Yunmen Mountain in Zhejiang

This intricate woodcut illustration captures the rugged terrain of Yunmen Mountain literally "Cloud Gate Mountain" in Zhejiang. Unlike a modern map, this traditional landscape map shanshui ditu a "mountain and water map" that combines geographical accuracy with artistic landscape conventions uses a bird's-eye perspective to label specific peaks, streams, and borders. These labels were essential for travelers, monks, and local officials.

The following labels appear across the mountain range, identifying sacred sites and natural features:

Gold Mountain Jinzi Shan
Azure Dragon Mountain Qinglong Shan
Great White Mountain Taibai Shan
Fenghua County Boundary marking the border of Fenghua District
Yin County Boundary marking the border of Yin District
Milk Teat Peak Rudou Feng; named for its rounded shape
Thousand-fathom Cliff Qianzhang Yan
South of the Clouds Yunnan; a local orientation name, not to be confused with Yunnan province
Cascading Torrent Stream Puse Jian
Return Cliff Guilai Yan
Brocade Screen Mountain Jinping Shan; a mountain wall so beautiful it resembles a silk screen
Immortal's Encounter Yuxian; a site associated with local legends of meeting Daoist immortals
The Watershed Ridge Fenshui Ling
Cloud Pond
Immortal's Footprint Xianren Ji; a natural rock formation resembling a giant footprint
Lower Great White Mountain
Peach Blossom Gully
Nine Dragons Pond
Three Strains Beach Sanlong Tan; likely named after the three movements or "strains" of a musical piece, common in poetic place-naming
Su Pond
Stone Gate Shimen; a natural narrow passage between cliffs
Ji Village
Mountain Dragon Pond
Stream-side Cloud Peak
Hua'an Spring
Wisteria Stream
Yellow Dragon Pond
Cloud Top Mountain
The Small Ridge
Horizontal Stream
Yuyao Boundary Waters the water channel marking the border with Yuyao County

This map emphasizes the interconnectedness of the landscape. Note how the "Great White Mountain" Taibai Shan and the "Brocade Screen Mountain" Jinping Shan act as central pillars in the composition, while the various "Dragon Ponds" longtan suggest the presence of water sources vital to the villages below, such as Ji Village.