The five sacred mountains of the north, east, south, west, and center of China. The most famous of these is the Tai Shan mountain in Shantung. The mythical emperor Yao is said to have paid homage to them in 2346 BCE.
In Taoism, the island in the East China Sea believed to be inhabited by immortals (Xian). The island epitomizes bliss, because this is where the legendary mushrooms of immortality grow. Many expeditions were sent in search of the island but none was successful. The ships either capsized or was driven off in another direction, or the island itself sank into the sea before the very eyes of the crew.
A mountain range in Western China, believed to be a Taoist paradise. It is one of the ten continents and three islands in Taoist cosmology, and is said to be three (or nine) stories high. Whoever manages to climb to the top gains access to the heavens. It also extends three (or nine) stories below the Earth, thereby connecting the subterranean watery realm of the dead with the realm of the gods.
The first to visit this paradise was King Mu of Zhou. He discovered there the palace of Huang-di and erected a stone memorial. He was then received by the goddess Xi Wang-mu, the Royal Mother of the West, who has her abode in these mountains. The lakes found in the parks of Kun-lun City are plenished by yellow water known as cinnabar (tan). Whoever drinks it becomes immortal.
A little over two hundred years before our era, the first emperor of the Chin dynasty ascended the throne under the name of Shih Huang. This emperor was very cruel towards his subjects, forcing people from every part of the country to come and build the Great Wall to protect his empire. Work never stopped, day or night, with the people carrying heavy loads of earth and bricks under the overseers’ whips, lashes, and curses. They received very little food; the clothes they wore were threadbare. So it was scarcely to be wondered at that large numbers of them died every day. Read the rest of this entry »