[FALL 1618, JIUJIANG PREFECTURE, JIANGXI]

Mount Lu is 22 mi/36 km south of modern Jiujiang Shi in Jiangxi, near the Changjiang and Lake Poyang [Poyang Hu] juncture. Its convenient location and attractive natural scenery—especially the mountain’s magnificent waterfalls, eerie fogs, and ancient monasteries—have attracted countless sightseers for almost two millennia. Since at least the fourth century, Mount Lu has also served as one of China’s most prominent Buddhist religious centers. Among its many notable peaks, South of the Han River Peak [Hanyang Feng] is the loftiest, rising to 4,836 ft/1,474 m. Its summit provides a panoramic view for several miles. The most massive height, however, is Five Elders Peak, which overlooks Lake Poyang. Both heights, on the south side of Mount Lu, are described in detail by Xu Xiake.

Wuwu year [1618]: With my cousins Leimen and Baifu, I reached Jiujiang Prefecture on the eighteenth day of the eighth month [6 October].¹ We changed to a small boat, followed the Changjiang south, and then passed into the Dragon-Opened River [Longkai He]. Proceeded twenty li and moored at Li the Tailor’s Dike [Li Caifeng Yan]. After landing, we proceeded another five li, passed West Grove Monastery [Xilin Si], and reached East Grove Monastery [Donglin Si] on the north side of Mount Lu. To the south, the East Grove Monastery faces Mount Lu; to the north, it nestles against East Grove Mountain [Donglin Shan]. That mountain is not very high, but it is a passageway into Mount Lu from the outside. A big stream inside the passageway runs from east to west. East Grove Monastery overlooks the stream. The relay station road courses along the border of the stream and serves as a thoroughfare from Jiujiang Prefecture to Jianchang County. After entering the monastery gate, you come to Tiger Stream Bridge [Huxi Qiao]. Its design and scale are vast. Its main ceremonial hall lies collapsed in ruins. To the right is Three Smiles Hall [Sanxiao Tang].

Nineteenth day [7 October]: We left East Grove Monastery and proceeded southwest, following the foot of the mountains. After another five li crossed Wide Crossing Bridge [Guangji Qiao]; only then did we abandon the government road. Following a stream, we proceeded east for another two li, where the stream bends and mountains merge. Mist drenched and doused us like rain. A man was standing at the mouth of the stream, and so I asked him for directions. He said that if we ascend from the east, we come to the main trail to Celestial Pond [Tianchi]; if we turn south and climb up to Rock Gate Mountain [Shimen Shan], there is a side footpath to Celestial Pond Monastery [Tianchi Si].² I have long heard about the surpassing scenery at Rock Gate, but the path is treacherous, and no one can get up to it. So I asked if I could hire him as a guide. My two cousins agreed to take the footpath to Celestial Pond and wait for me there. So the guide and I headed south, crossed two streams, and passed Requite the Nation Monastery [Baoguo Si]. We clambered and advanced for five li by blue-green branches and fragrant lushness.

Looking up into the thick fog, I saw a pair of rocks standing bare and upright. This is Rock Gate. We entered the gate through a trail in a rocky crevice, where two more rocky peaks stand facing each other. I looked down at the peaks in the steep ravine where the trail twisted and twined through a crevice. The peaks stand tall and aloft next to Iron Boat Peak [Tiechuan Feng], shooting straight up from the ravine’s base, standing only about a foot apart. Vying in majesty and competing in elegance, fog banks and thick hues of blue-green lucidly shimmered everywhere beyond them. Below the peaks were sprinkles of snow-like foam, and amid rumbles of thunder, they soared into the sky as they quaked and trembled. This scene made my eyes and ears wild with delight.

