carpenter

The God of Mount Taibai

by
《神龍沛雨圖》宋 陳容

The god of Mount Taibai(太白山神) in central Qin is considered the most efficacious. At the summit of Mount Taibai, there are three ponds known as the Big Taibai, Middle Taibai, and Three Taibai. If leaves, weeds, or mud fall into these ponds, flocks of birds will come and carry away these impurities. Therefore, the local people refer to these birds as the ‘Pond-cleaning Birds(淨池鳥).’

Once, a carpenter accidentally fell into the Taibai Pond and discovered another world beneath its surface. 

Wood Painting

by
《古木寒泉》文徵明 明

Lu Jingxuan(陸敬軒), the magistrate of Yongcheng County(永城), is from Xiaoshan(蕭山), Zhejiang(浙江). He was tasked with renovating the Yongcheng yamen(administrative office or residence for government officials in imperial China) and decided to use local materials. There was an original willow tree within the yamen, which Lu Jingxuan chose to use for the renovation.

When the carpenters felled the willow and sawed it into boards, they discovered that the grain on the boards formed an exquisite landscape, resembling a painting created with light ink.