The Fable about Paradise Caves

5 min read

The Nanshan Paradise Caves Park is called Ao Mountain Paradise Caves in ancient times，and another name is”Wonders of the Mountain and the Sea”.It lies in the west of Sanya，40 kilometers away from the city center，located in the pied mount of Nanshan.The total area is 22.5 square kilometers.The Nanshan Paradise Caves zone is a 5A-rated tourism district.Blessed with wonderful view of sea，mountain，stones and grottos，it has been developed into a scenic spotsince the Song Dynasty，which is over 800 years.In the park，you can not only appreciate the clear boundless Yazhou Bay but also enjoy the beautifulness of Ao Mountain which owns the leisurely clouds，lush forests.What’s more，strange rocks and legendary caves around here are very breathtaking，and many literati have been eulogizing the park through all ages，so it is a pity for the tourists to miss the visit of the Nanshan Paradise Caves.

Maybe you are wondering why this place is also called Ao Mountain Paradise Caves.If you are interested，I will tell you about it，and a very movingtale has to be mentioned.It is said that in the Ming Dynasty，there was a pedant named Wang Bangxian who lived in a village at the foot of Nanshan.One day，he went to Sanya for an examination by a boat with others.However，something unfortunate happened.They found that a flock of sharks were following their boat all the way.In the eyes of local people，it is a very bad sign and in order to solve the problem they’ve encountered，a man must be thrown into the sea to feed the sharks.So they arrived to a brutal agreement in the state of fright，that is，all the passengers had to throw their clothes into the sea and the man whose clothes were caught by the sharks should jump into the sea and be eaten by those sharks.Wang Bangxian’s clothes were so”unlucky”，and at the end of his wits he plunged into the sea without saying any word.However，what happened next was beyond all expectations.The sharks didn’t bite him at all；instead，one of the sharks immediately caught him on its back and tried to carry him to the beach.Suddenly，with the gale blowing and the surge roaring，the poor boat was knocked into the sea and all the people died except Wang Bangxian，who survived because of that shark.He was sent to the shore of the Nanshan Paradise Caves，but the kind shark died because of the ledge.Wang Bangxian was so moved that he buried the shark in a cave and set up a tombstone to express his appreciation.What’s more，he ordered his offspring not to eat sharks，and it is strictly prohibited.Because the local people got used to calling the shark”Ao”，the mountain where the shark was buried has been called”Ao Mountain”in memory of this tale.

Then I’d like to introduce some famous scenic spots in Nanshan Paradise Caves.Jianzhen statues group is sculptured for commemorating Jianzhen monk and his followers.In the Tang Dynasty，a famous monk named Jianzhen，together with his followers，tried to travel to Japan for the purpose ofpromoting Buddhist doctrine.During the fifth times of their attempt，they encountered a very horrible storm and after drifting in the sea for nearly half a month，they landed in the shore of Yazhou Bay.When the official of Yazhou County heard of this news，he led his troops to help Jianzhen right away.In thedays of living with the local people，Jianzhen and his followers repaired Dayun Temple in Yazhou County.What’s more，they spread the knowledge of Buddhism and the central plain culture.One year later，under the protection of Yazhou troops all the way，they left here，and finally they succeeded in traveling to Japan at the sixth times of attempt.Jianzhen became the creator of Japanese Vinaya School and made great contribution to the culture exchange between China and Japan.

The key scenic spot in the park of the Nanshan Paradise Caves is the Small Cave，a huge stone over ten meters high and there’re three Chinese characters”Xiao Dong Tian”on it.In English，it means small paradise cave.In 1247，the official of Yazhou County named Mao Kui wrote these three words.In the Taoist culture，”Paradise Cave”is a place where normal people can turn into celestial beings.There is a mysterious footprint inside the Small Cave，and the local people believe that the footprint is left by a celestial being.Tourists like to go through the cave and experience the breath of the celestial being.Friends，if you’re interested in it，you can do it as I’ve described.

The Fishing Terrace is said to be the place where an immortal once fished on it. The Chinese characters “Diao Tai”on the surface of the Fishing Terrace were also written by Mao Kui. You can appreciate the blue sky and the clear oceanic waters, and you can hear the music of waves striking the rock. In this way,I believe we’ re not going to envy the lifestyle of the immortal, but the other way around, the immortal might envy us.

There is a really popular story told by the local people from generation to generation. In the Han Dynasty,a Fubo general came to the Nanshan Paradise Caves, and a titanic rock blocked his way. In order to carve out his way, the general spilt the huge rock into halves with his sword, so this is the origin of Sword Testing Stones. From then on, on the Double Ninth Festival, many people like to come to this place and express themselves through countless articles and poems.

Friends, do you know that the Nanshan Paradise Caves are famous for the “Fairyland”? Many of us may be curious about why it can win this reputation. Firstly, in the sense of China, Nanshan is a very auspicious mountain, which means lucky and happy. Secondly, the Small Cave is said to be the place where the Taoists become hermits and immortals, and a series of tales have conveyed the idea. Thirdly, Hainan people are famous for their longevity. In the Nanshan district，there’re hundreds of people who are over 86 years old，and so this place is a genuine fairyland.Fourthly，inside the Evergreen Pine Garden，there exist very precious trees named”Longxue Tree”，which is honored as “living fossil”in the vegetation.This kind of trees almost died out in the othe places of the world，but they can grow very lush in the park of the Nanshan Paradise Caves.The oldest one is over 6，000 years old already.You should seethis famous Evergreen Pine in Nanshan with your own eyes.In conclusion，it isnot strange that the park of Nanshan Paradise Caves can win this reputation.