous far and wide, and many dignitaries and literati came to visit it. With their rich imagination, they gave many rocks vivid names, which are still vivid and lifelike to this day. The wind and rain are like darkness, time has wrinkled the memory, and history seems to have suddenly broken the link in the process of walking, leaving Shipeng Mountain invisible in the pursuit of the world for many years. But in the end, she could not hide her unique beauty. After several years of obscurity, Shipengshan was lifted out of the veil and came out of the world again, and her fame disappeared.
I revisited Shipeng Mountain one evening. The sky was a little dim, and the clear mountain breeze blew away the heat, making it cool and pleasant. There were a few cars parked lonely in the wide parking lot in front of the mountain gate. Some elderly mountain people were sitting at the gate of the mountain with indifferent expressions. In the Wangzhuang Reservoir at the foot of the mountain, the wind blows slightly, the clear current flows half way, and the reflection of the mountain ripples and wrinkles on the water surface. There are large peach groves on both sides of the road, full of fruits. If you come in early spring, thousands of peach blossoms here will bloom in layers, crimson like clouds. Walking there, you will feel as if you have meandered from the long and prosperous Tang Dynasty, meditating on the poems about human faces and peach blossoms complementing each other, and you will be mesmerized.
The mountain gate is not wide, and the mountain road is also very narrow. There are always overgrown thorns sticking out diagonally and pulling on clothes. After walking for only six or seven minutes, I looked up and saw a steep rock blocking the way. The boulder has cracks running through it and is evenly divided into five parts. It looks like a giant hand holding five fingers together, pointing straight to the sky. This is the famous "Buddha's Hand Rock". It is majestic and majestic, and seems to be trying its best to push away all the dust in the world. It is very responsible. A stone tablet next to it is clearly engraved with the word "fear of rock". Appropriately enough, this mountain rock is truly intimidating!
Go around and continue going up the stairs. After a while, I stopped in front of three stacked bluestones. Its shape resembles a turtle with its head stretched out, so lifelike that it is known as "Turtle Shell Rock". Picking at the cracks in the rock and crossing the Turtle Rock, a rock stood out abruptly, with a plump belly and a pointed head, raising its head to the sky, just like a toad about to move. The four big characters "Tian Chan Du Yue" on the stone are vigorous and powerful. To the north, "rhinoceros fighting elephant" has both form and spirit. Two stones, one like a buffalo and the other like an elephant, move up and down. The two animals fight to the death and fight with all their strength. It feels like a fierce battle is about to break out. Turning around, on the left hand side, a stone blocked the waist and broke apart, like a sword. There is an allusion about this stone: It is said that Liu Bei fought with Lu Bu and was defeated in Guangling (now Guannan County), and moved to Shipeng Mountain to avoid the enemy. During a day trip to the mountains, I took a rest near Tianchan Rock. He was depressed, and in order to predict the future, he drew his sword and secretly told the sky: If he could split the boulder, he could make a comeback. He raised his hand, and a flash of white lightning flashed. The sword fell, and the stone was split in half. Liu Bei was overjoyed and his confidence doubled, so he abandoned his sword and returned to the camp. From then on, this "sword split stone" remained on Shipeng Mountain.
Bypassing the "Sword Splitting Stone", we snaked along the mountain path and came to an extremely quiet place. But I saw a huge stone wall rising from the ground, like a giant wall, with gentle slopes below. This is the relic of Shi Manqing's studies, which was carried out by Shi Manqing, who was demoted from the capital to Haizhou as a magistrate due to official struggles during the reign of Emperor Shenzong of the Song Dynasty. It is leeward and facing the sun, warm in winter and cool in summer, sheltered from wind and rain, quiet and bright. You can sit, stand, lean, lie down, or sleep on the slope. In front of the slope, there are lush forests and pine trees, luxuriant grass, and the green screen-like Nanshan Mountain. I imagine that Shi Wenggong Yu came here to read and reminisce alone on a donkey. I really admire his unique insight. As the saying goes, mountains are not high, but immortals are famous, and famous people who read can often read a scenery as a famous place.
