[FALL 1618]

In this diary, we again find Xu Xiake at Mount Huang in Anhui, two years after his earlier visit in the spring of 1616. This time, however, he reaches the mountain during autumn.

Wuwu year, third day of the ninth month [20 October 1618]: I left Betel Plum Retreat on Mount Baiyue and reached Peach Source Bridge [Taoyuan Qiao]. Descended to the right from a little bridge, where the trail was extremely steep. This is the same trail I took the last time I visited Mount Huang. Proceeded seventy li, then stopped to spend the night at River Village.

Fourth Day [21 October]: Proceeded fifteen li to Thermal Springs Crossing. After another five li, I reached Thermal Springs Monastery [Tangsi], where I bathed in the hot springs pool. Leaning on my walking stick, I gazed at Cinnabar Retreat and began climbing to it. Proceeded ten li and then ascended to Yellow Mud Knoll [Huangni Gang]. During my previous visit to Mount Huang, the peaks in the clouds gradually peeped through and appeared below my walking stick.¹ I turned at Rock Gate, crossed the edge of Celestial Capital Peak, and descended. The two Celestial Capital and Lotus Blossom summits spread their exquisite charm through half the sky. A forking path on the side of the trail ascends to the east. As it turns out, I did not take this route during my earlier visit. And so, pressing forward, I climbed straight up, almost to the flank of Celestial Capital. Next, I ascended to the north through a crack in the rocks. The rocky peaks, in stretches and swathes, cling together as they rise while the trail twists and twines through the rocks. Where the way is blocked, passageways have been chiseled; where the way is steep, stairs have been built; where the way ends, framed plankways have been erected to provide passage; where cliffs overhang, ladders have been installed to connect them. I looked into a steep ravine and shady woods, where maple and pine trees intermix. Multicolored and profusely outspread, this scene is as resplendent as patterned embroidery. All my life, I have been mindful of the extraordinary vistas on Mount Huang and its extraordinary scenery. But when I think about what I missed during my previous tour, then during this trip, I indeed feel both elated and ashamed!

Xu has begun heading to sites he missed during his earlier visit to Mount Huang. He most wanted to climb the two peaks, Celestial Capital and Lotus Blossom.

The porters and servants fell behind because of the obstructed and dangerous path, so I also halted in my ascent. But as it turned out, there were extraordinary scenic sights along the entire trail, which unwittingly drew me to continue my ascent alone. After climbing up to the top of a peak, I came to a retreat, the design of which extends out like the wings of a bird. This is Mañjuśrī Cloister, a place I had wanted to climb to during my visit two years ago. On the left is Celestial Capital Peak; on the right is Lotus Blossom Peak. Jade Screen Peak [Yuping Feng] nestles behind the cloister. These two peaks—Celestial Capital and Lotus Blossom—are exquisite in their appearance. Both seemed like they could be held in one’s hand. When you look all around, extraordinary peaks intermix and align while masses of canyons spread across and athwart. This is truly the most surpassing scenic site on Mount Huang! Had I not made a second trip here, how could I have known Mount Huang has such extraordinary scenery?

By chance, I met up with the tour guide-monk Unsullied Source (Chengyuan). This encounter stimulated my spirits! It was already past midday when the servants arrived. Standing before the retreat, ways were discussed to reach the two peaks. A monk from the retreat remarked, “Celestial Capital is near, but there is no trail to get there. Lotus Blossom can be climbed, but the trail is long. The only sensible thing to do is gaze at Celestial Capital from nearby and climb Lotus Blossom tomorrow.” I rejected his advice because my mind was set on touring Celestial Capital.² So, along with Unsullied Source and the servants, we descended along the same gorge trail, then reached the flank of Celestial Capital. Following the rocks in a stream, we slithered along like snakes and made our ascent, clambering through grasses and clutching at bushes. Where rocky slabs rise in clusters—we made our way through each slab; where rocky cliffs slant and stand sheer—we clung to each cliff. Each time we reached a spot where there was nowhere to place our hands and feet, Unsullied Source had first to climb up and then drop a hand to help me up. Each time I thought about the difficulty of our ascent, I wondered, how would we endure the descent? But in the end, I did not care. One by one, we got through each dangerous spot and then reached the peak’s summit. A single rock on the summit’s cliff wall rises several tens of fathoms above it. When Unsullied Source glanced at its flank, he found some stairs. He held on to me tightly so I could make the climb up. Of the countless peaks, none below us failed to crouch in submission. Only Lotus Blossom stands in defiance. From time to time, thick fog rolled in and then withdrew. Each time a fog bank reached us, nothing was visible in front. Looking into the distance at Lotus Blossom’s peaks, I saw that most were shrouded in fog. Only when I ascended Celestial Capital and reached the area in front of it did the fog move behind me. And only when I crossed to the right of Celestial Capital did the fog appear on the left. As for its pine trees, some still twist around and stick out. As for the cypress trees (bai), although their trunks are seemingly bigger than a human arm, none fails to cling flatly like moss to the tops of the rocks.