Inside Rock Gate, facing the peaks and nestling against the cliff wall, are multistoried buildings and steep watchtowers. Zou Changming and Bi Guanzhi, natives of Huizhou Prefecture, recently built a meditation chamber here.³ The monk Embracing Completion (Rongcheng) burns incense and practices self-cultivation in the chamber. Following a small footpath from the rear of the retreat, we again came out at Rock Gate. Next, ascending along a rocky cliff, we clambered up, then trod down. When the stone steps ended, we moved higher by grasping hold of rattan stems. When there were no more stems, we climbed a wooden ladder. This went on for two li, after which we reached Lion Cliff. Below the cliff is a meditation chamber. Passed a ridge, where the trail is quite flat. Next, we ascended for about one li, where we found the main trail, approaching from the south of the commandery city.

After climbing successive flights of steps, we were already in front of the ceremonial hall. But because of the fog, I could not make out the hall. As we closed in on it, walking close to the hall, its vermillion columns and colorful ridgepoles revealed it to be Celestial Pond Monastery. Presumably, this is a new temple rebuilt after a fire. We climbed up to Gathered Transcendents Pavilion [Juxian Ting] from a wing room on the flank of its right portico. A cliff juts out in front of the pavilion, overlooking unfathomable depths below. This is called Mañjuśrī Terrace [Wenshu Tai]. Following the major trail on the left, we left the temple and climbed to the Unveiling Sunglow Clouds Pavilion [Pixia Ting]. On the flank of the pavilion, where the trail forks, we ascended east to a mountain ridge, then continued for three li. From there, we proceeded east for another three li to Big Grove Monastery [Dalin Si], then twisted north and headed west to White Deer Ascending to Transcendent Terrace [Bailu Shengxian Tai]. Again, we twisted north, then headed east to Buddha’s Hand Crag [Foshou Yan]. The ascent to Transcendent’s Terrace has cliff walls standing on three sides. On all four sides are numerous lofty pines. The “Stele for Zhou Dian the Transcendent, Fashioned on Imperial Orders from the Lofty Emperor” (Gaodi yuzhi Zhou Dian xian bei) is on the summit.⁴ A stone pavilion shelters it. The stele’s design is much in the ancient style. Buddha’s Hand Crag is dome-like and bounds aloft. Below it, there is an opening five or six rods deep. At the edge of the crag, a rocky protrusion sticks straight out. Thus, it is called Buddha’s Hand.

Following the crag on the flank of the retreat, we proceeded to the right, where the crag has two layers of rock that project outward from inside a deep col. The upper layer is flat; the lower layer is slanted. This is the ruins of Calling on the Transcendents Terrace [Fangxian Tai]. Written on a rock behind the terrace are the three Chinese characters “Bamboo Grove Monastery” [Zhulin Si]. “Bamboo Grove” is a fairyland on Kuang’s Cottage [Kuanglu], seemingly visible but out of reach.⁵ In front of the terrace, in the wind and rain, one hears ringing bells and voices reciting scriptures from the nearby Buddhist monastery, which are associated with the Bamboo Grove fairyland. As clouds and fog formed a vast expanse of muddled haze, the scene inside the col was like that on the three mountain isles.⁶ So what need is there to talk about a “Bamboo Grove”? On my return, I came out at Buddha’s Hand Crag. I turned east on the main road and reached Big Grove Monastery. Peaks surround it on all four sides. In front, it embraces a stream. Along the stream are trees with girths as big as the arm spans of three people. Because the tips of their branches have clusters and bunches of fruit, they are neither juniper [gui] nor conifer. Tradition says these are “precious trees” from the Western Regions. Initially, there were two such trees here, but a storm uprooted one of them.

