Riyue Mountain or the Sun and Moon Mountain
Riyue Mountain, also known as “Sun and Moon Mountain” is part of the magnificent Qilian
Mountain Range. Located in Qinghai Province, this mountain lay at the western
part of Huangyuan County. In the good
old days, crossing Tibet was possible only by negotiating through Riyue
Mountain. It was the main communication point between the Central China, the
western region and the south western area of China. Historical evidences suggest that, the route
was negotiated by Song Yun, who was a Buddhist monk, to go to India from
Luoyang City during the first year of the Shengui reign, under Emperor Mingdi
of Northern Wei Dynasty in the year 420, to learn about Buddhism. Again, Princes
Wencheng crossed Riyue Mountain to marry the Tubo tribal king, Songsten Gampo,
as the legend says!
Land of mysterious wonders
China is undoubtedly a land of
mysterious wonders. It may look like a
single featured human tribe from the anthropological point of view but people
do have various unique cultures and traditions.
Most of traditions and cultures are developed due to the extreme
influence of the nature where they live in. Their costume and food habits are
also evident to confirm these arguments.
The Riyue Mountain stretch is a cradle of old tradition and cultures
with its own identity. This mountain range is located 40 kilometers southwest
of Xining and panoramic view on top of the mountain is a wonderful
experience. Located at an altitude of
4,000 meters from the sea level, the unusual mountain is rich with agricultural
activities and known for its pastoral areas in the province.
Agricultural and pastoral areas
The Riyue Mountain is divided in
agricultural and pastoral areas. The
east side of mountain is Huangshui Valley and famous lake Qinghai is situated
to the northwest of the mountain. Vast meadows and scattering tents of local
tribes make this mountain one of the rare experiences for tourists. Towards the west of the hill, gracefully flow
back to lake is the Datong River. Further
down is the Yellow River and the famous gorge, Longyang Gorge.
Legend
During the Tang Dynasty, who ruled
between 618 and 907, the mountain was called as Russet Ridge or Chilling
Range. The grassless top is so apt to be
called as Russet Ridge, due to the russet hill top. It is indeed one of the
best emotional legends that revolve around the mythical story, how the mountain
is called as Sun and Moon Mountain. The
story is about Princess Wencheng, who passed through Chilling Range; throw the
Sun and Moon treasure mirror given to her by her mom after seeing her homeland
Chang'an, which is today known Xi'an City. The mirror turned in to Qinghai Lake
and her tears formed as River Daotang, the river that flows back to the
lake. A temple in the name of princess
Wencheng could be seen at the foot of the mountain.
Best season to visit
The best season to visit the Sun and
Moon Mountain is during June to September.
During this season, the grass will be rich in greeneries and you can see
wild flowers blooming all around the area.
The Sun and Moon pavilion are built on both side of the mountain pass to
commemorate the legendary stories of Princess Wencheng. Moon Pavillion is
having more cultural and agricultural importance as you see more agricultural
activities in this part of the land. It is believed that Princess Wencheng
brought to Tibet, technology, medicine, seeds for agricultural purpose and of
course Buddhism.
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