This mountain is lofty, the wind is mighty, and there is no way to know when the fog will come and go. As I gazed at the peaks below me, they sometimes appeared as blue-green pyramidal peaks; sometimes, they sank into a silvery sea.³ But looking farther down the mountain, the sunlight was bright and brilliant. This is a unique world. The sun was gradually setting, so with my feet in front of me and my hands on the ground behind me, I slid down on my backside. Whenever I reached a perilous place, Unsullied Source, right by my side, would lend me his hand. Once we were beyond the dangerous areas, we descended and reached a mountain depression. By then, it was already dark. Next, we crossed the plank walkway (zhan) from the gorge and ascended, then stopped at Mañjuśrī Cloister.

Fifth day [22 October]: At daybreak, from the depression at Celestial Capital Peak, I proceeded north and descended for two li. Rocky cliff walls towered aloft. Below them, Lotus Blossom Cavern stands face to face with Rocky Bamboo Shoot Promontory in the ravine ahead, both within a single, secluded col. I bid farewell to Unsullied Source, went down the mountain, and reached a forked path on the flank of the trail, then pressed on toward Lotus Blossom Peak. I proceeded west along a trail of precipitous cliff walls. In all, I descended twice and twice ascended. When I was just about to go down to Hundred Steps to the Clouds Ladder, there was a path straight up to the summit of Lotus Blossom Peak. Just after I began my climb, the stone steps ended. Suspecting I had taken the wrong way, I turned around and started back down. Then, I heard a monk shout from the opposite peak: “You are on the correct trail to Lotus Blossom!” So from the flank of a rocky slope, I tracked through its crevices. The footpath narrowed and became steep. On all the peak summits are huge rocks towering like tripod cauldrons, the insides of which look like empty rooms. From inside them, I ascended straight up, turned where the steps ended at a cavern, then twisted and winded through remarkable and extraordinary places as if we were going up and down stairs inside a storied building or belvedere, oblivious that I was on a precipitous height far beyond the heavens.

After another li, I reached a thatched hut inside a rocky crack. As I paced, wanting to continue my ascent, the monk who had shouted out to me earlier showed up. He is called Rising into Vacuity (Lingxu). He is the one who built the hut here. So arm in arm, we scaled the summit. On the summit is a rock two fathoms in length hanging down, blocking the way. The monk fetched a ladder, which we used to get across. The view from the apex of Lotus Blossom was open and boundless, expansive, and clear, with a deep blue sky all around. Even Celestial Capital bows its head in submission. This peak is situated in the very center of Mount Huang and stands out among all the other peaks. On its four sides are cliff walls circling and towering aloft. Encountering clear sky in the morning sun, fresh and shimmering, expanding in waves, makes one shout out like a madman and want to dance. After some time passed, we returned to the thatched retreat. Rising into Vacuity provided some porridge, which we shared. I ate one bowl, then began my descent. Reached the flank of a forking path, passed Great Compassion Summit [Dabei Ding], and ascended to Celestial Gate. After three li reached Refining Cinnabar Terrace. We followed the spur of the terrace and descended, where we observed Jade Screen Peak and Three Seas Gate rise steeply like cliff walls inside a deep col. Cinnabar Terrace is the single knoll that droops down among them. Neither extraordinary nor steep, it merely looks down on the back of some hazy blue hills in the distance. Peaks and tors in the col intermix and cluster together, reflecting light above, below, and all around. But from this vantage point, one cannot get a complete view of the surpassing panorama here. We returned the way we came, passed Peaceful Sky Promontory, descended into the Rear Sea of Clouds, and then went into Wise Vacuity Retreat [Zhikong An], where I bid farewell to Rising into Vacuity.