Twentieth day [8 October]: The fog had lifted by dawn. We left Celestial Pond and pressed on to Mañjuśrī Terrace. The cliff walls all around us stood countless fathoms high. When I looked down at Iron Boat Peak, I felt as if I was soaring through the air in the kind of slippers worn by transcendents. The mountains north of Iron Boat Peak huddled like swarming ants. Kuang’s Lake [Kuanghu] extends and expands along the foot of the peak.⁷ Below it, the stretch of Lake Poyang is boundless and limitless, while the Changjiang belts around it, reaching to the horizon. I wanted to make a second sightseeing trip to Rock Gate, so I proceeded three li, crossing the same dangerous places I passed yesterday. When we arrived, Embracing Completion welcomed us carrying a palm-leaf Buddhist sutra.⁸ He was most pleased by our visit and guided us on a detailed survey of the peaks. We ascended to the right of Divine Dragon Palace [Shenlong Gong], where we twisted around and descended, then entered the palace. A rushing torrent rumbled like claps of thunder while pines and bamboo cast shade and shadows. The inside of the gorge was impenetrable and hushed. Following along our former trail, we reached the area below Celestial Pond. Following a fork in the footpath, we proceeded southeast for ten li, ascending and descending through layers of peaks and secluded ravines. Where there is no footpath without bamboo or shade without pines—this is Golden Bamboo Mesa [Jinzhu Ping]. The peaks here are hidden, shielded, and twice as secluded as those at Celestial Pond but not as spacious. Next, we proceeded three li to the south, then climbed up the flank of Lotus Blossom Peak. Once again, a heavy fog moved in. This peak serves as an ancillary hill of Celestial Pond and is on the left wing of Golden Bamboo Mesa. On the summit of the peak are clusters of rocks that tower in tiers. Fog in the crevices of the rocks occasionally took the form of someone peeping at us. But because of the fog, I failed to climb up.

Crossed a ridge, headed east for two li, and reached Looking Up at the Sky Mesa [Yangtian Ping]. I planned to take in all the surpassing scenery on South of the Han River Peak, the loftiest summit on Mount Lu. The mesa here is the highest point where monks on the mountain dwell in cottages. On the northern, shady side of the mesa, all the rivers flow to the north from Jiujiang Prefecture. On the southern, sunny side of the mesa, all the rivers flow south down into the jurisdiction of Nankang Prefecture. I suspected that the mesa had to be close to South of the Han River Peak. But a monk said it was still ten li distant, with Peach Blossom Peak [Taohua Feng] halfway between. After we left the monastery, the fog gradually dispersed. From a mountain, we proceeded southeast to a col. Following Peach Blossom Peak, we turned east and passed Sun Dried Grains Rock [Shaigu Shi]. Passed a ridge and then descended to the south, where we again ascended to South of the Han River Peak.

One fascinating feature of Xu Xiake’s exploration of remote mountain environments is the people he unexpectedly encounters. It could be a woodcutter, hermit, fellow sightseer, or—as we see here—some Buddhist monks who live and worship on the mountain.

After about one li, we found a monk’s retreat inside a densely lush bamboo grove.⁹ The monk there with short hair covering his forehead, wearing a tattered vestment and in bare feet—this is Wisdom Lamp (Huideng). He was carrying some water on a pole and grinding some bean curd. Three or four other monks in robes and sandals greeted me in the nearby bamboo grove with a bow and hands clasped. All of them had come from far away to pay their respects to Wisdom Lamp. And there was another monk, barefoot with short hair, who had come down from the crag. I asked where he had come from. As it turns out, he was a monk from Mount Chicken Foot in Yunnan. Wisdom Lamp has a disciple who built a thatched hut higher up on Mount Lu, and this monk from Mount Chicken Foot had trudged across hanging cliffs to go up and visit him and had only just come back down the mountain. I immediately engaged one of the monks to serve as a guide. We clambered, pulled ourselves along for one-half li, and reached the monk’s thatched hut. The nearby rocky cliff walls were sheer and steep. A ladder was poised in midair to get across. The single thatched hut looked just like Wisdom Lamp’s retreat. The monk-disciple who lived in the hut was originally from a lay family at the foot of the mountain, but he also took up residence there to show his respect for Wisdom Lamp.

Upon reaching there, I looked above and saw South of the Han River Peak; below, I saw sheer cliff walls. I was so far removed from the world! Dusk had already fallen, so I returned to Wisdom Lamp’s retreat to spend the night. He cooked some bean curd to provide us with a meal. The monk who had earlier served as a trail guide also arrived to join us. Wisdom Lamp cooks a batch of bean curd every two weeks, insisting he cooks for himself. He further insists that he cooks for his disciples. Among the disciples who arrived to join us was the monk from Yunnan.

