The fog at this time is fresh. wzcunzhang

About Mount Laoshan, it is not only the first famous mountain at sea, but also a Taoist sacred mountain with profound ancient philosophical and cultural heritage. It is said that Pu Songling's Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio took Laoshan as its background many times. I remember loving to read various versions of Strange Stories since middle school. When outside, safety and time are always considered first. I asked my teacher: "Are all the ghosts in Strange Stories good people transformed?" "Is Yang Kang in The Legend of the Condor Heroes a bad person?" Fortunately, on the way down the mountain, I was walking behind with Bai Maofeng when we really met a Laoshan Taoist. We asked him about the way down the mountain, and he told us in detail, calling us three times back and forth. I think he's a good person. Judging by his accent, I figured he wasn't from the local area. Upon asking, his hometown is in Guangxi, practicing at the Supreme Palace on Mount Laoshan. Taoism respects the left hand, bidding farewell to us with a left-hand salute, chanting: "Infinite Celestial Venerable!" Compared to the Taoists I've seen on Wudang Mountain, this Taoist feels more amiable and fresh, less mysterious. It seems that every kind of culture has its own flavor based on the land it originates from. The fog of Laoshan is pure, which is why these translucent and crystalline little droplets form, and they are warm, so these little droplets look like quietly seated little girls, evoking compassion. In 1989, when I was in the second year of junior high, I clearly remember the conversation with my homeroom teacher during recess. After having a picnic in a sheltered spot, we began descending the mountain lightly. At this point, the weather cleared up nicely, everyone would say: "Look, how lucky we are, feeling the clean fog of Laoshan, and we'll get to see the scenery of Laoshan." The chance for such weather to form a sea of clouds is quite high. As the fog dissipates, it feels like after the rain clears up, indeed lucky, we really did see the sea of clouds. The summit of Laoshan is creatively built according to the ancient Chinese philosophy concept of "the unity of heaven, earth, and humanity," respectively: Li Gate, Kun Gate, Dui Gate, Qian Gate, Kan Gate, Gen Gate, Zhen Gate, Xun Gate. The stone carving of the "Tao Te Ching" serves as the backdrop, representing the Taoist culture of Laoshan. It is said that Zhang Sanfeng once practiced here on Mount Laoshan. The road twists and turns, with wind and fog (mist) colliding at the peak of Laoshan, the cold penetrating to the bone, wanting to leave quickly. The highest reachable point of the Laoshan summit is 1132.7 meters. This is our walking route, recorded by GPS. This time we didn't go through the city, but my impression of Qingdao is modern, simple, and has a fashionable streamlined style. The route we took lacked neon lighting, but added more simplicity in lines. The advertisements on the streetlights were almost within reach, giving a sense of humanistic closeness and civilization. Thinking of my teacher is because of going to Laoshan, naturally associating with Pu Songling's Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio, including "The Taoist Priest of Laoshan," and the text about the "wall-penetrating technique." Coming down from Laoshan, the impression is of its vastness, beauty, and purity; there's also a comfortable feeling spreading in my heart, like the heavy fog in the morning, although unclear, it's intoxicating. That might be due to the cultural heritage of Laoshan, yes, just a feeling. Laoshan and Qingdao have similar feelings, profound yet unobtrusive... Just this piece of text alone can make countless men envious, no wonder people all want to cultivate immortality and achieve eternal life. Besides the miniature frog hopping away in the Confusing Gorge, unfortunately, we didn't see any other small creatures, wishing to encounter some squirrels. Perhaps they're only interested in pine cones. In the blurred vision, the vegetation of Laoshan seems to be mostly deciduous trees, with fewer pines. The tea we drank the previous evening was from the older sister's family plantation, and I learned for the first time that there is tea on Mount Laoshan. The higher we climbed, the thicker the fog became, forming raindrops eventually. The rain wetted our hair, but brought joy to our hearts. Climbing the mountain in the rain was another kind of excitement. Along the way, we saw tea fields covered in plastic film, with glimpses of green leaves visible. Most of the branches on both sides of the mountain road were bare, forming another kind of scenery. Some branches were full of red beans the size of wolfberries, appearing even fuller and lustrous under the misty water. The warmth and humidity of the marine climate made some wild grass on the hillside still tenderly green, momentarily making one feel as if it were early spring. Those bare branches were adorned with rows of crystal-clear dewdrops, neatly arranged, evoking a quiet feeling in the heart, making one reluctant to touch them, even a single drop. Yet we called out to our companions to come and see together... In that era, the teacher didn't criticize or doubt me for reading these