he blurred view of trees in faded colours of green greeted me through the windows of the bus as it moved up the winding, narrow road up of Mount Wudang (武当山). Located in Shiyan City in the northwest Hubei Province, the coloured view the view of the mountain becomes lighter due to the thickening mist as we steadily ascended higher.

 

As it started drizzling outside, there was quick chatter of Mandarin coming from all directions as I sat huddled together with the many people going up Mount Wudang. Upon starting a conversation with the man sitting next to me, I was pleasantly surprised with the conversation I had with him as he was friendly and open to conversing with me.    

 

He introduced himself as Mr. Wang (王先生) and shared that this was his second time going up Mount Wudang, this time bringing two of friends along with him due to how much he enjoyed the view from the top of the mountain during his first ascend.

 

The bus dropped us off in front of a stretch of traditional temple-like structures which is the entrance to where one can take a cable car to further ascend this holy mountain. Although it was a mere seven-minute ride, it felt like a slow escalate into the clouds as you are unable to see anything else below besides a thick soft layer of mist.

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Passing by the various sharp peaks of Mount Wudang, which resemble erratic fire reminded me of the story behind the name Wudang. The people in the past believed that the water god, Xuan Wu (宣武) will protect and balance out the “fire” on the mountain. Therefore, they named the mountain after him. 

 

After the cable car, I was met with a line of narrow concrete steps leading up to the top summit of Mount Wudang. The climb was quite challenging as it was steep and I had to use the metal chains hanging on the sides to aid your balance. However, it was enjoyable as there were shops selling snacks and drinks and locals could be seen meditating peacefully despite the thick mist and rain.    

 

Along the way, there are ancient holy temples where one could pray to different statues of deities such as the god of filial piety and Xuan Wu, the famous Taoist deity. Furthermore, the view became more captivating with every step I took.

 

After climbing this famous Taoist holy land for about 30 minutes, I walked into Zhuanyun Dian (转运殿) also known as the Good Luck Hall. It is a pitch dark tight passageway surrounding a shrine. Locals believe that walking through it without looking back would change one’s fate.

 

Walking through the Good Luck Hall was daunting as the small and dark passageway restricted my movement and takes away your ability to see. My friends and I were told not to look back as we blindly walked through the hall holding each other's hands for reassurance.  

 

Being a freethinker, going through such acts governed by superstitions was new and refreshing to me. I thought that it was interesting to have a firsthand experience of the traditional beliefs of those who lived on Mount Wudang. 

 

Contrasting to western culture that we are more influenced by in Singapore, there is beauty in the strict ways of the Asian culture as well, such as their belief in the Yin and Yang ensuring balance in their actions. 

 

As we embarked on our hike down, the state of serenity gave me the time to contemplate on new memories I made on a land with 700 years of rich history…