Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms

Geography, Volume 13

...the summit is hollow; its height is unknown, but its expanse is wide enough to seat three thousand people. On this terrace, there is a depression shaped like a cauldron original: 坎如鑊 (kan ru huo). A "huo" was a large iron cooking pot or tripod. filled with swirling water that neither recedes during droughts nor overflows during heavy rains. The water divides into three branches that pour down from mid-air: one branch flows east to become the Nakdong River The longest river in South Korea., one flows south to become the Geum River, and one flows west and then north to become the Dal Stream A tributary that eventually joins the Han River., which enters the base of Geumcheon Mountain.

Below the mountain are sites known by the names Eight Bridges and Nine Distances. The banks of the mountain streams are winding and spacious; looking from one point to the next, the distances are so vast that one might think the land has reached its end, yet upon arrival, the path stretches out yet again. This occurs through nine such turns before one finally reaches the Temple of the Residing Law original: 法住寺 (Beopju-sa). A major head temple of the Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism, famous for its giant Buddha statue., hence the name "Nine Distances." Within these Nine Distances, a stream winds and loops; at every bend there is a bridge, totaling eight in all, hence the name "Eight Bridges." The first is called the Crystal Bridge; it features a soaring pavilion original: 飛閣 (feige). A high, multi-storied gallery or "flying" pavilion., and travelers pass directly through the pavilion as they walk.

Ice Mountain original: 冰山 (Bingsan). is located forty li About 20 kilometers. from east to west in Uiseong County, Gyeongsang Province. Beneath a massive crag, there is a stone cavern. The mouth of the cave is three feet high and four feet, eight inches wide. It extends inward for five feet, one inch. This is called the Wind Hole. There is also another cave...