novels, smilingly answering: "Good and bad people aren't absolute; there are no purely good or purely bad people in this world. Simply put, anyone who doesn't harm others is considered a good person." These words were my initial enlightenment about the deeper meanings of "good and bad people." My teacher has now retired from the principal position and obtained the highest title for middle school teachers, 'Associate Professor.' There's reason to believe that I wish to do good deeds and help others for pleasure, though I'm not sure if I actually do. At noon, the dense fog still lingered, showing no signs of retreating. While considering whether to follow the original plan to complete the entire journey, we arrived at Kun Gate. "Kun" is one of the eight trigrams in the Book of Changes, composed of three broken yin lines. In the family, it represents the mother. Among the six qi, it belongs to "Taiyin." In nature, it represents the fertile land nurturing all things. In terms of direction, it resides in the southwest. On the Jufeng sightseeing loop line, it is located exactly to the southwest of Jufeng. The fog in the valley wasn't obvious, the clarity of the stream water made one want to linger and play. I saw a lively little frog. This year's winter in Laoshan came too late. Before coming, I consulted several friends, who all said Laoshan has many forked paths, best to have a local friend from Qingdao along. We were very cautious, using GPS to prevent getting lost. Even so, we still greeted passersby on the road to ask for directions, fearing to lose our way. Having communicated with the agritainment owner early in the morning, we were supposed to have dinner at her place at 9:30 PM. We arrived almost right on time. I told everyone: "Coming to Laoshan, I've also gained some spiritual energy. There's guidance in the unseen. Departing an hour later was the predetermined time." The road before reaching the fishing village passed through the coastal highway, and before that, over the Jiaozhou Bay Cross-Sea Bridge. The Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is 41.58 kilometers long, the longest cross-sea bridge in the world today, opened to traffic in June this year. Perhaps due to the night and unfamiliarity, the most wonderful feeling was when the car entered the bridge, seeing the navigation system indicating we were driving over the sea, suddenly creating an unreal sensation, as if in space, or on the sea surface, seemingly losing Earth's gravity, only thinking of the beautiful and unusual experience. The trip to Laoshan was planned since returning from Mount Qinling in June, but combined with reality, besides the weather, there were also human factors delaying the outcome. Just last Friday before gathering, I almost gave up the trip. Suddenly receiving a call from home with an urgent matter to handle, everyone waited for me, delaying the departure by an hour. Thankfully, the distance wasn't too far, plus Bai Maofeng's excellent driving skills, it took over 3 hours to reach the agritainment fishing village I had pre-booked. In fact, thinking about it, every place we visit always leaves some regrets, perhaps just like each departure when looking back saying, "I will come back again." From the accommodation environment, it was quite nice, with Korean electric heated beds, air conditioning in the hall, indoor bathrooms, solar panels, and a tidy environment, hard to associate with a fishing village if it weren't daytime. Approximately after driving for nearly 45 minutes, we reached Dayuhe East, following the valley, the first place we arrived at was called Confusing Gorge. Clear streams flowed over low rocks with a gurgling sound, immediately reminding me of the streams on Taibai Mountain, clear and cool. Different is that the air on Laoshan was not only humid but also warm. The fog that day was much heavier than we expected, but the weather forecast hadn't mentioned fog. Dui Gate: The road to Dui Gate is called "Self-reliance Road." Self-reliance Road comes from the image transmission of the Qian trigram in the Book of Changes: "Heaven moves vigorously, and the gentleman strives ceaselessly." "Dui" is also one of the eight trigrams in the Book of Changes, composed of two yang lines supporting a single yin line. In the family, it represents the youngest daughter. In the weather, it belongs to Shaoyin. In terms of direction, it represents the west. The above text feels like an advertisement inserted, just because I feel that arriving at a place first brings a collision of the soul. --------------------------- After dinner, everyone went to their respective rooms without mention. The next morning at 6 AM, breakfast finished, the agritainment owner had already arranged a minivan for us, taking us dozens of kilometers to Dayuhe East. In the early morning, the sea could be seen clearly, along with the small islands in the sea. According to the driver's introduction, those small islands are rented out individually for abalone and sea cucumber farming. The residents of Laoshan District almost don't work outside; fishing and tea have made their lives quite affluent. This picture shows the years when several major revolutions occurred, the specifics of which I didn't understand, please translate into English for me, Miss Mo. For the entire