Shipeng Mountain exudes a strong aroma of books because of Shiweng, just like Tao Yuanming's pastoral and Du Gongbu's thatched cottage.
It is said that Shi Weng was eating peaches while studying. The discarded peach stones sprouted peach trees the next year, gradually forming the current peach forest. When I first smelled it, I felt the carefreeness of the stone man, and then I tasted the bitterness of the olive. Is Shi Weng here just reading?
Su Dongpo, the great poet of the Northern Song Dynasty, admired Shi Manqing's majestic and proud character. He visited Haizhou three times and climbed Shipeng Mountain twice. In 1074 AD, Su Dongpo came on horseback and played the piano at Shi Weng's reading place. He made the sound of an ice chariot and an iron horse, and wrote a long poem: "Shipeng Mountain Stone Chamber": The old haunt of the Furong Immortal, green vines and green walls When there was no way out at the beginning, the walnuts were wrapped in yellow mud and scattered among the stones like wind and rain... This hibiscus immortal was the stone man.
Mr. Dongpo’s vicissitudes of music are still in my ears, and the most incredible landscape appears in front of me: three huge stones, one standing on the wall, one standing against each other, and the other oval-shaped stone fitting together tightly with the force of flying. Covering it, it is integrated and uncanny workmanship, forming a natural stone shed, which is a wonder. This is the essence of Shipengshan, hence the name Shipengshan. The four-character regular script title "Gao Xing Qingfeng" on the stone wall on the west side is written by Wang Tong, the governor of Haizhou in the Ming Dynasty. It has a wide structure and beautiful bones. The shed is very spacious and can accommodate dozens of people at the same time. Adults can stand comfortably. Stone tables, stone benches, stone beds, etc. are available for visitors to rest, have picnics, drink tea, and have entertainment. Sit under it, close your eyes and clear your mind, listen attentively to the roar of the pines and the vigorous mountain breeze. The hard blocks accumulated in your chest due to the mundane world gradually melt and collapse until the smoke disappears. You suddenly feel refreshed, your ears and eyes are clear, and your body and mind are as relaxed as the wind.
The stone shed was speechless. But I am sure that the stone shed must have condensed the beauty of the natural landscape in the stone, kept unspeakable secrets in the soil, and solidified the memory of thousands of years of wind and rain in such a special gesture. Look at the background it relies on: the clarity of the sky, the calmness of the mountains, the agility of the flowing water, and the verdure of the forest. Here, it uses its eternity to show the alternative history of rock interpretation!
Wandering around the stone shed, you can see that there are stone carvings left by famous people in the Ming and Qing Dynasties engraved everywhere on the rocks. The writing, official script and seal script have their own characteristics, making it a treasure house of calligraphy. With the help of dense vines, I tried to get closer to see the content of the inscription, but found that the light was dim. Looking up at the top of the mountain, large dark clouds drifted over, and soon, "tick-tick" raindrops fell. I hurriedly ran down the mountain, jumping up and down, and the tomb of Mi Zhu of the Han Dynasty and the monument of Zhang Gong of the Ming Dynasty passed by while running. Think about it, these ancestors really loved Shipeng Mountain so much that they didn't see enough of it during their lifetimes. They wanted to be buried here and continue to appreciate it after their death, and used their souls to protect the depth and tranquility of this mountain.
Drizzle, "rustling" chasing footsteps. After leaving the mountain gate, looking back, Shipeng Mountain is lush in the wind and rain, misty and hazy, with the mysterious beauty of an exquisite virgin, like a random freehand landscape painting. Suddenly I regretted my panic in the rain. Maybe traveling in the rain would be a different kind of fun!
Fortunately, Shipeng Mountain is very close to me. Unlike peach blossoms, if you miss the flowering period, you have to wait for next year. Missing her, I can come at any time without making an appointment.
Of course, I also know that whether I miss her or not, she is there, in her own rocky way.