Smoking Mountain

Smoking Mountain

The river section in Huma County belongs to the upper reaches of the Heilongjiang River. Due to geological conditions and other factors, this section has many fault lines, resulting in numerous uniquely shaped mountains and beautiful landscapes. The Chahayan Scenic Area is one of the most representative natural ecological tourism destinations.

Chahayan is the name of a village, a small natural settlement with fewer than 100 households along the Heilongjiang River, located at 52°16' north latitude and 126°23' east longitude, administratively belonging to Jinshan Township in Huma County. Chahayan is also the name of a mountain, a mysterious peak along the Heilongjiang River. The village of Chahayan is named after the Chahayan Mountain and is also famous because of it.

The Chahayan Scenic Area covers the Chahayan Peninsula, starting from Yingmen Lazi, the first perilous pass of the Heilongjiang River, stretching 5 kilometers along the Chahayan Mountain, and ending at Yangcaogou Liudaowan. This river section features winding waterways, peculiar mountain peaks, and many legends. The river alternates between roaring fiercely and flowing calmly as a mirror. The natural scenery here is magical and majestic, with ecological attractions densely concentrated, making it a place that captivates visitors and leaves a lifelong impression. On June 8, 1857, American commercial representative Collins, sent to the Amur River, exclaimed while passing Smoking Mountain on a Russian ship: “This is the most beautiful scenery we have seen so far… The strange beauty of these yellow sand cliffs fascinated me. I saw chalcedony, carnelian, and agate on the beach… This is a very enchanting place, with incredibly beautiful scenery. The Amur River winds along both banks, flanked by lush larches and pines against the ochre cliffs, creating a truly moving picture.”

Chahayan was called Wanshan Wei during the Ming Dynasty and Chahan Feng or Chahayanhada during the Qing Dynasty, meaning “white cliff” in Mongolian. Its location can be found on the map from the 25th year of the Jiaqing reign (1820). During the Qing Dynasty, it belonged to the vice-commander jurisdiction of Heilongjiang City (Aigun). According to the Draft History of Qing, there was one officer and thirty soldiers stationed here. On August 31, 1929, Soviet warships bombarded Chahayan, and the guardhouse was burned down.

Chahayan Mountain is located on the Russian side of the Heilongjiang River, 4 kilometers upstream from Chahayan Village. Judging by sight across the river, its height is only about 50 meters (according to Lavenstein’s 1861 book *Russians on the Amur*, published in London, “Tsagayan is 250 feet high,” which converts to about 76.2 meters). It is neither particularly tall nor steep, but what is astonishing is the 5-kilometer-long, arc-shaped cross-section of the mountain that is completely exposed, standing like a giant mural on the opposite bank. Its varied colors and marvelous composition echo the river, creating a spectacular view. This feat of splitting mountains and rivers is likely due to tectonic movements, further shaped by years of rain erosion and landslides, giving Chahayan Mountain its current form.

Chahayan Mountain is a mystical mountain, and its mystique lies in the fact that it smokes. Hence, it is also called Smoking Mountain. Historical records show that the smoking of Chahayan Mountain dates back to the 17th century. In the mid-17th century, the skies around the mountain were shrouded in smoke during the day and ablaze with fire at night. Today, when viewed across the river, the exposed rock of the mountain resembles a compressed thousand-layer cake, with the upper part mostly yellowish-brown, the lower part mostly lead-gray, and two or three layers of gray-black in between—that is the coal seam. The smoke from the mountain originates from the coal seams within the mountain, which ignite spontaneously when exposed to oxygen and sunlight. The coal seams are not thick, only about a foot wide, and are intermittent, but the wisps of smoke shroud Chahayan Mountain in an air of mystery.

