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List Of Mythical Chinese Mountains
Mythological mountains are an important motif in Chinese mythology and related mythologies. Some mountains are more mythological than others with some only having conjectural relations to real mountains. In some cases historical records indicate that explorers named newly charted mountains after mythological mountains; thus, sometimes real mountains were named after mythological mountains. For example, the identification of Kunlun kept moving west (when it was not stated to be in the south). In other cases, the mountains seem real enough, but a mythological or fictional layer or layers have been added to their description; for example, the stories told about the Flaming Mountains. Due to the features of Chinese vocabulary, syntax, and resulting translations, it is not clear whether a given "mountain" is one mountain, a mountain range, or merely a significant hill, though mythological exaggeration occurs. For example, some mountains are said to reach up into Heaven. Mountains or mythol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chinese Mythology
Chinese mythology () is mythology that has been passed down in oral form or recorded in literature in the geographic area now known as Greater China. Chinese mythology includes many varied myths from regional and cultural traditions. Much of the mythology involves exciting stories full of fantastic people and beings, the use of magical powers, often taking place in an exotic mythological place or time. Like many mythologies, Chinese mythology has in the past been believed to be, at least in part, a factual recording of history. Along with Chinese folklore, Chinese mythology forms an important part of Chinese folk religion. Many stories regarding characters and events of the distant past have a double tradition: ones which present a more historicized or euhemerized version and ones which present a more mythological version. Many myths involve the creation and cosmology of the universe and its deities and inhabitants. Some mythology involves creation myths, the origin of things, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flaming Mountains
The Flaming Mountains () or Huoyan Mountains, are barren, eroded, red sandstone hills in the Tian Shan of Xinjiang. They lie near the northern rim of the Taklamakan Desert and east of the city of Turpan. Their striking gullies and trenches caused by erosion of the red sandstone bedrock give the mountains a flaming appearance at certain times of the day. The mountains are approximately long and wide, crossing the Turpan Depression from east to west. The average height of the Flaming Mountains is , with some peaks reaching over . The mountain climate is harsh and the extremely high summer temperatures make this the hottest spot in China, frequently reaching or higher. One of the largest thermometers in China is on display adjacent to the mountain, tracking the surrounding ground temperatures. It is a popular tourist spot. A number of important palaeontological remains have been found in the area, see e.g. Lianmuqin Formation and Subashi Formation. Silk route In ancient times, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eight Pillars
The Eight Pillars also known as Eight Pillars of the Sky are a concept from Chinese mythology. Located in the eight cardinal directions, they are a group of eight mountains or pillars which have been thought to hold up the sky. They are symbolically important as types of ''axis mundi'' and cosmology. Their functions in mythology ranged from pillars which functioned to hold apart the Earth and the Sky (or Heaven), as ladders allowing travel between the two, and as the location of various paradises or wonderland with associated magical people, plants, and animals. The Eight Pillars are a central aspect to Chinese mythology, and also have been used extensively in poetic allusion. Some variations exist, such as only having four pillars. Places Various mythological geography is associated with the Eight Pillars, including the eight mountain pillars themselves along with surrounding or intervening terrain, such as the Moving Sands. The eight mountain pillars include Kunlun (mythology), Ku ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Feather Mountain
Feather Mountain () is one of many important mythological mountains in Chinese mythology, particularly associated with the Great Flood. According to the mythological studies of Lihui Yang, Gun was executed on the "outskirts" of Feather Mountain by Zhu Rong, either for stealing the xirang or for failing to control the flood waters. According to K. C. Wu, Emperor Shun exiled Gun to Feather Mountain for lèse-majesté, but that Gun was not executed; and, rather, that such accounts result from misunderstanding the meanings associated with the ancient Chinese character ''jí'' (殛), which appears in certain source works. Anthony Christie relays the following three mythic story versions: that on Feather Mountain, Gun was either killed by Zhu Rong, torn into pieces by tortoises and owls, or else that his lifeless-seeming body lay there for three years before being slashed open at the belly with the Wu sword, after which his son Yu emerged as a winged dragon and Gun himself metamorphosed ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Great Flood (China)
The Great Flood of Gun-Yu (), also known as the Gun-Yu myth, was a major flood in ancient China that allegedly continued for at least two generations, which resulted in great population displacements among other disasters, such as storms and famine. People left their homes to live on the high hills and mounts, or nest on the trees. According to mythological and historical sources, it is traditionally dated to the third millennium BCE, or about 2300-2200 BCE, during the reign of Emperor Yao. However, archaeological evidence of an outburst flood at Jishi Gore on the Yellow River, comparable to similar severe events in the world in the past 10,000 years, has been dated to about 1920 BCE (a few centuries later than the traditional beginning of the Xia dynasty which came after Emperors Shun and Yao), and is suggested to have been the basis for the myth. Treated either historically or mythologically, the story of the Great Flood and the heroic attempts of the various human charact ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tian Shan
