《雲笈七籤》Vol. 26

Volume 26 of The Seven Slips of the Cloudy Satchel (Yunji Qiqian) belongs to the section “Ascending to the Sixth Heaven.” It was compiled and presented to the throne by Zhang Junfang, a Gentleman of the Song dynasty, Vice Director of the Ministry of Revenue, and Collator of the Jixian Library, who had been granted a red fish pouch and permission to wear purple. The volume concerns the “Ten Continents and Three Islands.” It begins with the Ten Continents and includes a preface traditionally attributed to Dongfang Shuo, a close attendant of Emperor Wu of Han and a legendary figure associated with immortality.

The preface says that Emperor Wu heard the Queen Mother of the West, chief among the legendary female immortals, speak of ten continents in the seas surrounding the eight directions: Zuzhou, Yingzhou, Xuanzhou, Yanzhou, Changzhou, Yuanzhou, Liuzhou, Shengzhou, Fenglinzhou, and Jukuozhou. They were all places rarely visited by human beings. From this, Emperor Wu realized that Dongfang Shuo was no ordinary person. He invited him into his private chambers and personally asked where the ten continents lay and what each region produced, recording his answers.

Dongfang Shuo replied: “I am merely a student of the Way of the immortals; I have not yet attained the Way. The court is splendid and makes a point of recruiting scholars of the Confucian and Mohist schools into its laws and institutions, while suppressing arts that transcend the ordinary world and rejecting accounts of the strange and miraculous. That is why I set aside my wish for a hidden life, came to court, concealed my methods of nourishing life, and served the ruler. This, too, is because Your Majesty loves the Way and wishes to discuss courtly forms and ceremony at ease.”

He then recounted that he had once traveled with his teacher, visiting the palaces of Zhuling and Fusang; the hills of Ruhai and Mingye; the tombs of Chunyang; the lands beneath Shiqing; and the realm between the moon palaces. He had traveled throughout the Seven Hills in the inner regions, circled the Ten Continents in the central regions, and traversed Chixian—the land of China—and the Five Sacred Peaks. He had walked across marshes and rested in famous mountains. From his youth until then, he said, he had traveled through the Six Heavens and the Eight Extremities, but that was all. Compared with the numinous beings of the tombs and the officials who hear the Truth, who can ascend and descend through the Nine Heavens and see in every direction—going north to where the Northern Pole Hook and Chen stars stand alongside the Canopy star, flying south to Taidan and dwelling in the land of fire, traveling east to the rosy clouds of Tongyang, and reaching west to the plains of the Cold Caverns—his knowledge was slight. These were places untouched by the sun and moon, beyond the reach of the Milky Way, with nothing above and no bottom below. He was ashamed that he could not adequately answer Your Majesty’s far-reaching questions.

The account of “Zuzhou” follows. Zuzhou lies in the Eastern Sea, measures five hundred li across, and is seventy thousand li from the western shore. An herb of immortality grows there, resembling the shoots of gu grass, or water bamboo, and reaching three or four feet in height. If it is placed over a dead person, the person immediately revives; eating it can grant longevity. Long ago, in the garden of Qin Shi Huang, many people had died unjustly. A bird resembling a crow flew along the road, carrying this herb in its beak and laying it over the dead people’s faces. They sat up and came back to life. The officials in charge paid close attention to this.

It is said that Qin Shi Huang sent an envoy carrying a sprig of grass to ask Master Guigu of Beiguo about it.

Master Guigu said, “I once heard that a kind of deathless grass grows on Zuzhou in the Eastern Sea, in fields as beautiful as jade. It is also called ‘Spirit-Nourishing Mushroom.’ Its leaves resemble young shoots of wild rice grass, and it grows in clumps. A single plant can keep one person alive.”

After hearing this, Qin Shi Huang sighed, “Could this plant not be gathered?” He then sent Xu Fu, leading three hundred boys and three hundred girls, aboard tower ships and other vessels to search the sea for Zuzhou. They never returned. Xu Fu was a Daoist, styled Junfang; later, he too attained the Dao and became an immortal.