Chahayan Mountain is a mountain of heroes, and its heroism is embodied in the legendary deeds of the hero Chaha. It is said that long ago, in the area around Chahayan Mountain, the peaks were hot and short in summer and long and cold in winter, except for Chahayan Mountain, which enjoyed warm seasons year-round with birds singing and flowers blooming. The industrious and kind-hearted Evenki people lived on this mountain, leading happy lives: men farmed the fields, harvesting crops four times a year; women cooked by simply digging a hole in the ground, where flames would cheerfully ignite, and the food cooked tasted especially delicious. Later, when the Cossacks heard of this, they came by boat to seize this treasure mountain. The industrious and kind-hearted Evenki people were no match for these fierce invaders and were forced to flee, leading a life of hardship. However, Chaha, the chief of the Evenki, refused to accept defeat. He wrestled the Cossack chief for three days and three nights, eventually pinning him into the mountain and pressing him down with his own body. Both chiefs died in battle. Since then, Chahayan Mountain began to emit wisps of blue smoke, accompanied by fierce flames, and the climate was no longer so warm and pleasant. The Evenki say it was the brave Chaha chief, so angry at the invaders that he smoked from every orifice, his rage blazing. Ever since, people passing by would kneel to pay homage to the legendary brave Evenki chief Chaha.

Chahayan Mountain is a mountain with a long history, and its historical significance lies in its early documentation in Chinese literature. At the end of the Kangxi reign during the Qing Dynasty, Fang Shijì described it in detail in *Longsha Jilüe*. Another record in *Heilongjiang Waiji* states: In the early Qing Dynasty, smoke and fire erupted from the peak of Chahayan Mountain, with such intensity that smoke could be seen rising and flames flickering from several miles away. From these two historical accounts, we can imagine how intense and spectacular the scene of the smoking and fiery mountain must have been.

Liu Qi, a former educated youth from Shanghai, came to Chahayan Production Brigade in Jinshan Commune, Huma County, in April 1970. He was admitted to East China Normal University in Shanghai in September 1978. In 2002 and 2004, he revisited Chahayan twice. He wrote in his memoirs: “Across the river is Smoking Mountain. During the day, you can often see wisps of white smoke emerging from the mountain cliffs, and when the smoke is heavy, it even drifts into the village. Sometimes at night, you can see balls of fire, and in the summer evenings, we even saw red lava-like flows rolling into the river.” “In the past, you could often see wisps of white smoke emerging from the mountain cliffs during the day, and sometimes balls of fire at night. Now the smoke isn’t as heavy.” (Liu Qi, out of his deep love and attachment to Chahayan, made many meaningful contributions to its promotion and development. His website *The Story of Liu Qi, a Former Educated Youth*, features many beautiful photos and touching stories about Chahayan. Friends interested can visit the site to learn more and gain a comprehensive understanding of Chahayan. The website is: www.geyanqi.com/liuqi.)

It is very likely that the coal seams in this mountain are not thick enough or the reserves not sufficient, and once spontaneous combustion reaches a certain point, there is no more coal to burn. Today, along the ten-mile stretch of Smoking Mountain, I only saw one thin wisp of smoke, a faint white plume dancing in the wind on the yellowish-brown mountainside, adding an elegant and solemn atmosphere to the vast and tranquil river bay. Chahayan Mountain is a smoking mountain, but it is not a volcano, because a volcano’s smoke vent is at the summit, while the smoke from Smoking Mountain comes from the mountainside, and its body is not composed of any rock formations—there are no volcanic fragments, pumice, or debris rocks. However, because some people did not conduct on-site investigations, the term “Chahayan Volcano” began to appear by the late Qing Dynasty and early Republican period, and even maps of the Heilongjiang River published in the 1980s marked the location of Chahayan as a volcano.

On our side of the river, opposite Smoking Mountain, there is a large river beach for visitors to enjoy: you can admire the magical and magnificent Smoking Mountain across the river, pick up beautiful and interesting pebbles, sit on the ground and chat freely, or have a picnic in the wild. It is truly a place where “wine doesn’t intoxicate people, but the beauty does, and at the foot of the immortal mountain, one becomes an immortal.”

After visiting Smoking Mountain, you can also take a motorboat from a local villager to continue your journey to Yingmen Lazi.

Sailing upstream, a few hundred meters past Smoking Mountain is the still beautiful Siheyany. Siheyany is a small triangular island on the Russian side. At the northern end of Siheyany, there are four massive square stones standing by the river. The stones are primarily lead-gray, with blackish-brown in the middle and upper parts, all exposed bedrock with virtually no vegetation. The four stones are connected, similar yet distinct in shape, with a dignified and solemn aura. People call these four square stones the “Four Great Kings.”

