论文部分内容阅读
Qingcheng Mountain （Green City Mountain） lies southwest to Dujiangyan City， Sichuan Province. It is only 68 kilometers away from Chengdu and 16 kilometers away from Dujiangyan. It Is a branching of the Gonglai Mountain Range.
In the ancient time， it was called Tianzhang Mountain. As the fairy tales said， Yellow Emperor visited the five mountains and thought that this mountain was better than the other four. So he called the mountain “father-in-law of other Scared Mountain”.
It did not get the current name of Qingcheng Mountain until the 18th year of Kaiyuan Period of Tang. As for the origination of this name， there are two explanations： the first one is that the mountain is covered with green trees， making it green all the year. In addition， the shape of the mountain looks like a city. That’s why it was called the “Green City Mountain”.
The other explanation is that Qingcheng was where the heavenly lords resided in the legend. In the Tang Dynasty， the rising Buddhism wanted to take Qingcheng Mountain from the grasp of Taoist. The two religious factions sued against each other and pushed the case to Emperor Xuanzong. The emperor was a firm believer in the Taoism. So he claimed that the mountain was owned by Taoists and changed the name into Qingcheng Moutntain.
From the history we can know that Qingcheng Mountain is a famous place for the Taoism. The Taoist history started from the second year of Han’an Period in the Eastern Han Dynasty （143 AD）， Zhang Daoling， the founder of the Taoism， arrived at Qingcheng Mountain. He set up a cottage in the deep inside of the mountain and began to preach from there. Thus， Qingcheng Mountain is the place of origin for the Taoism and is called “the fifth heaven” by the Taoists.
Qingcheng Mountain stands against Minjiang and in front of Chengdu Plain. Its green features， grand height and great history of Taoism made it a wonderful place for the tourism. The sunrise， cloud and “Saint Lamp” are the best three natural wonders to see in Qingcheng Mountain. The “Saint Lamp”is unique in Qingcheng Moutnain. Every summer night after the rain， there are small twinkling and illuminating spots to be seen in the forest along the hillside. They gather together in three or five and could have more than one thousand spots in total， making the entire hillside look like a mirror of the starry night sky.
In the legend， these “illuminating spots” were the “saint lamps” kindled with magic by Zhang Daoling himself. Actually， it is just the burning of phosphor-based compounds， which is a natural phenomenon and could be spotted near the graveyards known as “ghost fire”. Qingcheng Mountain was credited as the 5A-level scenic are by the Chinese government in 2007. It is one of the two most important scenic areas next to Dujiangyan City along with Dujiangyan Dam， which is not far from it.
The main scenic area of Qingcheng Mountain is divided into the front and rear parts.
One： Front Part
The front part mainly consists of the man-made monasteries. Most of them are Taoist buildings with the Shangqing Palace as the core. It was initially built in the Jin Dynasty but was abandoned later. It was rebuilt and expanded in the Tang Dynasty. A fire destroyed it in the Ming Dynasty. The existing buildings were rebuilt in the ruling period of Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty.
The main building standing now include the Hall of Laojun， the Hall of Three Deities， the Hall of Tao-te-ching and the Hall of Jade Emperor. The stone walls by the front gate has the inscriptions of “The Fifth Sacred Mountain in China”made by Huang Yunhe.
The front gate of the monastery was a stone archway， on which there was a plaque with the inscriptions of “Shangqing Palace” made by Chiang Kai-shek. A road from the front gate links the different halls inside the monastery featuring different statues， such as the statue of Overlord Laozi in the Hall of Laojun， the statues of the three major Taoist deities along with their 12 direct disciples in the Hall of Three Deities， the statue of Guan Yu and the statue of Confucius in the Hall of Literature and Martial Saints， showing the grand achievements of sculpture in ancient China.
Inside the monastery， there were palaces of interest like Magu Pool， which was the place the Taoist goddess Magu washed her elixirs in the legends， as well as Horse-running Ground and Pole Stone， which are said to be where the Warlord Zhang Xianzhong trained his troops at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Many cultural relics could be found there， too， like the rare wood-carving copy of Tao Te Ching which carries the full scripts of the Taoist classic book， and the painting drawn by Zhang Daqian.
