The altitude of Yefu Mountain is not high, but in my mind it is the highest mountain in the world. It is the hometown where I was born and raised.
I was born half a century ago in the small mountain village called Simenkou. As the name suggests, there is a very famous temple there, which is the "actual Zen temple" built in the Tang Dynasty, also known as "Yefu Temple". "Temple", the village is only a hundred steps away from the Zen temple, and it is a veritable entrance to the temple. The mountain spring water flowing down from Yefu Mountain has nourished the eminent monks in the temple for thousands of years, and has also nourished generations of my ancestors. Naturally, I am familiar with the legends about Yefu Mountain that have been passed down from generation to generation for thousands of years.
The historical picture slowly unfolds to about 2,500 years ago. Ou Yezi, a famous sword-smithing master in the Spring and Autumn Period, visited famous mountains and rivers across the country, opened sword-making altars in more than 20 places, and successively cast swords into generals. , Moye, Longyuan, Chunjun, Yuchang, Juque, Tai'a, Gongbu, Zhanlu and Xuanyuan ten famous swords. Among them, the rare famous swords Ganjiang, Moye and Longyuan swords were made here. Yefu The mountain also got its name.
The highest peak of Yefu Mountain is Oufeng, also known as Tushita Peak. The top of the mountain is shrouded in clouds and mist all year round and has beautiful scenery. There is a Longquan at the top. The spring water is clear and dry despite drought. When Ou Yezi traveled here, he discovered that the mountain The ancient trees were so tall that they cut down firewood to burn charcoal and used Longquan water to make China's first iron sword, the Longyuan Sword, which was the first cold weapon in China. There is a poem from the Song Dynasty about Yefu Mountain: The temple is remote and the stream flows into it, and the hall is empty and you can wander around. Human nature is in the upper realm, and the Buddhist country is beautiful in the Mid-Autumn Festival. Therefore, the dragon and tiger are hidden in the iron, and the bullfighting is shot from the corner of the eye. I miss the swordsman and conquer the princes of Chu. The poem praises the long-standing sword-making culture of Yefu Mountain. There are still ruins of sword-testing stones and sword-making ponds in the mountain. The sword-testing stone and the sword-making pool face each other from a distance, like a huge flying stone, with sword marks vaguely visible on the stone. The water in the Sword Pond is clear and clear, and it has not dried up after a long drought. The most surprising thing is the two hackberry trees in front of the pond. There is a poem praising it: Mo Xie, the general, forged a divine sword, and a pair of mandarin ducks fell by the pond. Transformed into two lovers' trees, they have weathered the wind and rain for thousands of years. There are two ponds in the center of our village. They are in the same line and separated by a ridge. When the flash flood breaks out in spring, they look like one pond. After the water recedes, they are completely different. One pond is turbid and the other is crystal clear. The turbid water has a warm temperature and the clear water It's amazing how cold it is to the bone. It's been passed down through the ages. It is said that Ganjiang Moye once forged a large number of iron swords for the King of Wu in this village. They were quenched in a turbid pool and cooled in a clear pool before the iron swords were completed. Then the Ganjiang Moye pool was left behind, and the beautiful love story about Ganjiang Moye has been passed down from generation to generation. According to legend, it has been passed down to this day.
Legend has it that Mo Xie, a go-getter, forged a sword for the King of Wu on Yefu Mountain for several days. However, the molten iron in the sword-making furnace could not be melted, and the sword could not be made. Mo Xie, a go-getter, knew that a sword could not be made in one day, and the King of Wu would not be able to make it. Not wanting to let the couple go, Gan Jiang Mo Xie jumped into the furnace and the sword was cast, hence the name Gan Jiang Mo Xie Sword.
Swords were first made of bronze and have always been a symbol of power, identity and status in ancient times. They were also an important weapon in ancient China. Yefu Mountain is located in Lujiang County, Hefei City, where there is the nationally famous Lunan Iron Mine. The long-standing sword-making culture of Yefu Mountain is naturally inseparable from the rich iron ore resources here.
The mysterious sword legends in Yefu Mountain have been torturing my childhood. The most played game we played in my childhood was to find the magical sword on Yefu Mountain. At that time, Yefu Mountain was under the jurisdiction of the county state-owned nursery. There was a high wall around the nursery and a tall circular arch. The monkey children in our village could easily climb over the wall and enter. I always felt that at that time The people here are still kind-hearted, and there is no glass shard on the fence. All the big children in the village can imitate the heroes of Liangshan and walk fast on the fence. Only a few little kids and I looked at the wall and sighed, so we had to walk through the flowing water. It crawled like a dog into the culvert. There is a large grove of fir trees on Yefu Mountain. The fir trees are soaring into the clouds and hugging each other. The nursery workers collect fir seeds every year, so the fir forest is kept extremely clean and it became our childhood paradise. Da Mao and Xiao Lin are the leaders of the children, each holding a wooden or bamboo sword in their hands. They lead a large group of children to look for swords in the mountains every day, and the mysterious sword is naturally It has never appeared, but occasionally shines in my dreams. In fact, I have never returned empty-handed. In that era of material scarcity, Yefu Mountain gave us greedy children endless delicacies. Thinking about it now still makes me drool.
