To the west of Penglai(蓬萊) , there is a country named Hanming, where people use bird feathers as clothes and quench their thirst with dewdrops. They spend their days climbing high places to fetch water, using stairs made of precious materials like gold, silver, and crystal. Here, there are both icy and hot waters, and those who drink them can live up to a thousand years.
The original description in 《拾遺記》 is more fascinating , see image.
The Emperor asked Li Shaoweng, how to get to the floating mountain.
‘First, offer to Taiyi(太一); only then can one ascend to the heavens. Only after ascending to the heavens can one reach Penglai(蓬萊).’
Li Shaoweng from Qi, aged two hundred, had the appearance of a youth. His creations in various forms were all effective. The Emperor greatly believed in him, appointed him as the General of Wencheng, and treated him as an honored guest.
To the east of the Bohai Sea, an unmeasurable distance away, lies a vast, bottomless chasm that is, in reality, an abyssal valley, unfathomably deep, known as GuiXu.
Waters from various places and even from the celestial river converge here, yet the water volume neither increases nor decreases. In this place, there are five mountains: Daiyu, Yuanyu, Fanghu, Yingzhou, and Penglai.
🎨 胡廷暉 《蓬萊仙會圖》in the Yuan Dynasty
In ancient times, after Yu the Great(DaYu) had controlled the floods, he rode in a carriage across the Weak Water and arrived at Mount Penglai.
He offered sacrifices to God at Bei’ao and attributed his great achievements in flood control to the Nine Heavens. Da Yu toured the Five Mountains and ordered craftsmen to carve stone tablets to record the distance, height, and other information of each mountain.
The characters on the tablets were written in the ancient Kochou script, which was not intelligible to the Han people.
《仙山樓閣圖(Immortal Mountain and Pavilion)》王時敏, in the Qing Dynasty
This painting was created for the 70th birthday of Chen Jingfu’s mother, shows towering mountains, lush forests, winding streams and pines. Two tall and lush pines symbolize longevity.
In the distance, there are rolling mountains. A stream flows out of the mountains and merges into a river at the bottom. In the embrace of mountains, water, and trees, a secluded pavilion can be seen in the distance.
《仙山樓閣圖(Immortal Mountain and Pavilion)》仇英, in the Ming Dynasty
The famous painter, QiuYing has another painting of the beautiful scenery of Penglai Mountain, with the same name.
Lv Xiangyun(呂鄉筠), a merchant from Dongting(洞庭), often traded Dongting fish and shrimp for miscellaneous goods in Jiangxi. He took one-tenth of the profit and, with surplus earnings, supported poor relatives and friends, helping the needy thereafter. He never saved money for himself. Lv Xiangyun was skilled at playing the flute. Whenever he encountered beautiful landscapes, he would sail and enjoy the scenery, playing his flute.
Once, on a mid-spring night, Lv Xiangyun’s boat was moored near Junshan Island.
a mythical beast in China, lives in Mount Gufeng(姑逢). It is like a fox with wings, and its cry is like that of a swan. When it appears, the world will be struck by a great drought.
An animal in Classic of Mountains and Seas formed by the combination of three green beasts, called Shuangshuang(雙雙)
The beast in the Classic of Mountains and Seas, with two heads on either side is called ChuTi.
BingFeng(并封)a mythical creature in the Classic of Mountains and Seas that always looking over its shoulder.It is like a pig, but with another head on its back.
