Immortal on Stilts

　　Introduction      In front of Paiyun Pavilion, if you look straight ahead from a distance, you can see a rock whose lower part is extremely thin, resembling a stick stuck into the ground, while the upper part looks like a person standing upright, leaning slightly forward. Its shape closely resembles the folk performance of “walking on stilts,” hence the name. When clouds and mist shroud the area, it looks as if an immortal is walking on stilts, enjoying the scenery among the peaks and valleys of the West Sea—strikingly similar to the image of an immortal on stilts.     Legend has it that the Eight Immortals, dissatisfied with their already attained enlightenment, gathered to discuss and then made a special trip to Mount Huangshan to seek the Yellow Emperor’s guidance on the ultimate way of immortality. As the Eight Immortals traveled from afar and reached the outskirts of Mount Huangshan, they were faced with a vast, turbulent sea of clouds. The other seven immortals each demonstrated their divine powers and successfully crossed the West Sea.     The one who lagged behind, Iron-Crutch Li, looked around at the endless sea of clouds. He noticed that around the White Cloud Hermitage beneath his feet grew countless towering bamboo trees. Thinking that he would need a special tool to cross this extraordinary sea, Iron-Crutch Li respectfully entered the White Cloud Hermitage and sought help from the venerable monk Changsi. The monk then instructed a young novice to cut down two of the tallest and thickest premium bamboo poles from the mountain and presented them to Iron-Crutch Li.     After expressing his gratitude, Iron-Crutch Li immediately used his magic. The two bamboo poles, each ten zhang long (approximately 33 meters) and weighing a thousand jin (approximately 500 kilograms), felt as light as a feather in his hands. He stood them upright into the air, and they became two towering pillars. With a thunderous “crack,” the immortal Li was seen standing atop the pillars. As he moved his limping legs, the two pillars transformed into a pair of giant stilts. Amidst the surging sea of clouds, he played acrobatic tricks while strolling across the West Sea. Unbeknownst to him, beneath the vast sea of clouds was not a smooth path or a body of water, but rather countless hidden jagged peaks, deep valleys, and gaping chasms. The stilts stumbled over craggy rocks, and with a “pfft,” one got stuck in a crevice and could not be pulled out. Over the years, eroded by frost, snow, and rain, the immortal who once walked on stilts turned into a massive stone figure, forever standing on the eastern shore of the West Sea of Mount Huangshan.   

　　 Huangshan City, Anhui Province