A few months ago, a friend said he would take us to climb Mount Zijin. At that time, I only knew that Weishan County had a Zijing Township, but I didn't know that there was a mountain called Mount Zijin in Zijing Township, which is the highest peak in Weishan County and the origin of the name Zijing Township. We followed our friend to his colleague Xiao Zhou's hometown, Jinshaping, a village separated from Mount Zijin by only a ridge, and started our hiking journey from there.
We followed Xiao Zhou through a completely unfamiliar village, like fish on a hook, pulled by him across a slope covered with beggarticks. When we emerged from that grayish-brown sea, everyone, without exception, was covered in black prickles, even the little dog. As we were about to leave the village, we encountered a big yellow dog. Because we had a small dog named Hammer, the big dog followed us all the way, embarking on this arduous journey.
We passed the last abandoned white farmhouse on the outskirts of the village, gradually leaving the village behind. Along a winding and rugged narrow path, we entered the clear embrace of the wilderness. Appreciating the primitive rocks and trees became a rare respite, successfully diverting our attention and preventing fatigue from easily overwhelming us. But as for Mount Zijin, our friend laughed and said we had to cross the mountain we were currently on. Only when we could see the towering and majestic body of Mount Zijin could we truly begin the journey of climbing it. Little did we know that we had wandered for an hour and a half in the prelude to unveiling the true face of Mount Zijin. The dogs were already panting heavily, running with their tongues hanging out. The boy kept asking when we would arrive; the colorful stones at the top were his motivation to persevere.
Arriving at an open depression between the two mountains, the dogs were exhausted and collapsed on the ground. The mountain wind quickly penetrated our sweat-soaked clothes, and the biting cold urged us to move on. Seeing us get up, the dogs wasted no time and mustered their strength to run ahead.
At a bend in the mountain path where Mount Zijin came into view, our friend pointed to the huge mountain standing not far ahead. It was nearly 3:30 PM, and we had been hiking in the mountains for three and a half hours.
The Earth God Temple of Mount Zijin is built on a slope covered with ferns. In winter, the wild ferns have long withered, but in March and April, this place will once again be full of vitality, lush and verdant.
The closer we got to the summit, the steeper and more difficult the mountain path became. Some sections of the road became muddy and soft after the frost melted. Stepping on them, our soles immediately became thickly caked with mud, as if stuck in a swamp, making it hard to trudge.
The singing and dancing venue built on a spacious and open flat ground. Every year on the eighth day of the first lunar month, men and women, old and young from nearby villages rush here early in the morning to participate in the grand Mount Zijin Temple Fair, which is extremely lively.
Upon reaching the summit of Mount Zijin, we took a look at the unfamiliar mountains and rivers, and the dogs immediately lay down on the spot and didn't move.
Standing on the mountaintop, the Heihui River winding in the distant valley became a thin, shriveled earthworm, silently stretching into the unseen distance. We found a small path in the mountain, walked to the edge of the cliff, looked out at the farther Weishan Basin, then turned to another ridge to search for Cangshan and Zhemo Mountains. The strong wind at the summit carried a fierce chill, scattering the winter sunlight in the air, making it impossible to feel warmth. Those tall, silent rhododendrons were still hidden in their dark, rough calyxes like tree bark; only in another month would they usher in a season of brilliant purples and reds.
Mount Zijin is about 3,000 meters above sea level, the highest peak in Weishan County. It is named Mount Zijin because of the dense purple bamboo growing on the mountain and the abundant gold and antimony resources underground. There are several collapsed mine pits and piles of rubble at the summit, traces left by mining. The children searched for "gems" in the rubble piles, and the purple stones they dug up filled them with joy.
Descending the mountain became swift and easy. We mostly returned along the same path, but to avoid the sea of beggarticks we encountered on the way up, we chose another small path through a pine forest, finishing the return journey in just an hour and a half.
By the roadside, a highly protruding branch in the jungle caught our attention due to its peculiar shape. Among these shapes, we could easily recognize the forms of a white crane and a dragon's head. I wonder where the white crane perched on the tree trunk will fly?
A flower growing on the ground, without visible stems or leaves, with the flower directly connected to the root—a very rare species. Upon returning, I looked up information and learned that it is called yanghe (Zingiber striolatum), a wild vegetable with medicinal value.