The bunches of wild strawberries are as shiny as agate, sour and sweet; the bunches of purple mulberries are purple and black, filling your mouth with saliva; the handfuls of red hawthorns are appetizing and healthy; the most popular ones are The mountain chestnuts in that area are fragrant when eaten raw, and are sweet and floury when cooked; and the wild persimmons, which have many seeds but little flesh, thick and astringent skin, are eaten year after year with grinning teeth but fail to satisfy them every time; the most unpalatable thing is the full-bodied persimmons. The sugary pears from the tree were astringent and naturally became the reward for the loser when playing games. It was probably the most unpalatable thing I have ever eaten. I looked at the ugly eating appearance of my companion with gloating.
Yefu Mountain is known as the Little Jiuhua in the north of the Yangtze River, and its long-standing Buddhist culture is famous at home and abroad. According to legend, Taizu of the Song Dynasty once bestowed the "actual Zen temple" at the foot of the mountain, and the "Fuhu Temple" on the top of the mountain was built in the first year of Guanghua of Emperor Zhaozong of the Tang Dynasty (898). It is said that in ancient times, in the Huangtun area of ??Lujiang County, a family gave birth to a strange-looking, blind child. The parents thought he was a monster, so they abandoned him. A tiger happened to pass by and took the child into a hole. She had big breasts and dug out spring water with her tiger claws. The spring water improved eyesight and cured the child's eyes. When the child grew up, he was inseparable from the tiger. He built a temple on Yefu Mountain and taught Buddhist scriptures. This incident was known to Emperor Zhaozong of the Tang Dynasty, Li Ye, who specially named him "Xiaoci Fuhu Zen Master", hence the name of "Fuhu Temple". To this day, there are still places of interest such as Fuhu Cave, Huping Spring, Xihudun, and Baoen Temple on the mountain. Buddhism believes that after the death of a great monk, the relics can be obtained. The relics refer to the body that lasts for a long time, always retains its original shape and is lifelike. It is indeed a great miracle that several masters from Miaoshan and Guoan on Yefu Mountain have finally achieved enlightenment and have now become Buddhas in gold. A poet of the Qing Dynasty praised Fu Mountain and said: The tallest mountain has the highest peak, and the wild mountain is half hidden in the sky. I have to leave the forbidden land to stay as a monk, and the infinite smoke catches the evening bell. The bells of ancient temples sound like a crouching tiger, and the moon reflected in the empty pond hides a dragon. The pines and bamboos beside the temple are so green, you can pick up flowers and smile there.
There are also many myths and stories spread on Yefu Mountain, which add to the mystery of Yefu Mountain. It is said that Guanyin Empress once devoted herself to cultivating Taoism here and spread it all over the world. Pilgrims often came here to ask for a son. Every request was answered, a boy was given to him, and a girl was given to her. Her reputation spread far and wide, and the number of pilgrims increased greatly. It was very popular for a while, and her reputation was beautiful It is said to send children to Guanyin. According to legend, the Goddess Guanyin lives in a cave on the top of a mountain. The door of the cave opens and closes as naturally as if it were born in heaven every day. She distributes divine water in front of the cave to cure eye diseases and save people from suffering from water and fire. This is truly a sign of great mercy. Guanyin saw that the people in the lower world were in dire straits, so he set up a large copper pot in front of the actual Zen temple at the foot of the mountain and gave porridge to all sentient beings. According to his grandfather, the porridge in the pot could never be filled. When I was a boy, I was short of food and couldn't eat enough. Naturally, I was very interested in the whereabouts of that magical copper pot. I often asked my grandfather about the whereabouts of the copper pot. My grandfather always shook his head and said that the big copper pot had long been there. Flying to Chaohu Lake. It is said that because the porridge in the copper pot was inexhaustible, people from all over the world did not think about farming, and more and more people were filling the porridge. One day, a young monk was squeezed into the pot. Guanyin was so angry that she could not come out of seclusion. To this day, the Guanyin Gate still remains on the mountain, and the big copper pot disappeared. The little grandpa warned us not to be lazy or greedy. A happy life can only be created by our own hard-working hands. It is said that there was once a Heavenly Book left on Yefu Mountain, and there is still a huge stone-engraved Heavenly Book left on the mid-level pavilion, but no one can open it and look at it anymore.