Yingzhou

Yingzhou lies in the Eastern Sea. It spans four thousand li and faces roughly Kuaiji Commandery, seven hundred thousand li from the western shore. Lingzhi mushrooms and immortal herbs grow on the island, along with a kind of jade stone a thousand zhang high. A spring gushes from it, tasting like wine and called the “Jade Sweet Spring.” Drinking several sheng of it makes one drunk and can also grant long life. Many immortals live on the island. Its customs resemble those of Haizhong, while its mountains and rivers resemble those of China.

Xuanzhou

Xuanzhou lies in the Northern Sea, in the Xū and Hài directions. It spans seven thousand two hundred li and is three hundred and sixty thousand li from the southern shore. There stands the Great Mystery Capital, governed by Immortal Lords and Perfected Sires. The island has many hills and mountains. There is also a Wind Mountain, where powerful winds blow and thunder and lightning often roar. Xuanzhou faces the northwest gate of Heaven. Many Great Mystery Immortal Officials live on the island, each with palaces of a different kind. It abounds in metals, stones, and purple lingzhi. This is also a territory governed by the Three Heavens.

Yanzhou

Yanzhou lies in the Southern Sea. It spans two thousand li and is ninety thousand li from the northern shore. A wind-born beast lives on the island. It resembles a leopard, is blue-green, and is about the size of a wildcat. Once caught in a net, it can be piled beneath several cartloads of firewood and burned. When the wood has burned away, the beast can still stand in the ashes, and its fur is not scorched. Knives cannot cut or pierce it; striking it is like hitting a leather bag. Only after its head has been struck several thousand times with an iron hammer does it die. After death, it opens its mouth to catch the wind and soon revives. Stuffing its nostrils with stone sweetflag can make it die for good. If its brain is taken and consumed with chrysanthemums, eating ten jin of the mixture is said to let a person live for five hundred years.

The island also has Firewood Mountain, where firelight beasts live. They are about the size of mice, with fur three or four inches long, sometimes red and sometimes white. Firewood Mountain stretches for about three hundred li. At night, the forests often seem to glow; this light comes from the beasts and looks like fire from a distance. People gather their fur and weave it into cloth, which people of that time called—

Fire-washed cloth, according to legend, is a kind of fabric that can be cleaned by fire. When the local people wear garments made from it and they become soiled, washing them with lye water cannot remove the dirt. Only after putting them in a fire for a short while and shaking them does the dirt fall away on its own, leaving the cloth as white as snow. This fabric is also often found where immortals dwell.

Changzhou

Changzhou, also called Qingqiu, lies in the southeast quarter of the South Sea. It covers five thousand li and is two hundred thousand li from the coast. Its mountains and rivers are abundant, and many great trees grow there, some measuring two thousand arm spans around. Nearly the whole island is covered in forest, which is why it is also called Qingqiu.

The island is home to immortal herbs, numinous medicines, dew-like liquids, and jade essence—a legendary elixir or the refined essence of jade. It also has a Wind Mountain, where thunderous rumblings are often heard. In the mountains stands the Purple Palace, where heavenly perfected immortal maidens often wander.

Yuanzhou

Yuanzhou lies in the North Sea. It covers three thousand li and is one hundred thousand li from the southern shore. The island is home to the Five Mushrooms, five kinds of numinous lingzhi, and the Dark Ravine, a mysterious mountain stream. Its waters are as sweet as honey; drinking them grants long life, equal to that of Heaven and Earth. Taking the Five Mushrooms also grants immortality. Many immortals dwell on the island as well.

Liuzhou

Liuzhou lies in the West Sea. It covers three thousand li and is one hundred ninety thousand li from the eastern shore. The island has many mountains and rivers, including a region of piled stone called the Kunwu Forge. The local people smelt this stone into iron and make it into precious swords. The blades shine brightly and are clear as crystal; they can cut jade as easily as if it were mud. Many immortals dwell on the island as well.

Shengzhou

Shengzhou lies in the northeast quarter of the East Sea, seven hundred thousand li from Penglai. It covers two thousand five hundred li and is two hundred thirty thousand li from the western shore. Tens of thousands of immortals live on the island. The climate is peaceful and mild; lingzhi and immortal herbs grow throughout the year. There is neither bitter cold nor scorching heat, and all things can grow and thrive in peace.

The island has many mountains and rivers, and grows immortal herbs and various kinds of lingzhi. The water throughout the island tastes like sugar and cheese, making it an exceptionally fine place.