Twenty-first day [9 October]: I bade farewell to Wisdom Lamp and treaded straight up South of the Han River Peak along a small footpath behind the retreat. Clambering through thatch grass and pulling my way through thorny branches for two li, I reached the peak’s summit. I looked down on Lake Poyang to the south, where water and sky are vast and mighty, then gazed at Hukou County to the east, glimpsing Jianchang County in front.¹⁰ The mountains are distinct and well-defined, and none fail to bow their heads as if they had just lost their mother.¹¹ Only Peach Blossom Peak on the north side stands up straight to rival and challenge them! This peak is supreme, soaring high into the empyrean, approaching the Milky Way!

I descended the mountain for two li. Then, following our earlier trail, I headed toward Five Elders Peak. South of the Han River and Five Elders Peak are mountains on the sunny or south side of Kuang’s Cottage, facing one another like two horns, with Plowshare Pinnacle [Litou Jian] marking the boundary between them but a little behind.¹² Thus, while the two peaks are nearby, gazing at one another, to take the trail there, one still must reach Golden Bamboo Mesa, wind around behind Plowshare Pinnacle, and then come out by its left edge. By turning north, you only get to Five Elders Peak. If you calculate the distance from South of the Han River Peak, it is about thirty li. When I first arrived at the corner of the ridge, the peak’s summit looked flat and level from a distance, but I could not get a detailed view of the Five Elders’ faces and eyes.¹³ When I reached the summit, the wind gusted, and there was no sign of water. It was silent, and no one lived there. Only after a thorough tour of Five Elders Peak did I realize that the area to the north of these mountains is a single, linked ridge. To the south, the sheer summits of the mountains level out and lay open, aligning into five spurs. Those dropping down from midair are countless rods high. Beyond the peak, no folds of ridges or layers of barriers block the view, so one’s field of vision is quite extensive. But if you gaze back and forth at the spurs, then Five Elders is arranged in a way that conceals itself. So one cannot take in all the spurs in one survey. If you only climb up one of the peaks, then from the abyss on both sides of you, peak after peak emerges, each remarkable and not yielding to the others in the slightest. Indeed, this bird’s eye view is majestically broad in scope!

Following the same trail, I descended for two li and reached the corner of a ridge. Then I proceeded north into a col and, after about one li, went into the Vaipulya Monastery [Fangguang Si], a new monastery honoring the Five Elders. The monk Aware of Enlightenment (Zhijue)was familiar with the scenery around Three Shelves [Sandie].¹⁴ He told me the trailway there was extraordinarily arduous and urged me to quicken my pace. After proceeding north for one li, the trail ended. We then crossed a torrent and proceeded west from its eastern side. A roaring flow of water poured from above into a jumble of rocks. Hemmed between two mountains are clusters of bamboo with long stalks. Above and below is a lush, verdant landscape. Occasionally, I looked up to see rocks that seemed to be flying in midair, abruptly embellishing the mountains. With each changing shift in one’s perspective, this scene becomes more delightful. Later, the trail ended by the side of the torrent. I then proceeded through the torrent’s jumbled rocks. The round ones were slippery; the pointy ones pierced my sandals. It was like this for three li until I found Green Water Pool, a deep blue-green pool. An angry flow of water pours down into it. Where the pool water was moving, it sprayed snow-like foam; where the water was still, it remained kohl-blue. I proceeded about one more li to Big Green Water Pool [Da Lüshui Tan]. When I reached here, the flowing water poured down with force twice that of the Green Water Pool and was much angrier. Around the pool are sheer cliffs, jumbled and towering, winding and crisscrossing, rising steeply like walls. When I looked down at the pool, it was bottomless, but I heard its thunderous roar echoing in a gorge, which struck my heart with awe and made my eyes dizzy. As for the waterfall, I do not know where it comes from or where it tumbles off. Since the trail along the torrent also ends here, I turned west and climbed a peak. Magpies took flight from the rocky terrace in front of the peak. On all four sides below, I saw tiers of cliff walls, with gloomy forests crowding their flanks. The Three Shelves Stream Waterfall was hidden and out of sight. I needed to get to the sheer cliff wall on the other side, and only then would I be able to take in all its surpassing scenery.

