Climbing Yunmen Mountain with grandson

Climbing Yunmen Mountain with my grandson

Author | Lu Hao

The weather at the end of August was crisp and clear. After a heavy rain, the air was particularly fresh, and the ground was full of freshness. The crops, flowers, plants and trees on the roadside are particularly lush, making it a good time to go hiking and enjoy the scenery. Early in the morning, my grandson and his grandmother and I drove to Yunmen Mountain in Qingzhou, a famous mountain in central Shandong.

I have been to Yunmen Mountain many times. As early as the 1970s, when I was studying in Yishi, I had climbed there many times with my classmates, but this time it was with my grandson Ze'an, who was less than six years old. It's the first time. The grandson was in high spirits, entered the mountain gate, danced and sang, and soon arrived at Guanshou Pavilion not far from the mountain gate.

After taking a nap here, his grandmother stopped here because her legs and feet were not good. The child looked up at Nanshan Mountain. He couldn't reach the top, so he didn't want to climb the mountain. I encouraged him: He must reach the top of the mountain, otherwise he would not be a man! Aren’t you following the example of the People’s Liberation Army and moving forward bravely? Why didn't he dare to climb such a mountain? The adults in the pavilion also actively encouraged him to climb the mountain, so the child plucked up the courage and continued climbing.

At the beginning, he ran two steps at a time, running in front, but he got tired after a while. I told him that he shouldn’t be too hasty when climbing, he should take one step at a time and have endurance. He followed the example of an adult and moved up step by step. After a while he wanted to hold my hand again, so I told him that you can't rely on others to climb mountains, you have to go up the mountain yourself. It's the same with anything, you can't just rely on others, you have to rely on yourself. So he climbed up one step at a time. At this time I encouraged him: Awesome! Traveling halfway up the mountain, I saw some wooden seats under the shade of trees, so I rested on the seats with him. I saw bursts of forest waves and lush green trees. Drink a few sips of the mineral water you brought with you, eat some fruit to replenish your energy, and continue climbing.

Although Yunmen Mountain is not too high, it is not an easy task for a child under six years old. After climbing for a while, the child asked, "Why haven't we reached the top of the mountain yet? When will we arrive?" I told him the story of the longevity character on the top of the mountain, and that there was a Yunmen Cave on the top of the mountain. There were clouds in the cave. He was very interested and said that we should go up to the cave to eat clouds! I said yes, I would definitely be able to eat the clouds, so he climbed up the mountain in high spirits. Not far away, we arrived at the "Snow Caps Lying on the Stone" and saw the stone carvings left by the snow caps. Xuemei, whose surname was Su Mingzhou, was born in Qixian County, Henan Province. He was a famous Taoist, poet and calligrapher in the Ming Dynasty. He was studious and studious throughout his life and wrote many books. However, he was depressed and frustrated. He once lived in seclusion in Yunmen Mountain, and the riddles he left behind , like a bean but not a bean, like a cloud but not like a cloud, was called an eternal riddle by Guo Moruo. Climbing up the steps, you will reach a flat place. To the north is the location of a famous Taoist temple - named Wangshou Pavilion. The Qingzhou Taoist Association is located here. The temple enshrines Guan Gong, the God of Wealth and the three stars of good fortune, wealth and longevity. The sound of sutras comes and goes, and the faithful men and women come here to offer incense and make wishes.

Go south along the flat area and climb dozens of steps to reach the best part of Yunmen Mountain: the Big Yunding on the top of the mountain, where the word Dashou and Yunmen Cave are located. One hundred square meters on the cliff. Looking back at Yunding, we can see the steep steps, and there are still many tourists climbing up; looking up at the western end of the southern sky, under the shadow of the mountain top, the bright red Chinese character "Da Shou" painted by people stands impressively on the huge cliff, which is called "Dashou" in the country. "Yunmen offers longevity". When the child climbed to the top of the mountain for the first time, he was naturally overjoyed and overjoyed when he saw the traditional Chinese character "Da Shou" which means "A person is no more than an inch tall". He stretched out his hands involuntarily and shouted: Yunmen Mountain, here I come! Many people stood a few meters in front of the cliff, facing the word "shou", and took photos with their hands stretched out in a hug, which means "embracing longevity" in order to live a long and auspicious life. Naturally, my children and I also left precious beautiful shadows in front of the word "shou".

After praying for longevity, we came to Yunmen Cave. Yunmen Cave is located in the middle of Dayunding. There is a cave like a door, connected from north to south, several feet high and wide. During the rainy season in summer and autumn, clouds and mist pass through the cave, like rolling waves, looming and appearing, like a fairyland, so it is called "Yunmen Cave". When we passed through, the sky was clear and clear, and there were no clouds passing through. However, the child did not forget to pull the clouds to eat, so I casually grabbed a "handful" and put it to his mouth and let him eat. What did he say? Don't see the clouds? I said, clouds turn into water when you put them in your mouth. He said I lied to him, but I told the truth. Today is not the right time. If it is cloudy and rains, there will be clouds.

Dayunding Mountain has 5 grotto statues from the Sui and Tang Dynasties, 272 stone Buddhas and inscriptions and steles by literati from past dynasties. It is the only remaining pre-Tang Dynasty cliff stone in Shandong Province. One of the niches. My children and I looked up and took photos here. We were impressed and sighed at the rich history of Yunmen Mountain.

Due to time constraints, we did not have time to take a closer look at other attractions, so we returned with our grandson. It is said that "it is easier to go up the mountain than to go down the mountain." In fact, it is easier to go down the mountain than up the mountain. After a while, we returned to Wangshou Pavilion. The child happily threw himself into his grandma's arms and said, "I climbed up the mountain myself, but now I'm back!" His grandma and the people in the pavilion all praised him for being so awesome!

During this mountaineering trip, firstly, I and my children enjoyed the great rivers and mountains of the motherland and increased their knowledge; secondly, it exercised the children’s perseverance and courage, and cultivated their character of enduring hardships, overcoming difficulties, and being self-reliant; thirdly, It is to relax, look back at history, and respond to the government’s call to relax tourism and engage in national fitness.

Especially the second one is the most important. I will continue to carry out such activities frequently in the future.

Written on September 11, 2020

Lu Hao, male, is from Dongcheng Street, Linqu County. He graduated from the cadre training course of Renmin University of China. He once worked in Weifang Municipal Government. He loves literature and has published "Selected Poems of Ma Lu Hao". In recent years, he has published many works in "Qilu Literature" and other publications. He is now a member of Weifang Writers Association, deputy editor of "Qilu Literature", and director of the Weifang Exchange Center for Chinese Culture.