Proceeded three li and then descended to Lion Grove. Then pressed on to Rocky Bamboo Shoot Promontory and reached the top of the pinnacled peak I had climbed years ago. I sat down and leaned back against a pine tree, then looked down into a col where peaks and rocks seemed to whirl around and cluster together, filling my eyes like an ornately executed scene in a painting. Only then did I realize that Kuang’s Cottage and Rock Gate might possess one unique feature but perhaps are lacking in another way: they cannot match up to this view’s vast scope and rich profusion! After some time passed, I ascended Meet and Guide Cliff, from where I looked down into a col below that was dark and eerie. I sensed there was something unusual about it. Next, I retraced my path and reached the flank of a pinnacled peak on a ridge. Stepping on rocks in a flowing stream, holding on to brambles and bushes, I followed the ravine and descended. The more I descended, the deeper it became. The peaks screened and covered one another, so I could not take in the entire scene in one glance. The sun was setting, so I backtracked to Lion Grove.

Sixth day [23 October]: I bid farewell to Sunglow Light, then descended seven li toward Prime Minister Flat through a mountain ravine.⁴ When I reached White Sand Ridge [Baisha Ling], Sunglow Light reappeared. Because I wanted to view the scenery at Memorial Archway Rock [Pailou Shi], he thought there would be no one from White Sand Retreat [Baisha An] to guide me, so he has now caught up with me and will serve as a guide. Together, we ascended the ridge. He pointed to a slope across the ridge on the right, where rocks stood up in clusters, separated below, and joined on top. This is Memorial Archway Rock. I wanted to get beyond the ravine below, trace upstream, and reach the area directly below Memorial Archway Rock. The monk remarked, “That would get us lost in brambles with no trail; we certainly would not be able to proceed. If we descend directly to Prime Minister Flat through the ravine, there is no need to retrace our way back up this ridge; if we want to go on from Transcendent’s Lamp Cavern [Xiandeng Dong], it would be better to head east from this ridge.”

Following his advice, we proceeded along the edge of the ridge. The ridge stretches crosswise to the north of Celestial Capital and Lotus Blossom. It was extremely narrow, and there was no room for our feet on either side. On both sides, south and north, exalted peaks cast their reflections. We descended to where the ridge ends in the north, then looked up into the distance at Arhat Rock [Luohan Shi] on the peak to the right, which looks like two monks with round heads and bald crowns. Descending farther into the middle of a chasm, we then passed over a mountain stream to ascend. In all, I proceeded four li, then climbed to Transcendent’s Lamp Cavern. It faces south, directly opposite the north side of Celestial Capital Peak. The monks erected a belvedere and then joined planks to connect it with the outside, and yet inside, it was still vaulted like a dome, so its natural appeal has yet to be completely hewn away. We retraced our way south, descended three li, and passed Prime Minister Flat. It is merely a strip of land squeezed between the mountains. The retreat there is in good condition, but when you look around, there is no extraordinary scenery, so we did not go in. We retraced our way south, proceeding along the midpoint of a mountain for five li, then gradually began to descend. The sound of a waterfall roared from a gully. From among some rocks, it poured down in torrents through nine levels. Below each level is a pool of deep blue. This is the so-called Nine Dragons Pool [Jiulong Tan]. Mount Huang has no other poised cascades or flying waterfalls, just this one. I proceeded another five li in my ascent and passed Bitter Bamboo Bank [Kuzhu Tan]. I then turned and followed along the road to Taiping County, proceeding northwest.

—Translated by James M. Hargett

____________________

Source: “You Huangshan riji hou” (YJJZ, 1:46–50; YJ, 1:30–33).

1. 1  In other words, during his first visit to the mountain, Xu climbed above the peaks visible below his walking stick.

2. 2  Although Xu Xiake uses the verb you 游 [遊] (to sightsee, to tour) in this line, his meaning is clear: his heart was set on climbing to the summit of Celestial Capital Peak and enjoying its scenic view.

3. 3  In other words, the clouds below.

4. 4  Sunglow Light is the abbot at Lion Grove Retreat. Xu Xiake met him during his visit to Mount Huang two years earlier.