Fenglinzhou

Fenglinzhou lies in the West Sea and covers one thousand five hundred li. Weak Water surrounds the island on all sides; even a goose feather cannot float on it, so people cannot cross. Flocks of phoenixes and qilin live on the island, numbering in the tens of thousands. It also has mountains and rivers, pools and marshes, and a hundred kinds of divine medicine. Many immortals dwell there as well.

According to legend, people boil down phoenix beaks and qilin horns to make a glue called “Bowstring-Rejoining Glue,” also known as “Metal-Bonding Paste.” This glue can mend broken bowstrings and crossbow strings, and join broken blades and other metal objects. Once the break has been sealed, even a strongman pulling at it cannot damage the joint: other parts will break first.

In the third year of the Tianhan era (98 BCE), Emperor Wu went to Beihai to offer sacrifices to Mount Heng. In the fourth month, the king of the Western Kingdom sent an envoy to present four liang of spirit glue and a coat made from the fur of a Jiguang beast. The emperor accepted them and placed them in an outer storehouse, unaware of their remarkable uses. He thought that although the Western Kingdom lay far away, its gifts were nothing unusual, so he kept the envoy and delayed letting him return.

Much later, while the emperor was hunting tigers in Hualin Park, the string of his crossbow suddenly snapped. The accompanying envoy offered a small amount of spirit glue and had it moistened and applied to the broken place in the string. The emperor was astonished and said, “What a marvelous substance!” He then ordered several warriors to pull at the string together. They tugged at it for an entire day without breaking it; it was as strong as before it had been repaired. The spirit glue was green, like jade. The Jiguang fur coat was yellow and, it was said, made from the hide of a creature akin to a miraculous horse. Someone wearing it could enter water and remain dry even after several days; put into a fire, it would not scorch. Only then did the emperor understand the value of the two treasures. He thanked the envoy with great ceremony and allowed him to return home.

This made the emperor think all the more of the foresight and discernment of Dongfang Shuo, a Han dynasty figure renowned for his wide learning. During the reign of King Mu of Zhou, the Western Hu had once presented a Kunwu knife and a Night-Luminous Ever-Full Cup. The Kunwu knife was one chi long and could cut jade as easily as if it were clay. The Ever-Full Cup held three sheng and was finely made of white jade; it glowed at night. In the evening, if the cup was placed in a courtyard facing the sky, by dawn it would be filled with water. The water was sweet and fragrant, and the cup was indeed an object used by immortals. By the time of Qin Shi Huang, the Western Hu had presented a jade-cutting knife, but they never again offered an Ever-Full Cup.

Substances such as spirit glue came from Fenglin Island, while swords came from Liuzhou. Both places lie in the Western Sea.

Juku Island (with Canghai Island)

Juku Island lies in the Shen and Wei directions of the Western Sea and extends for three thousand li in every direction. To its north it borders Mount Kunlun, twenty-six thousand li away; it is two hundred and forty thousand li from the eastern shore. The island is home to many palaces and residences of immortals and numinous officials, with gates linked together beyond counting. It is also inhabited by extraordinary beasts such as lions, bixie, teeth-borers, and heavenly deer, as well as fierce creatures with long tusks and bronze heads and iron foreheads.

A great mountain rises on the island. Its shape resembles a person and a bird, so it is called Human-Bird Mountain. Many large trees grow on the mountain, resembling maple trees. Their fragrance drifts hundreds of li through the forest. These trees are called Soul-Returning Trees, and they make sounds on their own, like a herd of cattle bellowing. Anyone who hears them is overcome with fear and alarm. The roots are cut down and boiled in a jade cauldron until their juices emerge, then simmered over a low flame until thick like black malt sugar and firm enough to roll into pills. This incense is called Spirit-Shocking Incense, or…

It has a name: “Spirit-Stirring Pill.” It is also called “Resurrection Incense,” “Spirit-Stirring Sandalwood,” “Essence of Humans and Birds,” or “Death-Repelling Incense.” One substance has six names, all referring to this wondrous object. Its fragrance can drift for hundreds of miles. When the dead lie on the ground and smell it, they come back to life and do not die again. Burning this incense over the dead is especially miraculous.

Later, in the third year of the Yanhe era, Emperor Wu of Han (an emperor of the Han dynasty) toured Anding Commandery. The king of the Western Hu state of Yuezhi (the western Yuezhi kingdom) sent an envoy to present four liang of incense, each piece about the size of a sparrow’s egg and black as a mulberry. Emperor Wu thought it was something unknown in the Central Plains, so he had it stored in the outer treasury.

