The Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms

Geography, Volume Twelve

Page Two

Illustration of Mount Luofu

original: "羅浮山圖" (Luofushan Tu). Mount Luofu is one of the most celebrated mountains in southern China, located in modern-day Huizhou, Guangdong Province. It is legendary in Taoism as the "Seventh Grotto-Heaven" and is famously associated with the 4th-century alchemist Ge Hong, who spent his final years here seeking the elixir of immortality.

Mount Luofu (羅浮山), The Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms (三才圖會), Geography (地理), Illustration (圖)

The accompanying woodcut illustration shows the mountain's dramatic peaks rising amidst swirling clouds and ancient pine trees. The foreground features undulating hills that may represent the "floating" nature of the mountain—legend tells that Mount Luofu was formed when Mount Fu drifted from the East Sea to join Mount Luo. This artistic style is characteristic of Ming Dynasty encyclopedias, which aimed to capture the "essence" of a location’s spiritual and physical landscape.