Town in the Air
Climbing up Mt. Qiyun is pleasant, as the slope is gentle. There were not many tourists the day we visited, which made our experience all the more special. The giggles and shouts of a group of high school students were the only distraction as we headed along the mountain path.
Soon after we passed Santian (Three Heavens) Gate, a crescent-shaped hamlet emerged at the end of the vista halfway across the peak in front of us. “That’s Yuehua Street!” A friend shouted with excitement.
Yuehua (Moonlight) Street is actually a community of Taoists and their families. Taoists are generally celibate, but the local sect, Tianyi, allows marriage. They’re not even required to be vegetarian. In fact, their material lives don’t differ much at all from those of locals living beyond the cloisters.
There are several Taoist temples in the wider village, the most revered being Taisu Palace, built at the order of Qing Emperor Jiaqing (1760-1820). Local residents, professional Taoists and their families have embraced commercialism and tourism as a source of income – some have opened home stay businesses and restaurants for pilgrims and the wider public. It’s highly recommended to spend a night in the village. Locals say the moon looks so close at night, and the gathering mist envelops the whole area to such an extent in the morning that visitors could be mistaken for believing they are in a fairyland.
Unfortunately we were on a tight schedule and had to conclude our tour within the day. “After water fills the cup, it begins to spill over; when the moon reaches fullness, it begins to wane.” As this Taoism maxim says, there is no perfection in this world, and the best we could do was follow the natural course of life and be happy. Our lot, it seemed, was to move from Qiyun that day. But we all agreed we’d return.
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