The envoy also presented a fierce beast. It looked like a dog fifty or sixty days old, had the build of a civet, and yellow fur. Emperor Wu ordered the envoy to bring it forward. Seeing him carry the animal—small, thin, bald, and haggard—Emperor Wu was puzzled. He thought the tribute was unsuitable and asked the envoy, “This little creature is fit only for amusement. How can it be called a fierce beast?”

The envoy replied, “A creature’s power to awe the beasts cannot necessarily be measured by its size. The qilin is king of the great elephants, and the luan and phoenix are ancestors of the roc. The centipede is subdued by the teng snake. None of these things depends on size. Our country lies three hundred thousand li away, and we have long observed the heavens. When the east wind accords with the musical pitch standards and blows without pause for a hundred days, and blue clouds correspond to the pitch pipes and remain for month after month, we know that a ruler who esteems the Dao arts is about to appear in the Central Plains. Our king has always looked down on the Confucians and Mohists and honored De; he has scorned gold and jade and prized wondrous things. So he gathered rare treasures and presented divine incense, crossing the Heavenly Forest and asking that the fierce beast be accepted. He traveled in a felt-covered cart across dangerous marshes and drove swift horses through blowing sand. The journey was long and arduous; by now, thirteen years have passed.

“The divine incense can restore the dying to life, and the fierce beast can subdue the evil spirits among the hundred baleful forces. These two things are truly vital to preserving life, assisting good government, and bringing clarity to moral instruction. Yet I had not expected Your Majesty to fail to recognize genuine treasures. It seems the signs our country read in the winds and seasons were mistaken. Having now seen Your Majesty’s heavenly bearing with my own eyes, I know that Your Majesty, too, is no ruler who possesses the Dao. When the eyes see too much, one becomes absorbed in beauty; when the mouth speaks too much, calamity is easily invited; when the body is too active, one indulges in wicked conduct and brings harm upon oneself; when the mind is overly preoccupied with refinement, one becomes extravagant. No one can govern the world through these four practices.”

Emperor Wu was angry and displeased when he heard this. He asked the envoy again, “Where did this fierce beast come from? How does it subdue the beasts, and what does it eat…” The original text breaks off here.

“How strong is this beast, and where does it come from?” The envoy replied, “Some of these beasts come from Kunlun, the legendary sacred mountain; others are born in Xuanpu, the garden where immortals dwell, in Juku, the fabled home of fragrant trees, or in places blessed with heavenly dew. They live for an immensely long time, feeding on primordial Qi and drinking dew. They can also understand human speech.

“They are kind and generous, and protect even the smallest creatures. They do no harm to animals smaller than tigers and leopards. But when angered, a single roar makes a thousand people hold their breath and fall to the ground. Cattle and horses panic, ropes snap, and even warriors are instantly drained of strength. When they display their supernatural powers, they can summon wind and clouds and send forth rain and dew, scattering all manner of evil beings. Flood dragons and flying serpents flee from them, too.

“The lion kept and driven in the stables of the Most High, a revered Daoist deity, is called the ‘Beast of Might.’ It is a numinous creature, supernatural and ever-changing, able to command great birds and beasts. It is the primordial king who seizes the heavens, and the mighty beast that wards off evil.

“Though rare, the numinous incense is a wondrous substance that can bring the dead back to life. Those on the verge of death from an epidemic revive as soon as they smell its fragrance. Its aroma is exceptionally strong and does not fade for a very long time.”

The Emperor then ordered the envoy to make the beast roar, so he could hear it for himself. The envoy pointed to the beast and told it to roar. The beast licked its lips. After a long pause, it suddenly let out a roar like thunder crashing from the sky and lightning exploding. Its eyes flashed with crossing beams of light, and its vital essence shot straight into the heavens. Only after some time did it stop.

The Emperor immediately fell down, clapped his hands over his ears, and trembled all over. For a long time, he could not compose himself. The warriors attending him and the Huben imperial guards dropped their weapons and crouched on the ground. The cattle, horses, dogs, pigs, and other animals within and around the palace also broke free of their ropes and fled in panic. It took a long time for them to settle down.

