The Western Hills scenic area stretches from the wooded Huating Temple to the Longmen (Dragon Gate) along the steep cliffs. Clouds and mist often hide the mountainsides, with their giant firs and pines and many ancient temples. The Western Hills lie among the Biji Mountain chain to the west of Kunming. From the east or north banks of the Dianchi Lake, you can see the Western Hills, looking just like a young girl lying with her face to the sky and her long hair drifting into the water of the lake. The local people call her the "Sleeping Beauty." The folk legend says that she is dreaming of her lover's return and her tears have formed the vast Dianchi Lake.
The Huating Temple, Longmen and Sanqingge were all built around the Ming and Qing dynasties. In the Taihua Mountains, old roads lead to places surrounded by trees, ideal places to shed one' s earthly worries and thoughts. The Huating Temple is famous for its colorful statues that combine styles of Buddhism and Taoism. The solemnity of Buddhism and the freedom of Taoism blend into one. The Taihua Temple, often shrouded in mist, is 1.5 kilometres from the Huating Temple on the main peak of the Taihua Mountains. This tranquil and isolated temple gives one a feeling of heavenly peace. The main halls are built along the rising slopes. Covered corridors connect each pavilion and mansion. With its ancient trees, perfumed orchids, osmanthus, camellias, and plum trees, the Taihua Temple is noted for its peace, tranquility and elegance. In the cliffs under Luohan Peak, in the Western Hills, are the Longmen Grottoes, with a stone gate leading to the Datiange chamber. 2,300 metres above sea level; these are the largest Taoist grottoes in Yunnan. It took 72 years to build these grottoes during the Qing Dynasty, from the 46th year of Emperor Qianlong's rule (1782) to the 3rd year of Emperor Xianfeng's rule (1854). Stone craftsmen living at the foot of the Western Hills undertook the project. It is said that the workers could get a measure of rice for each measure of stone, poor payment for such hard and dangerous work.
Datiange--Mansion of Heaven is a stone chamber carved out of the cliffs and is regarded as the finest of the Longmen Grottoes. The relief carving on the walls, the gods, the sacrificial table and the candlesticks are all sculpted following the original shape of the rocks. The Kuixing (God of literature and exams) in the center has one foot on a huge turtle. Holding a dipper and a brush, he turns back to look into the blue sky above the cliffs. Yet his brush has no point. It is said that the stone carver broke the brush point by accident and spoiled the work of decades. He dropped his knife and threw himself over the cliffs. Standing on the Longmen, the lake is vast and the sky is endless. In the morning, it is an ideal place to greet the rising sun. In the evening, one can admire the sparkling lights of downtown Kunming. These scenes all make one feel like a god about to rise to the heavens.
The 3rd of March is the festive time in the Western Hills. It is the best time for Kunming residents to climb the mountains and look into the distance, in order to admire the spring flowers and appreciate the feeling of new happy life. |
