Sixteen

Illustration of Jinhua Mountain

original: "Jinhua Shan Tu." While the title identifies this as Jinhua Mountain, the landmarks listed are famous sites of Mount Tiantai. This may reflect the mountain's status as a "Grotto-Heaven" (a sacred Taoist site) or a clerical grouping of Zhejiang's notable peaks.

[A wide woodblock-printed landscape depicting jagged peaks, twisted pines, and a dramatic waterfall flowing into a stream.]

Labels on the left page:

Peach Blossom Spring Cave

original: "Taoyuan Dong." This site refers to the famous literary utopia of the "Peach Blossom Spring." In local Tiantai lore, it is where the herb-gatherers Liu Chen and Ruan Zhao were said to have encountered celestial maidens and lived among immortals.

Hidden Stream Hermitage

original: "Youxi Jingshe." A vihara or secluded place for Buddhist cultivation. This hermitage is historically significant as the site where the Ming dynasty monk Chuandeng worked to revitalize the Tiantai school of Buddhism.

Stalagmite Peak

original: "Shisun Feng." These narrow, vertical rock formations are named for their resemblance to "stone bamboo shoots" (stalagmites) pushing up through the mountain soil.

Fishing Boat on Snail Stream

original: "Luoxi Diaoting." Snail Stream is known for its winding, coil-like path through the valley. The "Fishing Boat" refers to a specific vantage point or a small vessel used for contemplative angling in the mountain waters.

Fishing Ledge

original: "Diaoji." A natural stone platform or ledge, often celebrated in Chinese poetry as a place for a scholar to sit in solitary meditation while pretending to fish.

Labels on the right page:

Clouds of Huading

original: "Huading Yun." Huading (meaning "Flower Top") is the highest peak in the Tiantai range. It is famous for its "Sea of Clouds," where the mist collects in the valleys, leaving only the highest peaks visible like flowers floating on water. This is also where the Grand Master Zhiyi, founder of the Tiantai school, practiced the "Lotus Samadhi" meditation.