Afraid of the beast, the Emperor handed it over to the superintendent of Shanglin Park and ordered him to have the tigers eat it. When the tigers heard the beast was coming, they curled up and lay still as if dead. The beast entered the park, walked straight up to a tiger’s head, urinated into its mouth, and then walked away. After going about ten paces, it looked back. The tiger shut its eyes.

Angry that the envoy had spoken disrespectfully, the Emperor wanted him arrested. But the next day, both the envoy and the beast had vanished. The Emperor sent people to search everywhere, but no one knew where they had gone.

In the first year of the Yuanfeng era during the Later Yuan reign period—the date is given this way in the original—several thousand people in Chang’an fell ill, and more than half of them died. The Emperor tried taking out the divine incense from the Yuezhi and burning it in the city. Everyone who had been dead for less than three days came back to life. The fragrance lingered for three months without fading. Only then did the Emperor become convinced that it was a wondrous substance, and he secretly stored it away again. But one day, the divine incense vanished once more. When they examined the sealed box, its seal was still exactly as it had been.

Xiangyue Di Yu regretted even more that he had failed to treat the messenger with proper courtesy. He therefore placed greater weight on the words Fang Shuo had left behind, and felt ashamed that he had not diligently sought instruction from Li Shaojun, and ashamed, too, that Wei Shuqing had departed once again. Had he treated the messenger generously at the time, he would surely have gained something.

Canghai Island

Canghai Island lies in the North Sea and stretches three thousand li in every direction. The waters surrounding it extend five thousand li on each side, and are all blue-green. The immortals call it “Canghai.” The island is covered with great mountains and piled-up stones. More than a hundred precious mineral medicines grow there, including stone elephants, eight stones, stone marrow, stone cassia, Yingliu Moon, Yellow Seed, and stone gall. Those who take them can become immortals.

Beyond the island, another circular stretch of sea surrounds the mountains. Its waters are pure black, and it is called the “Dark Sea.” There is no wind there, yet immense waves rise a hundred zhang high, making it impossible to reach. The Nine Elders and the Nine Heavenly True Kings dwell on the sea. It is said to be where the Great Supreme Perfected Ones reside, and only flying immortals can get there.

The Three Islands: Kunlun

Kunlun, also called Mount Kunlun, lies in the Xu direction of the Western Sea and the Hai direction of the Northern Sea. It stretches ten thousand li in every direction and stands one hundred and thirty thousand li from the coast. Weak Water flows around the mountain. To the southeast, Mount Kunlun connects with Jishi Garden; to the northwest, with the Chamber of the Northern Gate; to the northeast, it lies near the Well of Great Life; and to the southwest, it opens onto the Valley of Receiving the Abyss. These four great mountains at the corners are all branches that shelter Kunlun.

At the southern end of Jishi Garden stands the Palace of the Queen Mother of the West. The Queen Mother once told King Mu of Zhou that Mount Kunlun was three hundred and sixty thousand li from Xianyang and rose thirty-six thousand li above the plain. Three peaks stand on the mountain, each ten thousand li around and shaped like an overturned basin: narrow at the base and broad at the top. For this reason, it is called Mount Kunlun. Of the three peaks, one lies in the direction of Qian-Chen and is called the Summit of Langfeng; one lies due west and is called the Hall of Xuanpu; and one lies due east and is called the Palace of Kunlun. There is also the Heavenly Walled City, built from piled gold. Each side of its walls stretches a thousand li, and atop them stand five golden platforms and twelve jade towers.

Between Northern Gate Mountain and Receiving Abyss Mountain are the Heavenly Walled City, the Golden Platforms, and the Jade Towers, gleaming together like palaces of flowing, luminous essence, halls of green jade, and chambers of fine jade. There are also houses of purple, emerald, and cinnabar. Auspicious clouds reflect the sunlight, while crimson clouds cast nine rays of light. This is the realm governed by the Queen Mother of the West, and where immortal officials and spirits gather in reverence. Kunlun reaches upward to the pivot of the celestial movements, where primordial Qi flows and spreads. From there, it governs the Nine Heavens with the Jade Balance and harmonizes Yin-Yang, so that all things follow their proper order and living beings flourish amid wondrous scenes.

