Looking at Mountains: The Five Great Mountains

Hu Axiang

When it comes to famous mountains in our country， the “Five Great Mountains” are probably the most renowned. Ming Dynasty geographer Xu Xiake once said， “Having ascended Mount Huang， one sees no other mountains; the view is ultimate.” Qing Dynasty scholar Sang Diao Yuan wrote a couplet： “After reading the Six Classics， one can hold a pen; after returning from the Five Great Mountains， one no longer looks at other mountains.” Combining these two sayings gives us the proverb： “After returning from the Five Great Mountains， one no longer looks at other mountains; after returning from Mount Huang， one no longer looks at the Great Mountains.”

Why are the “Five Great Mountains？”

The Five Great Mountains， why “Five，” not “Four” or “Six”？ Firstly， this should be linked to the ancient Chinese conceptualization of the five directions： east， west， south， north， and center. For example， the “Four Great Mountains” are all located around the boundaries of the Central Plains dynasties， serving a role similar to that of boundary markers. Since the territories of the Central Plains dynasties changed over time， so did the specific mountains referred to as the Five Great Mountains. The Western Han Dynasty identified the Five Great Mountains as Mount Tai in the east， Mount Hua in the west， Mount Heng in the south， Mount Heng in the north （a different Mount Heng）， and Mount Song in the center. Among them， Mount Heng in the south is also known as Mount Wan， which is todays Tianzhu Mountain in Anhui， and Mount Heng in the north refers to Mount Heng in central Hebei. During the Sui Dynasty， Mount Heng in Hunan was designated as the southern Great Mountain. By the Ming Dynasty， Mount Heng in the northern part of Shanxi was designated the Northern Great Mountain. This is how we have come to define the “Five Great Mountains” today.

The reason why people have passed down the saying “After returning from the Five Great Mountains， one no longer looks at other mountains” is that each of the Five Great Mountains possesses its own unique natural scenery and cultural charm. This is expressed in the common saying： Mount Tai is the most revered， Mount Heng （in Hunan） is the most elegant， Mount Hua is the most perilous， Mount Heng （in Hebei） is the most secluded， and Mount Song is the steepest. This is also highlighted in the commentary of the “Heroes of the Five Great Mountains” from the first season of The Chinese Place Name Convention， which I greatly admire. Next， lets tell the stories of the “Five Great Mountains” using these five pieces of commentary as a guide.

Mount Tai is Called “the Eldest Brother”

As the eldest brother， it is not admired simply because of its height. From the Eighteen Bends to the South Heavenly Gate， life is full of twists and turns， and upon looking back， everything is but fleeting clouds and smoke. The Fengshan Grand Ceremony bestows upon them supreme honor， but it doesnt necessarily rewrite those lives as light as a feather. At Jade Emperor Peak， Mount Tai stands unrivaled among the Five Great Mountains. I am Mount Tai. Understanding the profound meaning of this name and the mission of the eldest son is my answer.

The so-called eldest brother， the firstborn son， is the profound meaning behind the name Mount Tai. Mount Tai， also known as Taishan， signifies a great mountain. Mount Tai is also named Dai Zong， with “Zong” meaning the mountain that all other mountains look up to. Hence， Mount Tai is acclaimed as “unrivaled among the Five Great Mountains.” This lofty status of being “unrivaled among the Five Great Mountains” is also related to the origin of the name “Dai” and the history of the Fengshan Grand Ceremony. “Dai” refers to Mount Tai being “the mountain for announcing the change of dynasties，” with “dai” （代）， meaning generation or dynasty， added to “shan” （山）， mountain， forming “Dai” （岱）.

In ancient times， after a new dynasty replaced an old one， the emperor （the Son of Heaven） needed to offer sacrifices to Heaven， an act known as “announcing the change of dynasties.” Because of the need to “announce the change of dynasties，” emperors would often go to Mount Tai for sacrificial ceremonies， and some emperors， believing they had accomplished great deeds， would even hold the Fengshan Grand Ceremony. “Feng” （封） denotes the act of offering sacrifices to Heaven atop Mount Tai， while “Shan” （禪） signifies the ceremony of paying tribute to the Earth at Mount Liangfu， nestled at the base of Mount Tai. This reflects the ancient Chinese belief in “One Heaven， one Son of Heaven， and the people.” The Son of Heaven is mandated by Heaven and， therefore， must offer sacrifices to Heaven; The Son of Heaven cannot be separated from the people， the land， and food， and therefore， must offer sacrifices to Earth. In ordinary years， sacrificial ceremonies to Heaven and Earth could be held in the capital city. Hence， ancient capitals had the Temple of Heaven and the Altar of Soil and Grain. “She” （社） refers to the land， and “Ji” （稷） refers to grain. But in significant years， to express special reverence， the Son of Heaven would go to Mount Tai， where “one can overlook all the other small mountains，” to hold the Fengshan Grand Ceremony.

Regarding Mount Tai， theres also an interesting story. In 725 CE， Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty held a Fengshan Ceremony at Mount Tai， appointing Zhang Shuo， the Minister of the Central Secretariat， as the official in charge of the ceremony. Zhang Shuo took this opportunity to promote his son-in-law， Zheng Yi， from a ninth-rank official to a fifth-rank official. When Emperor Xuanzong discovered how quickly Zheng Yi had been promoted， he asked what merits Zheng Yi had achieved. Zheng Yi was left speechless and extremely embarrassed. One of the ministers present quickly intervened， saying， “His strength is akin to Mount Tai.” From then on， people began to refer to the father-in-law as “Mount Tai.”