Having lived at the foot of the mountain for a long time, I often wandered alone in the mountains, enjoying the unique and beautiful scenery on Yefu Mountain. Covered in bamboo groves, towering ancient trees, gurgling streams, lingering in the sound of Buddha, bathed in the singing of birds and the fragrance of flowers, it seems as if you are far away from the world, getting closer and closer to yourself. There are eight scenic spots in Yefu Mountain: Yefu Qinglan, a panoramic view of the lake, dragon pond reflecting the moon, tiger cave chanting the wind, towering Tushita, loud drums and clear thunder, hundred-foot pines, and spring flower rain. My favorites are Sanchun Huayu and Yefu Qinglan. Every spring, Yefu Mountain is full of red azaleas, clusters of them, as bright as clouds, which is pleasing to the eye and makes you forget to leave. When I am in the sea of ??flowers, I often regret that I can't be that fluttering butterfly and stay in this beautiful mountain forever. The most beautiful scenery in Yefu Mountain is naturally Yefu Qinglan. After the first rain, the clouds and mist on Yefu Mountain flicker in and out, like a fairyland. Climb up to the Wangjiang Tower to see the verdant peaks and mountains, which are so beautiful. The modern poet You Yefushan left this poem: It is the third spring, and we are looking for beauty and beauty. Climb Yefu again and cross the secluded path. The cuckoos are red in the sound of the rules, and the mountains and hills are green and clear. The tiger cave sings the wind, and the dragon pond reflects the moon. The clear rhyme is spread over hundreds of feet by the pines. If you want to find Yezi to cast a sword, the sword pool is as clear as a mirror. The beautiful scenery of Yefu adds to the poetic charm.
Yefu Mountain is a natural forest park with particularly rich vegetation resources.
In fact, there used to be three zelkova trees in front of the Zen temple. They have survived thousands of years of war and have remained untouched. Three or four people need to hug the tree. It is said that students rushing to take exams will surely pass the high school if they circle around the zelkova trees before going to Beijing to take exams. There are many tall bent willows beside Wan Gong Pond. Their branches are half in the water and half on the bank. They have gone through many vicissitudes but have outstanding grace. In addition to bamboo forests, pine trees, seas of azaleas, thousand-year-old beech trees, and century-old acacias, there are also many tall maple and poplar trees on Yefu Mountain. In autumn, the mountains are covered with red leaves, which is a spectacular sight. There are many rare medicinal materials under the forest, such as Polygonum multiflorum, Schisandra chinensis, honeysuckle, peppermint, Acanthus vine, etc., and there are many medicines whose names I don't know. Someone in the village was bitten by a poisonous snake, and his feet were swollen and shiny. Grandpa used herbs from the mountains to cure him. But I only recognized simple medicines such as plantain and platycodon, which magically can cure earth snakes. I had forgotten about the herbs.
Yefu Mountain has beautiful mountains and beautiful waters. The gurgling stream flows all year round, nourishing the flowers, plants and trees in the mountain. The dense forest has naturally become a paradise for birds. There are many gray magpies, white-headed owls, woodpeckers, and orioles in the mountains. In particular, the song of the thrush is gentle and low-pitched, lingering and pathos, like the sound of nature. When you go to the mountains to play, you can always meet these cute elves jumping and singing on the branches, tirelessly. Occasionally, a colorful pheasant will fly up in the forest, or a hare will pop out of nowhere and jump into the grass in the blink of an eye, disappearing without a trace, leaving only tourists on the mountain trail. Feeling disappointed.
Although Yefu Mountain has gone through many vicissitudes, with the development of tourism, Yefu Mountain is like a phoenix spreading its wings and soaring over the Jianghuai land. Fuhu Temple and Shishi Zen Temple have been destroyed and restored many times over thousands of years, and are attracting guests from all over with their eternal charm. The newly developed scenic spot Qifeng Valley winds past the entrance of the temple, with white walls and black tiles, quiet and peaceful, like a paradise. The water in Ganjiang Moye Pond is as clear as a mirror, with willows, green trees and red flowers complementing each other. What’s more, the rippling blue waves on Qixing Lake, the blooming pink lotus flowers, and the small bridges and flowing water are all natural, attracting countless people who come here for leisure and sightseeing to take photos.
Not long ago, the third Yefu Sword Cultural Activity Week and the Eastern Provincial Capital City Swordsmanship Invitational Tournament were successfully held at Yefu Mountain Sword Casting Square. Fencing athletes from all over the country cast swords in Yefu Mountain They held swords and danced to show off their skills in the square, leaving beautiful scenery of the beautiful Yefu Mountain.
Although I have left my hometown long ago and have traveled to many famous mountains and rivers, no matter where I wander, Yefu Mountain is the highest mountain in my mind. Yefu Mountain is the seat of my soul. In this life, I am destined to look at it without getting tired of it! In my dreams, it has appeared thousands of times in a beautiful posture!