There are steps behind the monastery， which could lead to the Laoju Pavilion. It is located in the highest peak of Qingcheng Mountain， which is 1，600 meters above the sea level. The base of the pavilion takes a square shape covering 400 square meters. It is a six-storey building and its shape gradually turns from being square to being round from bottom to top， meaning the “round heaven and the square land”. Each storey have eight end points， representing the “Eight Diagrams”. Both the “round heaven and the square land” and the “Eight Diagrams” are symbols of the Taoism. The top of the pavilion is the highest place in Qingcheng Mountain and it is the best place to see the sunrise and “Saint Lamps”. Unfortunately， the original building collapsed in the Wenchuan Earthquake on May 12， 2008. The current one is a replica rebuilt in 2010.
Another important monastery located in Qingcheng Mountain is the Cave of Taoist Master. It is said to be where Zhang Daoling practiced his Taoist skills and ascended into the immortality. Previously， it was just a cave in the cliff of a mountain. After Zhang Daoling’s death， his disciples built a monastery here and named it the “Cave of Taoist Master”. The original building was destroyed long before and the current one was re-built after the Qing Dynasty.
The three main halls are the featuring buildings of the Cave of Taoist Master. The Hall of Three Deities was built in 1923. It is a pavilion-shaped building with a double-eave hip roof. A nine-step stone stair is connected to the front hall， which has six stone columns standing in a row. A plaque with the inscriptions written by Emperor Kangxi was hung there and flanked by several couplet scrolls.
The Hall of Three Emperors was another main building in the Cave of Taoist Master. Inside the building stand the statues of Fuxi， Shennong and Yellow Emperor， who are the three most famous emperors in ancient China. Each is one meter tall. They were made in the 11th year of Kaiyuan Period in the Tang Dynasty （723 AD）. The Taoist legends said that Yellow Emperor is a grandmaster of Taoism along with Laozi. Therefore， apart from the Hall of Three Emperors， there is also a Hall of Yellow Emperor there.
The Hall of Yellow Emperor is the oldest building in the Cave of Taoist Master as it was built in the Sui Dynasty. The cave where Zhang Daoling practiced and ascended is just next to the hall. The top of the cave has a stone niche， in which the stone statue of Zhang Daoling was enshrined. The stone figure has three eyes and wears a solemn appearance. His left palm extends outward with the fingers closed， clutching the Seal of Mortal Peace， the most important item for him.
Apart from these buildings， the surrounding areas of the monastery are worth a look as well. The green trees and vines decorate this place featuring green and liveliness， making it an ideal place for the “immortals”.
Two： Rear Part The rear part of the Qingcheng Mountain Scenic Area is located behind Qingcheng Mountain， boasting clear waters， silent forests， grand peaks and weird stones. It is a part of the Qingcheng Mountain Scenic Area but was not put into use until the 1980s， because the road leading to this part of scenic area had not been built by then.
Even though it is a latecomer， it is still a good place to go. A stream goes through this area and generates many waterfalls and ponds. The places of interest are all located along the stream.
1. The Immortal Cave
The Immortal Cave is located in a deep forest. The Immortal Bathing Rock consists of 48 stone pools in which the water is so clear that the moss at the bottom of the pools could be easily seen. A dozen of tombs from the Song and Ming Dynasties could be found there.
2. Flying Spring Trench
The trench is 10 kilometers long and flows into Wei River. There are three natural scenes along the stream. The“Flying Spring in the Silent Valley” consists of a waterfall and two ponds. The “Hundred-Meter Long Bridge” is the ancient walkway attached to the cliff. Now it is covered with vines. The “Double-Spring Waterfall” is a couple of waterfalls that stand in a row. The front waterfall hits the top of a cave like a curtain. The rear waterfall directly falls into the cave like a silver dragon. The cave， which hides behind the waterfall， is like the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits， has the stalactites cover its ceiling.
A decorated corridor bridge and a wooden arch bridge were built above the cave. They are commonly called the Sky Bridge. People standing on the bridge can see the bottom of the Flying Spring Trench and hear the resounds of the waterfall.
3. The Five-Dragon Trench
The Five-Dragon Trench was called the Barbarian Trench. It is eight kilometers long and got its name because of the five dragons hidden inside it in the legend.
The best scene of this area is the plank walkway connecting the Invisible Dragon Valley. Two mountains stand against each other and form the Valley， through which swift stream is flowing. The plank walkway was established above the archway. It is supported by the natural rocks in the trench. Two rows of beams are connected with rolling logs， on which planks are applied. A part of the walkway was ruined because of the time and was replaced with cemented materials imitating the wood.
4. Tai’an Old Town
The old town is a necessary linking point between Chengdu and West Sichuan. In the Song Dynasty it was called Wei River Town. In the Qing Dynasty， the Tai’an Monastery was built there， and thus the town’s name was changed into the current one. Nowadays， Tai’an Monastery is located in the center of the old town， in which there are a lot of restaurants and hotels providing catering and accommodating services.