So, following the mountain ridge from the north, I turned east. Proceeded for two li and came out facing a cliff. Only when I looked down did I see the waterfall’s first, second, and third stages, all in succession and visible. The cliff wall in the mountain col has two caves resembling a gate. The monks invariably point out this is the gate to the Bamboo Grove Monastery, or so they claim.¹⁵ A short time later, a north wind blew in from Hukou County. The cold gave me goosebumps. I then hastily backtracked along my former trail and reached Green Water Pool. My close observation revealed that above is a cave that sags downward in a restrained-like way. A monk led me inside and said, “This is also one of the three gates to the Bamboo Grove Monastery.” But the cave is initially formed by a rift in the rock. Inside is a passageway on its flank in the shape of the Chinese character “ten” [shi 十]. It is brightly lit in the north and south, while in the west, it goes down into what seems like a bottomless abyss before it stops. After coming out of the cave, I traced the stream. When I reached the Vaipulya Monastery, it was already dusky and dark.

Twenty-second day [10 October]: I left the monastery, crossed a stream to the south, and reached the sunny southern side of Plowshare Pinnacle. Turned east, descended the mountain for ten li, and reached the flank of Laṅkāvatāra Cloister [Lengjia Yuan].¹⁶ I looked far into the distance, where a waterfall flew and tumbled down from midair, surrounded by dazzling green and purple colors along the left edge of a mountain. It looked distorted and deformed as it pitched and plunged. This is indeed a majestic view!

Proceeded five li and passed Resident Worthies Monastery [Qixian Si]. The mountain’s terrain does not level out until you reach here. Because I was in a rush to get to Three Gorges Torrent [Sanxia Jian], I did not go into the monastery. After about one li, reached Three Gorges Torrent. The rocks in the torrent press close together and stand erect, forming a gorge. The torrent’s angry rush of water surges forward, which is then restrained by the gorge. But its flow then changes course and races onward, churning and gushing as it makes a thunderous roar through the mountain valley. From a bridge perched above the cliff’s rocks, I looked down into the deep gorge, where the torrent sprays pearls and taps jades.¹⁷ I crossed the bridge and headed east through a mountain path, then crossed a ridge and pressed on to White Deer Cavern [Bailu Dong].¹⁸

All the trails here are on Five Elders Peak’s sunny south side. People’s homes are scattered among fields high and low on the mountain. Across and through the bumpy and uneven mountain slope, I looked up at rows of barriers extending for three li, then went straight into the barriers and descended the peak to White Crane Abbey [Baihe Guan]. Next, I proceeded northeast for another three li and reached White Deer Cavern in a mountain col in front of Five Elders. Tall pines mix and mingle as they surround the mountain and belt the stream. I left the cavern and proceeded by way of the main trail, which is the way to the Pioneer Monastery [Kaixian Si]. Presumably, as for the topographical layout of Mount Lu, Ploughshare Peak is almost, but not quite, in the center. Resident Worthies Monastery is the true center. Five Elders juts out on the left. Below it is White Deer Cavern. Honking Crane Peak [Heming Feng] is the towering height on the right. Pioneer Monastery is in front of it. Thus, I headed west, following the mountains. I moved across the main trail that passes White Deer Cavern and Resident Worthies Monastery. Proceeded fifteen li, passed through Myriad Pines Monastery [Wansong Si], scaled a ridge, and descended. Pioneer Monastery is a lofty and majestic mountain monastery facing the south. From behind its ceremonial hall, I climbed the stairs of a loft to gaze at the waterfall—a single strand of water, dangling and drooping down, that was still five li distant and half hidden by mountain trees. The force of its slanted descent was no match for what I saw on the trail to Laṅkāvatāra Cloister. Alone, Double Swords Peak [Shuangjian Feng] stood pointy and pinnacled among the massed peaks, commanding a posture resembling a flowering hibiscus plant stuck into the sky. Incense Burner Peak looks like a round mound on top of a mountain. From the flank of the loft, I proceeded west down into a gorge. The rushing flow of a torrent rumbled as it poured out of rocks in the gorge. This is the lower reaches of the waterfall. When the waterfall reaches here, it turns and disappears. But the water in the gorge joins to form Dragon Pool [Longtan], which cleanses and dazzles one’s heart and eyes. I sat on a rock for a long time until the mountains turned dark, then backtracked to spend the night at Crane Peak Hall [Hefeng Tang], west of the ceremonial hall.

