Auspicious clouds pass through the hole, longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountain: Yunmen Mountain

Yunmen Mountain, located 2.5 kilometers south of Qingzhou city, is adjacent to Camel Mountain and connected with Fan Gong Pavilion at the mountain's base. With an elevation of 421 meters, the mountain is not high, but it is famous for its auspicious omens, of which there are two: Yunmen Cave, during the summer and autumn seasons, the 'Cloudy Grotto' (see photo) on the south side of the cave emits clouds. At that time, white clouds soar into the sky, rising gently through Yunmen Cave, circulating back and forth, resembling rolling clouds lifting the temple at the mountain's peak into the clouds, thus it is known as 'Yunmen's Fairyland'. The story 'Li Daoren Walks Alone Through Yunmen' from the famous Ming Dynasty work 'Awakening the World Hengyan' by Feng Menglong, refers to Yunmen Mountain's Yunmen Cave. The second auspicious omen: the rare Ming Dynasty cliff stone carving of the character 'Shou' (longevity), known as 'Yunmen's Presentation of Longevity'. The 'Shou' character is located at the summit facing north from the south, carved during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty by Prince Heng Zhu Daigui to wish for longevity, meaning 'longevity as enduring as the Southern Mountain'. The 'Shou' character is 7.5 meters tall, with the 'inch' character on the lower right reaching 2.23 meters, and the phrase 'man is not as tall as an inch' originates from this. Visitors climbing Yunmen Mountain, worshiping the 'Shou' character, and taking photos with it, as the most beautiful blessing for themselves and their families. The auspicious light of the 'Shou' character extends to the surrounding area, which was later named: Shouguang, now Shouguang city. Cliffs and precipices throughout the mountain are covered with inscriptions and steles by literati from various dynasties, such as the 'God is Present' stone carving by the Ming Dynasty's Xuesuo, meaning: revere the gods as if they are present. The mountain is home to many Taoist and Buddhist temples, pavilions, and towers, and today's Yunmen Mountain is a 5A-rated scenic area, the top choice for touring Qingzhou.