Collected Illustrations of the Three Realms, Volume 17

...the pool. Along the edge of the pool, the cliffs are slick with green moss. Travelers must all pull themselves along hanging vines to make it across; for this reason, it is named Handkerchief Cliff original: 手巾崖 (Shoujin ya). Travelers likely had to grip the vines as tightly as a cloth to avoid slipping on the mossy rocks..

In the heart of a rock, there is a hollow shaped like a mortar. Local lore claims this is the Place Where Guanyin Washed Clothes original: 觀音浣處. Guanyin is the Bodhisattva of Compassion; many natural landmarks in this region are tied to Buddhist legends.. Upon reaching the front of Pude Grotto original: 普德窟. Also known as Podeok-gul, a famous hermitage site built into a vertical cliff in the Inner Diamond Mountains., flying rapids wind around the stones. As the water strikes the cliff, it shatters into a spray of "flying snow," so intense that even on a clear day, the air grows so misty it feels like dusk. At the bottom of the rocks, the water is a lush, vibrant kingfisher blue.

A few steps further, a violent waterfall scatters pearls of spray and clouds of snow as it gushes downward. The largest of these falls has twelve distinct tiers, while the smaller ones are too numerous to count; thus, it is called the Valley of Ten Thousand Waterfalls original: 萬瀑洞 (Manpu dong). Renowned for its series of cascades and deep pools.. Below it lies the Pearl Pond.

There is also a rock shaped like a tortoise crouching in the middle of a pool, called Tortoise Pool. Another pool, immeasurably deep, is called Fire Dragon Pool. Above it stands a peak named Lion Rock.

Within the valley is the Pude Grotto. Here, builders chiseled into the sheer cliff to support wooden planks and erected copper pillars on the outside to construct a small three-bay house atop the precipice, called the Guanyin Pavilion. It is secured with iron chains and nailed directly into the rock, appearing to float in mid-air. When people climb up to it, the entire structure sways. Inside is a Buddha statue, its face adorned with pearls and jade. An iron mesh is placed over the exterior to prevent visitors from touching it with their hands.