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Show Tai Shan, Sacred Mountain of the East 713 their resentment at the defacing of monuments. On esthetic grounds I quite agreed with them. However, if the Chinese Government is as lasting as the blue, its long existence is assured. At the head of a watercourse stands the Heavenly Teapot Tower, named from the thought that the heavens arch above it like the bulging form of a teapot. Near it is the pailou with the speaking title, "Where Horses Turn Back." Since the Pan Lu was laid with steps, centuries ago, horses have been of no use, but one pictures early pilgrims leaving their mounts at this point and facing the steep gorge ahead. A Grand View from Halfway House The steps now advance continuously, turning and twisting to master the contours of the rocky valley, until at the Halfway House one comes to a steep ridge dividing watercourses. To the west is the long valley of the Hwang Hsi Ho, the Yellow West River, which far below plunges into the Black Dragon Pool. To the east are the streams which flow into the Peach Orchard Glen. From a bench on the open platform of a teahouse, one revels in the wide sweep of view below and the abrupt heights above. A stone pailou called the Second Heavenly Gate marks this important stage in the ascent. Imperial memories attend the Snowflake Bridge, where a strong span swings across the Flying Cascade beside the great stone of the Royal Marquee. Hollowed in the rock are holes which, according to tradition, held the tent poles of the Sung Emperor Chen Tsung, who A.D. 1008 rested a night at this thrilling spot, listening to the thunder of the torrent. On the night of his descent, flares were set burning at intervals from summit to base. What a trail of light it must have been! Small wonder if the Chinese imagine that angels ascended and descended the ladder of light. That night was the climax of Tai Shan's his- Charles A. Jones Chair Bearers Pause for Tea at Second Heavenly Gate They measure Tai Shan by the energy required to climb it. This pailou, or memorial arch, they consider the halfway point up the Pilgrim Way, though it is actually almost the three-fifths mark. These men, drinking from handleless cups, are Mohammedans. They gladly carry Buddhists, Taoists, Confucianists, and Christians. To them Tai Shan is not holy; they mimic the cries of its priests (page 703). tory, for the taxpayers groaned under the expense of the imperial progress. The Pine Tree of Fifth Degree An earlier emperor has left a legend at the Pine Tree of Fifth Degree. It was no imperial silken tent, but a simple tree which sheltered from storm the great Chin Shih Huang Ti, uniter of China in one broad empire, builder of the Great Wall, and-unforgivable sin- burner of the Classic Books. Our word "China" comes from the name of his dynasty. Confucian historians have heaped obloquy |