In the ancient time， it was called Tianzhang Mountain. As the fairy tales said， Yellow Emperor visited the five mountains and thought that this mountain was better than the other four. So he called the mountain “father-in-law of other Scared Mountain”.
It did not get the current name of Qingcheng Mountain until the 18th year of Kaiyuan Period of Tang. As for the origination of this name， there are two explanations： the first one is that the mountain is covered with green trees， making it green all the year. In addition， the shape of the mountain looks like a city. That’s why it was called the “Green City Mountain”.
The other explanation is that Qingcheng was where the heavenly lords resided in the legend. In the Tang Dynasty， the rising Buddhism wanted to take Qingcheng Mountain from the grasp of Taoist. The two religious factions sued against each other and pushed the case to Emperor Xuanzong. The emperor was a firm believer in the Taoism. So he claimed that the mountain was owned by Taoists and changed the name into Qingcheng Moutntain.
From the history we can know that Qingcheng Mountain is a famous place for the Taoism. The Taoist history started from the second year of Han’an Period in the Eastern Han Dynasty （143 AD）， Zhang Daoling， the founder of the Taoism， arrived at Qingcheng Mountain. He set up a cottage in the deep inside of the mountain and began to preach from there. Thus， Qingcheng Mountain is the place of origin for the Taoism and is called “the fifth heaven” by the Taoists.
Qingcheng Mountain stands against Minjiang and in front of Chengdu Plain. Its green features， grand height and great history of Taoism made it a wonderful place for the tourism. The sunrise， cloud and “Saint Lamp” are the best three natural wonders to see in Qingcheng Mountain. The “Saint Lamp”is unique in Qingcheng Moutnain. Every summer night after the rain， there are small twinkling and illuminating spots to be seen in the forest along the hillside. They gather together in three or five and could have more than one thousand spots in total， making the entire hillside look like a mirror of the starry night sky.
In the legend， these “illuminating spots” were the “saint lamps” kindled with magic by Zhang Daoling himself. Actually， it is just the burning of phosphor-based compounds， which is a natural phenomenon and could be spotted near the graveyards known as “ghost fire”. Qingcheng Mountain was credited as the 5A-level scenic are by the Chinese government in 2007. It is one of the two most important scenic areas next to Dujiangyan City along with Dujiangyan Dam， which is not far from it.
The main scenic area of Qingcheng Mountain is divided into the front and rear parts.
One： Front Part
The front part mainly consists of the man-made monasteries. Most of them are Taoist buildings with the Shangqing Palace as the core. It was initially built in the Jin Dynasty but was abandoned later. It was rebuilt and expanded in the Tang Dynasty. A fire destroyed it in the Ming Dynasty. The existing buildings were rebuilt in the ruling period of Emperor Tongzhi of the Qing Dynasty.
The main building standing now include the Hall of Laojun， the Hall of Three Deities， the Hall of Tao-te-ching and the Hall of Jade Emperor. The stone walls by the front gate has the inscriptions of “The Fifth Sacred Mountain in China”made by Huang Yunhe.
The front gate of the monastery was a stone archway， on which there was a plaque with the inscriptions of “Shangqing Palace” made by Chiang Kai-shek. A road from the front gate links the different halls inside the monastery featuring different statues， such as the statue of Overlord Laozi in the Hall of Laojun， the statues of the three major Taoist deities along with their 12 direct disciples in the Hall of Three Deities， the statue of Guan Yu and the statue of Confucius in the Hall of Literature and Martial Saints， showing the grand achievements of sculpture in ancient China.
Inside the monastery， there were palaces of interest like Magu Pool， which was the place the Taoist goddess Magu washed her elixirs in the legends， as well as Horse-running Ground and Pole Stone， which are said to be where the Warlord Zhang Xianzhong trained his troops at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Many cultural relics could be found there， too， like the rare wood-carving copy of Tao Te Ching which carries the full scripts of the Taoist classic book， and the painting drawn by Zhang Daqian.
There are steps behind the monastery， which could lead to the Laoju Pavilion. It is located in the highest peak of Qingcheng Mountain， which is 1，600 meters above the sea level. The base of the pavilion takes a square shape covering 400 square meters. It is a six-storey building and its shape gradually turns from being square to being round from bottom to top， meaning the “round heaven and the square land”. Each storey have eight end points， representing the “Eight Diagrams”. Both the “round heaven and the square land” and the “Eight Diagrams” are symbols of the Taoism. The top of the pavilion is the highest place in Qingcheng Mountain and it is the best place to see the sunrise and “Saint Lamps”. Unfortunately， the original building collapsed in the Wenchuan Earthquake on May 12， 2008. The current one is a replica rebuilt in 2010.
