https://sg.trip.com/moments/detail/hangzhou-14-121086771/
MARIAH THORNTON

Traveling through 1500 years, I set foot into the Eastern Jin Dynasty on foot

The Buddhism of Mount Tianmu was introduced during the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and at its peak, there were more than 50 temples and monasteries on the mountain, with over a thousand monks. The ancient path shown in this group of pictures was built by monks over the generations using cobblestones. This path, from the Chanyuan Temple to the Xianren Peak of the Western Tianmu, which is 1506 meters above sea level, is paved with stones, with stone steps constructed in steep areas. This is my second time walking this ancient path of a thousand years. Of course, both times I took the scenic area's shuttle bus up the mountain, then hiked over the hills and ridges down the mountain. Many people don't have a clear concept of an altitude of 1500 meters, so to give a comparison, the Beigaofeng peak in Hangzhou is 313.7 meters high, which means the Xianren Peak of the Western Tianmu is as high as five Beigaofeng peaks stacked on top of each other. Therefore, those who want to walk this ancient path from the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the Tianmu Mountain scenic area, besides hikers, outdoor sports enthusiasts, and those who regularly keep fit, must first be mentally and emotionally prepared to challenge their physical limits, maintain a tenacious will, and be fully ready to endure the trouble of sore legs for a week after hiking up or down the mountain. The soreness might be so severe that you could have difficulty walking the next day. This is the challenge of an altitude of 1500 meters for those who don't exercise regularly... But I hope you can do it too! Still, proceed with caution! The first time I walked this ancient path, I found it novel. The second time, which is also this time, walking the path again, it felt like I had entered a Song dynasty painting. With the gentle breeze, expansive views, towering mountains, lush forests, chaotic stone paths, moss and lichen on the high-altitude ancient rocks, it was like a series of ancient paintings coming into view. Time seemed to travel under my feet, and this feeling was quite wonderful. Now I finally understand that the ancients' paintings were not imaginative but a realistic depiction of what they saw... Hangzhou Lin'an Tianmu Mountain Scenic Area·Western Tianmu Thousand-Year Ancient Path,
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*Created by local travelers and translated by AI.
Posted: Apr 14, 2024
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