Excerpt from A Tour of Mount Xuan

... The Liujia Gorge initially emerges from the forest. The ridge bends repeatedly, and the oaks follow the bends. Suddenly, it descends from among thousands of oaks. A deep valley is surrounded by greenery of high and low. There are rocks to sit on, and the sound of the gorge also comes to the place to sit. As he was approaching Ping, the left mountain was deep and remote. The Taoist built a hut and then called 脰. Looking around, two mountain chickens were surging up from the ravine. When entering the temple, the Taoist priest began to cook oak flour to receive the food. The food follows the rocks. When the window of the dining hall is opened, the mountains are like a panoramic view. Sitting in the spring with the prince, the fellow monk from the left mountain wanders and shouts, having already found a place for leisure pavilions and smokers to dwell, all can be free from human concerns. When I go to Ping, I look back at the unique beauty within it. However, as the ravine deepens, every tree knows its depth. Its height, height, density and sparseness are beyond the reach of the wise. Passing the Shima Peak, suddenly a strange rock appeared. In several places, the strange rocks, trees, grass and streams are like one heart and one hand, and the gaps between them are filled here. He returned to the place with the prince and observed it in detail. Before the rock is exhausted, there is Renwei Temple, with dozens of fallen leaves. The back is red, and in front of the bridge, there is a small pool, like a red fish riding in the air. Looking over ten miles, peach and plum blossoms and azaleas are in full bloom, like spring. Under the thick shade of the leaves, the traveler, thirsty, rests. Ruxia; The insects chirp and weave, the red leaves lie on the ground, like autumn. The old locust tree, with its iron trunk gnarled and twisted, has leaves that cannot sprout immediately, like winter. In the deep mountains and hidden paths, it's truly impossible to determine the exact time. When an ape hangs among the trees, it plays by itself; when the servants call behind, the ape hangs at ease. Entering the Hidden Immortal Rock, there are no residents. Only one cypress tree hangs high, its fresh green leaves about to fall. Looking up from the Old Granny Shrine at the Sky Pillar and the peaks of the South Rock, the mist illuminates the person, and the waves that follow each other form one layer. Below it, the pine and cypress wing ridge, with its green branches setting off the view, is slightly closer and lower, forming another layer. Two mountains meet the soul and color in the clear and bright sky, and ten thousand gullies and trees interweave and encircle the toes. One must not look away or exhale. So he dismissed the abbot of the Five Dragons and indulged himself. The mountain peaks supported by the palace stand majestically and steeply. The so-called five Wells and two ponds are so mundane that they cannot be fully observed; once inside, one can easily exit. On the way, they passed through a strange and perilous path. It is said that Lingxu Rock, Xi Yi Sutra Platform and Ziran Nunnery are all excellent, but they are all briefly mentioned. That night, I couldn't sleep well. There was a tied ape downstairs, crying until dawn. Early in the morning, the stepping stones pierced through the bamboo and trees in the garden. Looking down at the deep ravine, it was as hazy as smoke. Standing at the bottom of the chasm, five dragons suddenly appeared in the sky. The lower ranks were almost unstoppable, and a trickle was beside my ears, vying for the way with Meng Rong. After traveling another four or five li, the water comes from the north and starts flowing southward. Then it turns eastward from the south and finally becomes the Qingyang Gorge. A bridge is built over the ravine, with high walls forming a city, encircling each other like a jar, and the colors of the trees are visible from top to bottom. The sound of the waves was forced by the stones, and people could not speak softly. The peach blossoms fall from a thousand feet high, also making the sound of water. The stream begins to speed up from this bridge. Following the stream, it bends over the Immortal Turtle Rock, like a ghost rock sitting with moss on its back, and the spring water spurts out from it, splashing guests. Here, there are many strange rocks. Those facing outward are like catching a person's skirt, those facing downward seem to be about to fall by themselves, those that protrude seem to be supported by trees, and those that break seem to be caused by trees. It is especially rare among fir, pine and cypress. Those who stand on the mountain, leaning against the rocks, with their roots exposed and fierce, will surely be embraced by thousands of people before they arrive. The one located in the deep ravine is so strong that it reaches the mountain. It takes a thousand miles to reach the base of the mountain. Looking at its top, it stands tall and proud, in harmony with the tall trees. This is almost impossible to predict. Among the rise and fall of the mountains and valleys, there are tens of millions of them, all of which are arranged in an orderly manner. Towering above the sky and reaching for the earth, due to its height, it is lacking; if it appears as one wishes. At first, he was startled and fell silent; after a while, he grew tired. Just as a traveler by the river is tired of the moon...