Hengshan is known as the “Little Sister”

Among the Five Sacred Mountains， Hengshan， the “Little Sister，” has perhaps the most poetic name origin： I resemble a balance scale， weighing Heaven and Earth， hence named Hengshan. At the Yuelu Academy， beneath the Aiwan Pavilion， listening to the recitation of poems and smelling the faint scent of ink， it feels as if a thousand years pass in the blink of an eye， gracefully yet richly.

Hengshan， as a mountain range， starts in the south with Hengyangs Huiyan Peak and extends north to Changshas Yuelu Mountain. In astronomical terms， Hengshan resembles the line connecting the Tianji star and the Yuheng star in the Big Dipper. Geographically， it looks like a balance scale， weighing both the Earths mass and moral values， hence its name， Hengshan.

Hengshan stands majestically in the southern lands， next to the Xiang River. Compared to the other “Four Peaks，” its scenery is stunning， with a gentle charm， like a delightful young maiden.

The “Lone Swordsman” is Huashan

Since ancient times， theres only one path up Huashan. My attitude， my way， has always been singular. Be it unique rocks or perilous peaks， its not about being different but fearless uniqueness. You can ask my name. From afar， I look like a flower; “Huashan （華山）” is the Flower Mountain （花山）. “Hua （花）” means flower; “Hua （华）” is an ancient character， while “flower” is a more recent one. Thus， both “Hua” and “flower” are interchangeable. The southern， eastern， and western peaks of Huashan form a shape resembling a blossoming lotus in the sky. “Huashan is the Flower Mountain” reveals the origin of its name. In the Northern Wei Dynasty， Li Daoyuans Water Classic Commentary quotes the Classic of Mountains and Seas， saying， “It rises 5，000 ren and appears square from a distance， resembling a flower.”

The “Last General” Hengshan guards the Heavenly Pass

Holding the natural fortress and strategic pass， the “Last General” stands on this battleground， shoulder to shoulder with countless famous generals. Great generals like Li Mu， Li Guang， Xue Rengui in his white robe， and Yang Liulang have praised its military might， calling it the “Pillar between Heaven and Man” and the “Famed Mountain of the Great Barrier.” Yet， Guanzi said， “Consistency is the way of Heaven.” Peace and tranquility are the ultimate ideals of the Last General.

Historically， the Hengshan area often saw the flames of war. Hengshan， acting as a massive barrier， stretches between the Mongolian Plateau and the Central Plains， its duty being to prevent nomadic tribes from invading the Central Plains. This is the meaning behind its titles： “Pillar between Heaven and Man” and “Famed Mountain of the Great Barrier.” Its name， Hengshan， is also derived from its position spanning from east to west.

Another theory for the name is that Hengshan is located in the cold northern regions， and the consistent cold in the north is a natural law， “the way of Heaven，” hence the name Hengshan.

The “High Monk” Songshan witnesses the vicissitudes

Song stands tall among the peaks， reaching the heavens. I am the central peak， Songshan. The character “Song” naturally means a grand mountain. Beyond its majestic form， my martial prowess is unparalleled ––  in the martial world， who hasnt heard “All martial arts originate from Shaolin？” For centuries， Ive been at the center of the Five Sacred Mountains， overlooking the vast Central Plains with its turbulent history. Many emperors have lingered here， and countless ancient capitals have stood the test of time.

Liu Xi of the Eastern Han Dynasty wrote in “Name Explanations” that “a mountain that is large and tall is called Song.” The greatness of Songshan is not just in nature but also in culture. Songshan， long revered as the “Center of Heaven and Earth，” is surrounded by ancient cities like Luoyang， Kaifeng， and Zhengzhou. It has witnessed countless historical changes. On Songshan， theres the Shaolin Temple， the Daoist sacred site of Zhongyue Temple， and the Songyang Academy that promotes Neo-Confucianism. Buddhism， Daoism， and Confucianism coexist harmoniously here. The Dengfeng “Center of Heaven and Earth” historical architectural complex， which includes these and many other sites， was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010 as a World Cultural Heritage site.

The “Eldest Brother” Taishan， the “Little Sister” Hengshan， the “Swordsman” Huashan， the “Last General” Hengshan， and the “High Monk” Songshan， the Five Sacred Mountains showcase five faces and five legends！ This is the allure of Chinas famous mountains and the brilliance behind their names. Understanding this allure and brilliance lets one appreciate the sentiment， “The benevolent love mountains.”

The “If Place Names Could Speak” Series uses place names as clues， expressing through the culture of these names and vividly showcasing Chinas diverse geography， ancient history， and rich culture. It promotes， in various forms and dimensions， the values of tracing roots， filial piety， longing for peace， and the spirit of perseverance found in Chinese traditional culture.

“If Place Names Could Speak” Series： The Story of my Hometowns Name

Edited by Hu Axiang

Written by Hu Xiaobai

21st Century Publishing House

April 2023

38.00 （CNY）

Hu Axiang

Hu Axiang is a professor at the Department of Chinese History， School of History， Nanjing University， doctoral supervisor， head of the Ancient Chinese History Program， member of the Historical Geography Committee of the Geographical Society of China and the vice president of the Chinese Wei， Jin， Northern and Southern Dynasties History Society.