Twenty-third day [11 October]: I climbed up a mountain through a side path behind Pioneer Monastery, crossed a torrent that winds around a ridge, and then twisted and twined my way along the midpoint of the mountain. At a distance from the peak, I saw another waterfall plummeting down to the east. This is Horse Tail Waterfall [Mawei Quan]. Proceeded five li and then clambered up a pointed peak to its summit, the site of Mañjuśrī Terrace. Nearby is a lone peak that thrusts upward. It provided distant views in all four directions, but there was nothing to lean on for support. On the summit is Mañjuśrī Pagoda [Wenshu Ta]. On the opposite cliff, honed and standing countless fathoms high, a waterfall boomed and roared as it tumbled down. Separated from the terrace by only a single gorge, with one glance from apex to bottom, there was probably nothing I failed to take in. Had I not climbed up to the terrace, I would not have seen the surpassing scenery at this waterfall!

Descending from the terrace, I followed a mountain ridge in the northwest, heading upstream. This is the upper reaches of the waterfall. A single side path suddenly took me into a valley, where mountains wound around and valleys embraced me. We were at Yellow Cliff Monastery [Huangyan Si], positioned below Double Swords Peak. Crossed a gorge and again ascended, finding Yellow Rock Crag [Huangshi Yan]. The crag’s rocks seem to jut out in midair, flat and layered like a grindstone. On the flank of the crag is a thatched belvedere measuring about one-rod square, serene and stylish and seemingly not of this world.¹⁹ Beyond the belvedere are several stalks of tall bamboo, which lightly touch the massed peaks as they ascend. Together with mountain flowers and red maple leaves, they adorn and complement the borders of the peaks. Lake Poyang was just a dot in the distance, visible directly through the monastery window. As I strolled and stepped among the rocks in the mountain stream, I observed the surpassing scenery along the steep cliffs and narrow walls. As before, I had a meal at Pioneer Monastery and then took my leave.

—Translated by James M. Hargett

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Source: “You Lushan riji”; Jiangxi, Jiujiang fu; Shan zhi yin wei Jiujiang fu; Shan zhi yang wei Nankang fu” (YJJZ, 1:37–45; YJ, 1:24–29). Jiujiang Prefecture corresponds to modern Jiujiang Shi; Nankang Prefecture is now modern Xingzi Xian.

1. 1  Xu Xiake identifies his two traveling companions as xiong 兄, which usually means “older brother(s).” However, in this case, xiong is an abbreviation for zuxiong 族兄, referring to paternal male cousins older than oneself. YJJZ, 1:42n3, identifies Leimen as Xu Yingzhen (nickname Leimen, 1587–1635). Like Xu Xiake, he was a native of Jiangyin. Xu Yingzhen was a government official. The other cousin, Baifu, is not further identified.

2. 2  Rock Gate Mountain is one of the premier scenic attractions in the northern section of Mount Lu. Its twin stone pillars rise to form what looks like a gate. Hence the name. In the diary entries below, Xu Xiake has much to say about Rock Gate.

3. 3  Zou Changming and Bi Guanzhi were probably local patrons of Buddhism who paid for the construction of the meditation chamber on the mountain. Huizhou Prefecture corresponds to modern She Xian, Anhui, near Mount Huang.

4. 4  Zhou Dian (real name unknown) was a native of Jiangxi who lived during the late Yuan and early Ming periods. Although quite eccentric—some contemporaries even called him a madman—he is said to have commanded extensive knowledge of herbal medicine. When Zhu Yuanzhang (r. 1368–98; posthumously known as Hongwu; here referred to as the Lofty Emperor), the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty, became ill in 1393, Zhou Dian sent medicines that restored the emperor’s health. The emperor then wrote a biography of Zhou Dian, which was inscribed on a stele and placed on the summit of Ascending Transcendent Terrace. Though badly worn, the stele survives today.

