Mount Hua is one of the birthplaces of Taoism. Taoist sages such as Chen Tuan (871-989) and Hao Datong (1149-1212) reportedly went on retreats to hermitages on the mountain. It is also site of 72 caves used for meditation and 20 or more Taoist temples. Among them, Yuquanyuan, or Cloister of Jade Spring, built between 1049 and 1051 during the Song Dynasty, is a famous Taoist temple of the Quanzhen School, built by Taoist priest Jia De-sheng for his master Chen Tuan. Upon entering the temple we came to a yard surrounded by circular corridors lined with ancient trees towering to the sky. Yuquanyuan offers visitors a tranquil place to rest. The daily lectures it holds on Taoism and self-cultivation also acquaint them with the fundaments of Taoist culture.

Martial Arts and Chivalry

Mere mention of Mount Hua calls for an explanation of its connection with the spirit of Chinese martial arts. As Mount Hua is adjacent to the Yellow River it can be considered the cradle of the Chinese civilization. Having experienced joys and woes throughout history, the Chinese people have cultivated an unbending spirit when facing difficulty. Mount Hua’s precipitous features embody such courage and fortitude. Louis Cha Leung-yung is a famous exponent of martial arts and chivalric novelist, better known in China by his pen name Jin Yong. He expresses appreciation of the supernatural ambience of Mount Hua through making it the location of the foremost martial arts competition as featured in one of his novels.

Having been a fan of Jin Yong’s novels since childhood, I longed to visit Mount Hua and see the scenery he describes. Many people, like me, know about Mount Hua purely through Jin Yong’s books. He thought up the Chinese idiom Hua Shan Lun Jian, meaning swords meet on Mount Hua. It refers to the tradition where martial arts practitioners come to Mount Hua to test their martial arts prowess and endeavor to become the first under heaven. Today the idiom is widely used as a metaphor for open competition.

Relying on historical materials, artistic imagination and creativity, Jin Yong described Mount Hua in 13 of his 15 novels. It is the backdrop to classic works of his such as The Legend of the Condor Heroes, The Return of the Condor Heroes, The Smiling, and Proud Wanderer. Jin Yong perceives precipitous Mount Hua as embodying a sacred world of immortals, and hence as an ideal backdrop to his stories.

Ironically enough, Jin Yong did not actually visit Mount Hua until 2003. It was only then that he laid eyes on the place he has so often described.

Charming Throughout the Year

Mount Hua scenery celebrates the best of all four seasons. In spring it abounds in peach blossoms and other wild flowers. The weather is cool and pleasant in summer – a good time for visitors to see glorious sunrises and sunsets as well as waterfalls. Autumn is the perfect temperate season for photo-graphy and mountain climbing. In winter, visitors can enjoy a vista of snow-covered pines and peaks and white clouds against a blue sky.