morning, we were traveling through thick fog. At a resting place, Bai Maofeng said, "Come take a look at the sea, you can hear the sound of the waves." Everyone went over to look afar, but actually, no one knew where the sea was. As for the sounds, who knows if it was the wind through the treetops or the crashing waves against the shore. Such weather is common in this season on Laoshan. When the north wind arrives, the haze will dissipate. But with a graceful turn of the south wind blending with the north wind, the fog at this time is fresh and clean, just that every passerby inevitably gets soaked. On the road, we encountered several local hikers from Qingdao, all lone wanderers. Asking them, they said Laoshan has only a few roads, memorizing them makes it not difficult. That's true, sometimes difficulties are exaggerated after hearing about them, then abandoned without trying sincerely. Therefore, I admire Bai Maofeng for this—willing to use his brain to solve difficulties and questions rather than blindly following others, acting within his capabilities and doing everything with heart. There's such a passage in the book: Suddenly, a guest said, "Bathed in the moonlight you have bestowed, we drink silently! Why not call upon Chang'e?" He then threw his chopsticks towards the moon. A beauty emerged from the light, initially not more than a foot tall, but when she touched the ground, she became equal in height to a person. With a slender waist and elegant neck, she danced gracefully in a costume resembling the celestial robes. Then she sang, "Fairy-like, shall I return? Or confine me to the palace of the Moon Goddess!" ------------------------ Speaking of Wang Sheng from the book, who came to Laoshan to learn Dao, originally unable to endure the hardship of chopping firewood, it was after peeping at his master's entertainment that he decided to stay. Thus, Wang Sheng persisted for over three months, but the master still hadn't taught him any magic. Wang grew anxious: "Your disciple has worked for many days, please teach me a small trick, so this trip isn't wasted." The Taoist asked, "What skill do you seek?" Wang replied, "Every time I see Master walk through walls effortlessly, teaching me this skill would suffice." The Taoist laughed and agreed. He then imparted the secret, ordering Wang to chant himself, completed, he called out, "Go through it!" Faced with the wall, Wang hesitated and didn't dare to enter. Again the Taoist said, "Try entering it." Calmly, Wang stepped forward, and when he reached the wall, he was blocked. The Taoist said, "Lower your head and rush in, don't hesitate!" Wang moved a few steps away from the wall, ran forward and entered. It felt empty as if there was nothing, turning back, he was indeed outside the wall. Overjoyed, he thanked the Taoist. The Taoist said, "Upon returning, maintain cleanliness, otherwise it won't work." And thus provided funds, sending him home. (Book text) Photographs by Bai Maofeng. The sea of clouds on Mount Laoshan. "Wall-penetrating technique" is merely a fable in Strange Stories. This is Shuangfu Mountain, fortunately, when we arrived, the sea of clouds drifted past in waves, revealing briefly. Ten years ago, I visited Qingdao, it was National Day, a group of unmarried young people together, also reached Mount Laoshan, but returned halfway. Remember walking a lot, reaching the pier, May Fourth Square, and the moored military ships, it was then that I experienced seasickness, other impressions weren't very deep. The dinner at the agritainment still held its allure. Due to the heavy fog, we didn't see clearly, or perhaps there were places we didn't reach, but judging by memory, we saw the layout of a few gates. However, it can be imagined that the layout of the Laoshan summit aligns perfectly with ancient philosophical culture. Kan Gate: The road to Kan Gate is called "Bright Road." To the left, this towering peak is called "Danlu Peak." The gate on the north side of the peak is the Kan Gate. "Kan" is one of the eight trigrams in the Book of Changes, located in the exact north. Its symbol is composed of two yin lines enclosing a single yang line in the middle. In the family, it represents the second son. Walking on the mist-covered mountain path, the mood is gentle. Wild fruits fallen among the dry grass by the roadside make us stop. Initially, Bai Maofeng picked some, claiming they were hawthorns. Hearing the name hawthorn, my mouth started watering with sourness. I said, "I don't eat sour things!" After walking for half a day, he hadn't caught up, it turned out he was picking wild hawthorns again. "How good can they be? Let me try." I reached out to beg for some, and he generously handed me a few. They smelled fragrant and tasted soft and glutinous, "I want more, I want more..." The taste was truly delicious! In just a short while, we descended the stairs, ultimately unable to reach Yixiantian, the iron rope bridge, and the Supreme Palace due to extremely low visibility. By the time Wang Sheng eagerly returned home, engaged in network marketing, boasting to his wife about encountering immortals, now even solid walls couldn't stop him. His wife sneered disbelievingly, so he mimicked his actions on Laoshan, only to crash into the wall and fall, swelling a large lump on his head.