The immortal realms and the dwellings of the spirits described here are scattered throughout Heaven and Earth. They are home to countless beings, too many to record one by one. They serve as the pivots of the workings of Heaven and Earth and as the guiding principles that order all things. Thus, the Most High (a revered Daoist deity) placed famous mountains in the five directions to guard the land. He also named the Pillar of Heaven, at Mincheng, as the axle of the cosmic order that supports Heaven and Earth.

At the deepest reaches of the great rivers dwell water spirits. These places are dark, secluded, and hard to reach, so the spirits’ dwellings have no fixed location that can be clearly identified, as hills can. Heaven and Earth each have their own directions, and all things have places suited to them. The sages of antiquity observed the directions and followed the contours of the land to arrange the spirits’ dwellings. They placed Xuanfeng in the far west, set the Queen Mother (Queen Mother of the West) in the southwest, the Kun position, stationed Kunwu to guard Li ze, and let Fusang grow at Bi Ford. They divided and joined the essence of Fire, bringing the luminous beasts into being in the Flame Wilderness. The Kan position governs all Yin, so the Immortal Capital was built on an island in the sea.

The famous Peng Mountain in the Gen position guards the directions of Yin and Chou. In the Xun position, the Primordial Goddess nurtures giant trees on Changzhou. High winds sweep through the place where dragons gather, while sacred talismans spread across Xiaqiu. The wondrous principles are profound and elusive, and the spirits’ abodes cannot all be discovered. The hidden homes of perfected beings and the dwellings of spirit immortals are scattered throughout Heaven and Earth. How could they be limited to these few places? These are only some important examples.

I, Shu, have seen and heard too little to convey fully the sacred intentions of the Queen Mother and the Lady of the Upper Origin. In the past, someone in the state of Lu heard from an adept that these Ten Isles, Great Mounds, and numinous heights are places where many perfected immortals live in seclusion and divine officials govern. There are many other mountains and rivers as well, of which nothing has yet been heard.

Beyond the Northern Sea lies Zhong Mountain, in the Zi direction of the Northern Sea, across the Weak Waters and about nineteen thousand li to the north. The mountain is thirteen thousand li high; its summit extends seven thousand li across, and its circumference is thirty thousand li. A thousand varieties of Zhi and more than forty kinds of divine herbs grow there naturally, along with golden terraces and jade palaces, celestial dwellings adorned with gold and jade. This is where primordial Qi resides and where the Lord Emperor governs.

South of Zhong Mountain lies Pingxie Mountain, to the north Jiaolong Mountain, to the west Zhicao Mountain, and to the east Dongmu Mountain. These four mountains are branches of Zhong Mountain. They stand thirty thousand li higher than Zhong Mountain, and each has five palace cities of equal size. From the four surrounding mountains, looking down, one can see only Zhong Mountain. The territory enclosed by the four mountains is the domain of the Lord Emperor.

Immortals have a special route for entering and leaving. Enter a cave from the southeast of Pingxie Mountain, and one can reach the Longevity Island within. On the island stands the Purple Stone Chamber Palace, governed by the Nine Elders’ Immortal Capital, the celestial capital where nine long-lived perfected immortals dwell. Tens of thousands of immortal officials gather there.

Fangzhang Isle (with a Discussion of Fusang)

Fangzhang Isle lies in the middle of the Eastern Sea, between its southwestern and northeastern shores. It extends five thousand li in each direction. Many dragons gather there, and its palaces are built of gold, jade, and glass. It is ruled by the gods who govern the destinies of the Three Heavens. When the immortals wish to ascend to Heaven, they travel to and from this isle to receive the Supreme Mystery Register of the Primordial Life, a list or credential granted to Daoist immortals.

Tens of thousands of immortals live on the isle. There are also fields of lingzhi fungus, cultivated and measured by the qing and mu, just like rice paddies. The isle has stone springs as well. It is also home to the Palace of the Elder of the Nine Sources, whose master commands the water gods throughout the world, along with dragons, serpents, giant whales, and other spirits of the waters.

Fusang lies ten thousand li beyond the eastern shore of the Eastern Sea, where there is another expanse of blue-green water. This sea is as vast as the Eastern Sea. Its waters are clear and blue-green, neither salty nor bitter, but sweet and fragrant. Fusang stands in its midst, extending ten thousand li in every direction. It is ruled by the Supreme Emperor and the King Father of Great Truth.