5. 5  According to tradition, Mount Lu was called Kuang’s Cottage in ancient times because a recluse surnamed Kuang once built a cottage on the summit, where he trained to be a transcendent. When the emperor heard about this, he sent several messengers to summon Kuang, but the recluse declined each invitation. His thatched hut was later found, but by then, Kuang had already transformed into a transcendent being and ascended to heaven. The comment “seemingly visible but out of reach” means visitors to the mountain might think they can see the Bamboo Grove from a distance, but it is only a fairyland or a mirage.

6. 6  According to the Guideways through the Mountains and Seas (Shanhai jing), a rich collection of accounts concerning ancient Chinese mythology, transcendents lived in the three fairy isles of Penglai, Fangzhang, and Yingzhou, which tradition says are in the Bohai Sea [Bohai] off the eastern coast of China.

7. 7  Kuang’s Lake is an alternate name for Lake Poyang.

8. 8  The leaf blades of the palmyra palm (beiduo) were sometimes used as a substitute for paper, especially in producing sacred Buddhist texts.

9. 9  The Chinese character kan 龕 usually indicates a natural niche or cavity in the side of a mountain used as a shrine or sacrarium (a sanctuary holding idols or sacred objects). However, in this and subsequent diary entries, Xu Xiake uses the term more broadly to refer to the monk Wisdom Lamp’s humble mountain retreat.

10. 10  Hukou (lit., “at the mouth of Lake [Poyang]”) County (modern Hukou Xian) fell under the jurisdiction of Jiujiang Prefecture.

11. 11  It is worth mentioning that the simile used here by Xu Xiake to describe the mountains around him: “none failed to bow their heads as if they had just lost their mother” is unusual in descriptive landscape accounts in Chinese travel writing. Here, it is undoubtedly surprising—perhaps even jolting—and yet it evokes a mental image that is visually palpable.

12. 12  On Kuang’s Cottage, see note 5, above.

13. 13  The term “face and eyes” (mianmu) means “detailed physical features.” Xu Xiake uses this term repeatedly in the diaries.

14. 14  The reference is to the Three Shelves Stream Waterfall [Sandie Quan Pubu], one of Mount Lu’s best-known scenic attractions. In English, it is also known as the Three Stages Waterfall. Xu Xiake mentions below that the pool that collects water at its base is called Green Water Pool [Lüshui Tan].

15. 15  The Bamboo Grove Monastery mentioned here differs from the fairyland mentioned earlier bearing the same name. According to legend, at the end of the Yuan dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang—who eventually became the founding emperor of the Ming dynasty—fled to Mount Lu while being pursued by rebel forces opposed to the Ming. Just as he was about to be captured, the “Madman” Zhou Dian (see note 4, above) suddenly appeared to help Zhu take refuge in a monastery hidden in a bamboo grove. Later, Zhu Yuanzhang dispatched messengers to find Zhou Dian and the monastery where Zhu had taken refuge, but they only found the three Chinese characters for Bamboo Grove Monastery written on a cliff wall.

16. 16  This Buddhist cloister takes its name from the Laṅkāvatāra-sutra (Chinese: Lengjia jing), an influential Mahāyāna text that describes a teaching experience between Gautama Buddha and a bodhisattva named Mahāmati. This work is especially important to Chan (or Zen) Buddhism followers.

17. 17  This is an excellent example of Xu Xiake’s use of metaphor to describe landscape. In this passage, “sprays pearls” visually represent foamy, white caps of water churned up the torrent, while “taps jades” are designed to appeal to the auditory sense of surging water crashing against rocks in the torrent.

18. 18  During the Song dynasty, the famous White Deer Academy (Bailu Shuyuan) was established near this cavern. The academy was founded by Zhu Xi, who served as prefect of Nankang Prefecture.

19. 19  “Belvedere” in this line is a euphemism for a retreat.