The Marvelous Rocks of Mount Yi

　　The biggest difference between Mount Yi and other famous mountains lies in its abundance of marvelous rocks. Moreover, nearly every rock has a beautiful legend, which adds rich cultural significance to Mount Yi. To the north of the Dangtianti (Heaven-Lifting Stairs) on Mount Yi, there is a uniquely slanted rock facing southwest. Its surface is covered with fine patterns and has an earthy yellow hue, resembling the robe of a Buddhist monk. This rock is the famous Bagua Yi Stone (Eight Trigrams Robe Stone) of Mount Yi. Mount Yi is originally a sacred Taoist mountain—so why is there a Buddhist robe here? Legend has it that a war once broke out between Buddhists and Taoists on Mount Yi, and the Buddhists were defeated. However, a monk named Zhiyuan took a liking to the place and secretly stayed behind. Worried that the Taoists would drive him away, he hid his robe. Eventually, the Taoists discovered it. But his sincerity moved them, so they allowed him to stay. The patriarch of Taoism, moved by his devotion, transformed his robe into the colorful Bagua Yi Stone, symbolizing the friendship between Buddhism and Taoism.

　　On the eastern mountain path of the southern slope of Mount Yi, there is a miraculous Tofu Stone. The cracks in the rock are exquisitely formed, closely resembling a freshly cut block of tender tofu. Legend has it that at the foot of Mount Yi, there was a renowned tofu shop known far and wide. When Emperor Qianlong visited Mount Yi, he heard that the tofu from this shop was exceptionally good, and thus ordered that his lunch feature tofu from this very shop. Unfortunately, the female owner had gone to visit her family, and her child, lacking skill, ended up making a pot of terribly unpalatable tofu. Enraged, Emperor Qianlong fined the shop a thousand taels of silver and revoked its license. When the owner returned, she quickly remade the tofu and, under the guidance of the legendary immortal Zhang Guolao, placed the tofu along the mountain path. To everyone’s surprise, not only did the tofu emit an extraordinarily fragrant aroma throughout the mountain, but the emperor’s horse procession passed over it without leaving a single mark. Delighted, the emperor could not help but exclaim, “The miraculous tofu of Mount Yi!” Later, this tofu turned into the wondrous Tofu Stone.

　　The marvelous rocks of Mount Yi are too numerous to list: the Drunken Fairy Stone, the Children’s Wrestling Stone, the Divine Sparrow Stone, the Self-Sacrificing Stone, the Goblin Stone, the Bell Stone, the Parrot Stone, the Ox Stone, the Boat Stone, the Drum Stone, the Phoenix Soaring Stone...