Trees grow everywhere on Fusang, and their leaves all resemble mulberry leaves. There are also mulberry trees whose trunks rise several thousand zhang and measure more than three thousand armspans around. The trees grow in pairs from a shared root and lean against one another; this is why they are called “Fusang,” or “supporting mulberries.” When immortals eat the mulberries there, their entire bodies turn golden, and they can fly through the depths of the sky. Though the Fusang trees are immense, their leaves and mulberries resemble those of the mulberry trees of the Central Plain. The berries, however, are scarce and red, bearing fruit only once every nine thousand years. Their taste is exceptionally sweet and fragrant.

Purple-gold pills and jade stones also grow from the ground, as commonplace there as roof tiles and stones in the Central Plain. True immortals can perform all kinds of transformations. Though they may have no physical form to begin with, they can sometimes divide themselves into a hundred bodies, each ten zhang tall.

Penglai Isle

Penglai Isle is Penglai Mountain. It lies opposite the northeastern shore of the Eastern Sea and extends five thousand li around. To the north, beyond the northern side of Zhongshan and outside Amen, is the place where the Lord of the Celestial Emperor oversees the order of the Nine Heavens, a position of supreme dignity.

A range of mountains encircles Penglai, and there are four cities on the isle. At its center stands a high mountain resembling Mount Kunlun. After Yu the Great had brought the floods under control, he rode a jiao carriage, a legendary flying vehicle, across the Weak Water and came to this mountain. On its northern side he offered sacrifice to the Supreme Emperor and reported to the Nine Heavens that the flood-control works had succeeded.

As Yu the Great passed through the Five Sacred Mountains, he ordered craftsmen to carve stones marking each mountain’s distances and heights. The inscriptions were written in tadpole script, an ancient seal-script style, and people of the Han dynasty could no longer read them. The measurements in zhang, chi, and li seen today are said to be inscriptions carved in Yu’s time. Such inscribed stones are found not only on the Five Sacred Mountains but on famous mountains everywhere; the inscriptions are always placed at higher elevations. I, Chen Shuo, recorded these inscriptions after seeing them with my own eyes.

The numinous realms and famous mountains described by the Queen Mother of the West were places Yu had never visited. What Yu recorded were only the famous mountains of the Central Plains.

My former master, Gu Xizi, was a True Official of the Great High One, a celestial official who serves in the heavenly realm in Daoism. Long ago, he passed on to me the true-form charts of Kunlun Mountain, Zhong Mountain, Penglai Mountain, and the Divine Continent—maps depicting the shapes of these immortal mountains. These charts had once been brought into Han territory and entrusted to an old friend he knew. For this reason, this book gives particular importance to the Five Sacred Mountains’ true-form charts, which depict Mount Tai in the east, Mount Heng in the south, Mount Hua in the west, Mount Heng in the north, and Mount Song in the center. When these charts were transmitted in the past, the prescribed intervals between transmissions were the same.

Your Majesty delights in Daoist arts and seeks what is hidden and subtle. With sincere devotion, you turn toward the Dao; therefore, the Celestial Worthy has descended and personally transmitted these precious secret methods. How could I, Zhang Shuo, be reluctant to offer Your Majesty all that I possess? Yet the secrets and methods shared among practitioners are exceedingly guarded. A certain master once said, “When a master’s methods are revealed, they often give rise to much suspicion; when a master’s identity is exposed, the subtle principles are lost as well.” I therefore hope that, for now, you will not make public either my words or their meaning.

The Martial Emperor was delighted by this lofty discourse. The following year, he again received from Zhang Shuo the true-form charts of the various mountains and often carried them with him. At the Eight Seasonal Nodes—the Beginning of Spring, Spring Equinox, Beginning of Summer, Summer Solstice, Beginning of Autumn, Autumn Equinox, Beginning of Winter, and Winter Solstice—he would pay homage to the numinous writings at the appointed times, praying to shed his mortal body and attain the Dao as an immortal.

Zhang Shuo was called “the witty one,” skilled in conversation and quick-witted in humor, yet inwardly he was utterly still and empty. He mocked the Son of Heaven and looked down on the dukes and marquises. No one could make him their teacher or friend, and he was not easily moved to joy or anger by others. In the end, therefore, the Han Martial Emperor could not fully grasp the true meaning of the Great Dao from this man.