The Tian Shan,, , otk, 𐰴𐰣 𐱅𐰭𐰼𐰃, , tr, Tanrı Dağı, mn, Тэнгэр уул, , ug, تەڭرىتاغ, , , kk, Тәңіртауы / Алатау, , , ky, Теңир-Тоо / Ала-Тоо, , , uz, Tyan-Shan / Tangritog‘, , also known as the Tengri Tagh or Tengir-Too, meaning the ''Mountains of Heaven'' or the ''Heavenly Mountain'', is a large system of mountain ranges located in Central Asia. The highest peak in the Tian Shan is Jengish Chokusu, at high. Its lowest point is the Turpan Depression, which is below sea level. One of the earliest historical references to these mountains may be related to the Xiongnu word ''Qilian'' ( zh, s=祁连, t=祁連, first=t, p=Qílián) – according to Tang commentator Yan Shigu, ''Qilian'' is the Xiongnu word for sky or heaven. Sima Qian in the ''Records of the Grand Historian'' mentioned ''Qilian'' in relation to the homeland of the Yuezhi and the term is believed to refer to the Tian Shan rather than the Qilia ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jade Mountain (mythology)
Jade Mountain () is a mythological mountain in Chinese mythology and the residence of The Queen Mother of the West. Place Jade Mountain should not be confused with any geographic places named Yushan. Also note, Jade Mountain and Feather Mountain () are both important places in Chinese mythology, but the Chinese word ''yu'' in both cases has a different character. It has been suggested that the mountain corresponds to a location in the Kunlun Mountains and that "jade mountain" is a common Chinese name to describe a snow-capped peak. Background Jade Mountain is mentioned in Chapter 2 of the Han Dynasty text ''Classic of Mountains and Seas'' as being the residence of the Queen Mother of the West. It is thought that Jade Mountain, along with the Queen Mother of the West, date back to much earlier; the 4th century BCE Zhuangzi also describes her residence as being on a mountain. See also * Kunlun Mountain: a mythical mountain, dwelling of various divinities, and fabulous plants and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xiwangmu
The Queen Mother of the West, known by various local names, is a mother goddess in Chinese religion and mythology, also worshipped in neighbouring Asian countries, and attested from ancient times. From her name alone some of her most important characteristics are revealed: she is royal, female, and is associated with the west. The first historical information on her can be traced back to oracle bone inscriptions of the 15th century BCE that record sacrifices to a "Western Mother". Even though these inscriptions illustrate that she predates organized Taoism, she is most often associated with Taoism. The growing popularity of the Queen Mother of the West, as well as the beliefs that she was the dispenser of prosperity, longevity, and eternal bliss, took place during Han dynasty, in the 2nd century BCE, when the northern and western parts of China were able to be better known because of the opening of the Silk Road. Names ''Queen Mother of the West'' is a calque of Xiwangmu in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kunlun Mountain (mythology)
The Kunlun () or Kunlun Shan is a mountain or mountain range in Chinese mythology, an important symbol representing the ''axis mundi'' and divinity. The mythological Kunlun is based on various sources — mythologic and geographic — of the modern so-called Kunlun Mountains of the Tibetan Plateau and Mount Kailash (as an archetypal ''omphalos''). The term "Kunlun" has also been applied to Southeastern Asian lands or islands and seemingly even Africa — although the relationship to the mountain is not clear beyond the nomenclature. In any case, Kunlun refers to distant, exotic, and mysterious places. Different locations of Kunlun have been ascribed in the various legends, myths, and semi-historical accounts in which it appears. These accounts typically describe Kunlun as the dwelling place of various gods and goddesses where fabled plants and mythical creatures may also be found. Many important events in Chinese mythology were based around Kunlun. Historical development As the my ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mount Buzhou
Mount Buzhou (不周山 lit. "Unrevolving Mountain") was an ancient Chinese mythological mountain which, according to old texts, lay to the northwest of the Kunlun Mountains, in a location today referred to as the Pamir Mountains. It is the mountain said to have supported the heavens, against which the Chinese water god Gonggong smashed his head in a fit of anger, requiring the goddess Nüwa to repair the sky. Nevertheless, once the spacer between the Earth and Sky was damaged, the land of China was permanently tilted to the southeast, causing all the rivers to flow in that same direction. In mythology The world was conceived as being divided into eight directional divisions, at each of which a mountain pillar supported the sky. Bu-zhou was the northwest one . In mythological geography, Buzhou Mountain was located near Jade Mountain . In poetry The mountain is mentioned in the ''Classic of Mountains and Seas'' and is a location mentioned by Qu Yuan in his classic poem ''Li Sao'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gong Gong
Gonggong () is a Chinese water god who is depicted in Chinese mythology and folktales as having a copper human head with an iron forehead, red hair, and the body of a serpent, or sometimes the head and torso are human, with the tail of a serpent. He is destructive and is blamed for various cosmic catastrophes. In all accounts, Gonggong ends up being killed or sent into exile, usually after losing a struggle with another major deity such as the fire god Zhurong. In astronomy, the dwarf planet 225088 Gonggong is named after Gonggong. Name In English, the two syllables of the name are the same. But in Mandarin, they differ in tone ( ''Gònggōng''), and in other Chinese languages they differ in their vowel and the initial consonant as well (cf. Middle Chinese , also Japanese ''kyōkō''). The most common variant of the name, , is identical to the first in English, but in Mandarin differs in tone (''Gōnggōng''), and in other Chinese languages in consonant and vowel as well (cf. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mount Penglai
Penglai () is a legendary land of Chinese mythology. It is known in Japanese mythology as Hōrai.McCullough, Helen. ''Classical Japanese Prose'', p. 570. Stanford Univ. Press, 1990. . Location According to the ''Classic of Mountains and Seas'', the mountain is located at the eastern end of Bohai Sea. According to the pre-Qin mythology which retells the legend of Xu Fu presenting a memorial to the Qin Emperor in order to seek for the elixir of life, there are three godly mountains which are found in the Bohai sea where immortals reside; these mountains are Penglai, Fāngzhàng (), and Yíngzhōu (/). Other islands where immortals reside are called Dàiyú () and Yuánjiāo (). In the ''Illustrated Account of the Embassy to Goryeo in the Xuanhe Era'' (; ''Xuanhe fengshi Gaoli tujing''), written in 1124 by Xu Jing (徐兢), Mount Penglai is located on an inhabited island which is found within the boundaries of Changguo prefecture and can be reached "after crossing thirty thousa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