Another important monastery located in Qingcheng Mountain is the Cave of Taoist Master. It is said to be where Zhang Daoling practiced his Taoist skills and ascended into the immortality. Previously， it was just a cave in the cliff of a mountain. After Zhang Daoling’s death， his disciples built a monastery here and named it the “Cave of Taoist Master”. The original building was destroyed long before and the current one was re-built after the Qing Dynasty.
The three main halls are the featuring buildings of the Cave of Taoist Master. The Hall of Three Deities was built in 1923. It is a pavilion-shaped building with a double-eave hip roof. A nine-step stone stair is connected to the front hall， which has six stone columns standing in a row. A plaque with the inscriptions written by Emperor Kangxi was hung there and flanked by several couplet scrolls.
The Hall of Three Emperors was another main building in the Cave of Taoist Master. Inside the building stand the statues of Fuxi， Shennong and Yellow Emperor， who are the three most famous emperors in ancient China. Each is one meter tall. They were made in the 11th year of Kaiyuan Period in the Tang Dynasty （723 AD）. The Taoist legends said that Yellow Emperor is a grandmaster of Taoism along with Laozi. Therefore， apart from the Hall of Three Emperors， there is also a Hall of Yellow Emperor there.
The Hall of Yellow Emperor is the oldest building in the Cave of Taoist Master as it was built in the Sui Dynasty. The cave where Zhang Daoling practiced and ascended is just next to the hall. The top of the cave has a stone niche， in which the stone statue of Zhang Daoling was enshrined. The stone figure has three eyes and wears a solemn appearance. His left palm extends outward with the fingers closed， clutching the Seal of Mortal Peace， the most important item for him.
Apart from these buildings， the surrounding areas of the monastery are worth a look as well. The green trees and vines decorate this place featuring green and liveliness， making it an ideal place for the “immortals”.
Two： Rear Part The rear part of the Qingcheng Mountain Scenic Area is located behind Qingcheng Mountain， boasting clear waters， silent forests， grand peaks and weird stones. It is a part of the Qingcheng Mountain Scenic Area but was not put into use until the 1980s， because the road leading to this part of scenic area had not been built by then.
Even though it is a latecomer， it is still a good place to go. A stream goes through this area and generates many waterfalls and ponds. The places of interest are all located along the stream.
1. The Immortal Cave
The Immortal Cave is located in a deep forest. The Immortal Bathing Rock consists of 48 stone pools in which the water is so clear that the moss at the bottom of the pools could be easily seen. A dozen of tombs from the Song and Ming Dynasties could be found there.
2. Flying Spring Trench
The trench is 10 kilometers long and flows into Wei River. There are three natural scenes along the stream. The“Flying Spring in the Silent Valley” consists of a waterfall and two ponds. The “Hundred-Meter Long Bridge” is the ancient walkway attached to the cliff. Now it is covered with vines. The “Double-Spring Waterfall” is a couple of waterfalls that stand in a row. The front waterfall hits the top of a cave like a curtain. The rear waterfall directly falls into the cave like a silver dragon. The cave， which hides behind the waterfall， is like the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits， has the stalactites cover its ceiling.
A decorated corridor bridge and a wooden arch bridge were built above the cave. They are commonly called the Sky Bridge. People standing on the bridge can see the bottom of the Flying Spring Trench and hear the resounds of the waterfall.
3. The Five-Dragon Trench
The Five-Dragon Trench was called the Barbarian Trench. It is eight kilometers long and got its name because of the five dragons hidden inside it in the legend.
The best scene of this area is the plank walkway connecting the Invisible Dragon Valley. Two mountains stand against each other and form the Valley， through which swift stream is flowing. The plank walkway was established above the archway. It is supported by the natural rocks in the trench. Two rows of beams are connected with rolling logs， on which planks are applied. A part of the walkway was ruined because of the time and was replaced with cemented materials imitating the wood.
4. Tai’an Old Town
The old town is a necessary linking point between Chengdu and West Sichuan. In the Song Dynasty it was called Wei River Town. In the Qing Dynasty， the Tai’an Monastery was built there， and thus the town’s name was changed into the current one. Nowadays， Tai’an Monastery is located in the center of the old town， in which there are a lot of restaurants and hotels providing catering and accommodating services.