In Buddhism, there are four celestial beings known as the “Four Heavenly Kings”: the Eastern Dhritarashtra (Guardian of the East), white in color, wearing armor, holding a sword in the left hand and a scabbard in the right; the Southern Virupaksha (Guardian of the South), blue in color, wearing armor, holding a sword; the Western Virudhaka (Guardian of the West), red in color, wearing armor, holding a scabbard in the left hand and a red cord in the right; the Northern Vaishravana (Guardian of the North), golden in color, wearing golden armor, holding a pagoda in the left hand and a trident in the right, with feet on three yaksha demons. The Four Heavenly Kings each protect the world. These four heavenly kings, after being sinicized, became the “Four Great Kings” in Chinese Buddhist halls, symbolizing “favorable weather, abundant harvests, and peace.” According to Qing dynasty’s Huo Hao’s *Popular Sayings*: “The Four Great Kings in temples each hold an object, commonly referred to as representing ‘favorable wind, harmonious music, timely rain, and peaceful governance’; the one holding a sword represents wind; the one holding a pipa represents harmony; the one holding an umbrella represents rain; the one holding a dragon represents peace. Fortunate Siheyany has these four celestial beings protecting it, blessing for bountiful harvests and national peace. No wonder the scenery here is so beautiful.”

After visiting Smoking Mountain, visitors can also take a motorboat from a local villager to travel downstream to Liudaowan. This river section has calm waters and gentle waves, allowing visitors to fully enjoy the fresh air unique to the Heilongjiang River, admire the continuous green mountains and trees on both banks, and appreciate the unique charm of the great border river. When the boat reaches Liudaowan, you will see the Heilongjiang River obediently making a large bend here, which is quite amusing. If traveling from Smoking Mountain to Liudaowan by car, you need to get off at Yangcaogou, then climb to the top of the ridge to overlook the Heilongjiang River, where the bend of Liudaowan comes into full view, making it even more vivid.

North of Chahayan Village, a hot spring emerges from underground, flowing continuously year-round, forming a lake called “Zhuanshui Lake.” The lake is quite spacious, suitable for fishing or boating, and is also a great spot for shooting landscape films. In the early morning, Zhuanshui Lake is veiled in a light mist, resembling a shy and beautiful village girl; in the evening, the lake reflects the dreamy sunset, much like a mellow and profound fine wine. The lake is surrounded by green trees and is a paradise for ducks and red-crowned cranes. Zhuanshui Lake is a precious mirror in the mountains and a beloved treasure of the Chahayan villagers, well worth a visit by tourists.

While visiting Chahayan, you can also bring back some local specialties. Among the specialties of Chahayan Village, the first to be recommended is the wild black fungus picked by villagers in the deep forests. In summer and autumn, the young men of the village venture into the mountains to collect wild black fungus. They have to walk long distances, live in the mountains, endure the summer heat and autumn cold, as well as mosquito bites and the loneliness of the deep mountains—it’s quite hard work. The women stay home to care for the children, and whenever guests come from outside the mountains, they sell the dried wild fungus they have prepared. The villagers in the mountains are particularly hardworking and kind, and their fungus is purely natural and green, with generous portions, so the price is naturally much cheaper than similar fungus sold in urban markets.

Wild black fungus is a saprophytic fungus that grows in forests. It has a crisp and tender texture, a delicious taste, and absorbs the flavors of other seasonings. It is often stir-fried with meat or poultry. Black fungus is particularly high in iron, with the iron content per 100 grams of dry product being more than 20 times higher than that of celery, the vegetable with the highest iron content, and seven times higher than that of pig liver, the animal food with the highest iron content, making it the food with the highest iron content. Black fungus has always been a highly nutritious mountain delicacy. Especially in recent years, research has found that polysaccharides in black fungus have anti-aging, anti-diabetes, anti-hepatitis, anti-cancer properties, and enhance human physiological activity, giving it even more health benefits and making it even more popular.

Source: Huma County Party Committee and County Government