After Returning from Huangshan, No Need to See Other Pines
Huangshan's scenery is unrivaled under heaven, and the myriad forms of Huangshan pines play an indispensable role. Among the four wonders of Huangshan—'strange pines, fantastic rocks, sea of clouds, and hot springs'—the Huangshan pine rightfully occupies the first place, as the ancients said, 'The beauty of Huangshan begins with its pines.' Extending for hundreds of miles, every peak and valley is covered with pines. On August 7th, I climbed Huangshan for the second time, and the tall, uniquely graceful Huangshan pines accompanied us every step of the way.
The ten famous pines of Huangshan are the finest among them. There is some disagreement over exactly which ten pines make up the list; the commonly recognized ones include the Greeting Pine, Sea-Searching Pine, Crouching Dragon Pine, Black Tiger Pine, Round-Cushion Pine, Phoenix Pine (some say Unicorn Pine), Dragon-Claw Pine, Twin-Trumpet Pine, Gatcha Pine, and Peacock Pine. Having visited Huangshan twice, I have only seen a few of these ten: the Greeting Pine, Black Tiger Pine, Round-Cushion Pine, and Peacock Pine. It seems that to enjoy all ten is no easy task. Nevertheless, every Huangshan pine is uniquely beautiful; aside from the ten famous ones, the others are equally commendable and not inferior. In the past, someone compiled a 'Record of Famous Pines,' collecting many pines from Huangshan, including hundreds that could be named, each with its own distinct beauty and elegant bearing.
Ascending by cable car from Yuping Tower, the first famous pine I encountered was the Round-Cushion Pine. On a rock beside the path, a lush pine tree spread its verdant crown. The tree was not tall, but its branches were dense and twisted, with the crown spreading out flat, resembling a round cushion woven from rushes, hence its name. The Round-Cushion Pine is 2.12 meters high, with a crown of 10.5 × 9.7 meters, covering an area of 78 square meters. It was listed as the fifth of the nine famous pines in the Huangshan Annals of the eighth year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty. A poem by Ding Tingjian of the Qing Dynasty says: 'A three-foot pine with a twisted, tray-like trunk, iron branches spanning half a mu. One might suspect it's where the immortal Fuxi meditates, leaving behind a round cushion.' But such a cushion could only be imagined by the ancients; modern people would not think of it. The round cushions used by monks and Taoists for meditation have long disappeared from modern sight.
Continuing upward, from a large rock beside the path a pine tree stretched out with a dark green, twisting trunk, slightly leaning to one side, with one branch extending outward as if it were an ancient scholar bowing to bid farewell to a guest. Reading the sign next to the tree, I learned it was the Farewell Pine, 3.16 meters tall with a girth of 1.47 meters. This Farewell Pine is not the one recorded in ancient texts. According to documents, the earliest records of the Greeting Pine and Farewell Pine are in the 'Travelogue of Huangshan' written by Xu Chu of the Ming Dynasty in 1635, where they were called the Greeting and Farewell Pines. Due to natural factors, the Farewell Pine died in 1799, and the Greeting Pine died in 1832. The current Greeting and Farewell Pines on Huangshan were renamed in 1859 from other trees. That 1859 Farewell Pine also withered and died a few years ago due to old age. The Farewell Pine we see now is another ancient pine similar in spirit and form to the original, set against the same backdrop of Lotus Peak. In fact, every pine on Huangshan has its own unique charm; what it's called is not important—names are just a human invention. When the ancients selected pines, they not only named them but also composed poems. One poem goes: 'Standing alone on the peak overlooking the vast sea, travelers linger on the path beneath the pine. The wind sways the branches as if bowing farewell, hoping you will return another day.'
Upon reaching Yuping Peak, the iconic pine of Huangshan—the Greeting Pine—came into view. Its trunk stands straight, like a tall, elegant gentleman; one branch extends to the side, as if gracefully welcoming guests. The Greeting Pine once faced the brink of death. To protect this ancient famous pine, the Huangshan scenic area meteorological department set up a 'small environment meteorological factor automatic observation station' specifically for it, automatically providing data on wind speed, wind direction, temperature, humidity, and other factors around the pine, connected to the scenic area's automatic meteorological monitoring network. Special personnel guard it day and night, monitoring and recording daily. For over a decade, a single tree has been tended by a single person, with a dedicated meteorological observation station — a rare arrangement. After more than ten years of special care, the Greeting Pine grows vigorously and has entered a virtuous cycle. The endless stream of tourists in front of the Greeting Pine has also become a scene on Huangshan. We went up the mountain in the afternoon, going against the flow of people. When we reached Yuping Peak, there were few visitors, so we could fully enjoy the scenery and take photos. The next morning, when we left the Yuping Tower Hotel and headed toward the back mountain, we saw the Greeting Pine surrounded by layers of tourists. It was difficult to even take a solo photo with it. The children finally understood the purpose of the railing sign: 'Queuing area for photos with the Greeting Pine.' The railing was several meters long, allowing only one person to pass at a time.
On the afternoon of August 7th, we went from Yuping Tower to the foot of Tiandu Peak, but it was already late, so we didn't ascend. The next day, we set off from Yuping Tower on the front mountain and walked over ten kilometers to the Xihai Hotel on the back mountain. Along the way, the heroic postures of Huangshan pines accompanied us. We saw two of the ten famous pines: the Black Tiger Pine and the Peacock Pine, as well as non-famous ones like the Chessboard Pine, Unity Pine, and Umbrella Pine. These pines either stood tall by the cliffs, stood alone on peaks, hung upside down on precipices, wound along cliffs and ravines, bypassed rocks, or emerged through cracks in the stone. They grew where we thought it impossible to grow. Some hung, some crossed, some reclined, some rose—'no tree is not a pine, no rock lacks a pine, no pine is not extraordinary.' We were dazzled and marveled incessantly.
Checking online, I learned that the Huangshan pine is a variant of Chinese pine shaped by the unique topography and climate of Huangshan. It generally grows at elevations above 800 meters, on cliffs and rocks. The higher the altitude, the more peculiar the tree, thriving even at 1600 meters. After wind carries the seeds into granite, they germinate, take root, and grow. The pine roots continuously secrete an organic acid that slowly dissolves the rock, breaking down mineral salts for their use. Combined with decomposed nutrients from grass and leaves, the pines thrive in barren rock crevices. The Huangshan pine is characterized by its unique shape, short and dense needles, and a flat canopy like a lid—all shaped by its environment: due to rugged terrain and vertical cliffs, the pines cannot grow straight, so they grow twisted and in varied forms; to withstand storms and frost, the needles are short and thick, the crown is flat and sharp, and the color is deep green and vivid; due to strong winds and little sunlight, many pines only grow branches on the sunny side.
The harsh growing environment has not stifled the vitality of Huangshan pines; on the contrary, it has created their extraordinary beauty. Moreover, the deeper the mountains, the higher the peaks, the colder the air, and the more dangerous the rocks, the more unique the pines become. Adversity creates heroes, hardship shapes character—this is vividly embodied in the Huangshan pines. Therefore, some call the Huangshan pine the national tree of China, believing it embodies the indomitable spirit of the Chinese nation. After returning from Huangshan, one can henceforth look at no other pines.
September 30, 2007
