First Guide to the Western Mountains西山經之首

The first mountain of the Hua range in the Western Mountains is Mount Qianlai. On its heights there are many pines, and below there is much washing stone. There is a beast here shaped like a sheep but with the tail of a horse. It is called the xianyang sheep, and its fat can cure chapped skin.

Forty five li to the west is Mount Songguo. The Huo River rises here and flows north into the Wei. In its waters there is much copper. There is a bird here called the tongqu. It is shaped like a mountain pheasant, with a black body and red feet. It can cure chapped skin.

Sixty li further west is Mount Taihua. It is cut straight on four sides, five thousand ren high and ten li across. No bird or beast lives there. There is a snake here called the feiyi. It has six feet and four wings, and when it appears there is a great drought under heaven.

Eighty li further west is Mount Xiaohua. Its trees are mostly thorn and wolfberry, and its beasts are mostly the zuo ox. On its shaded side there is much chiming stone, and on its sunny side much tufu jade. Its birds are mostly the red bie, which can ward off fire. Among its plants there is the bili, shaped like the wujiu moss. It grows on the rocks and climbs the trees as well, and eating it cures pain in the heart.

Eighty li further west is Mount Fuyu. On its sunny side there is much copper, and on its shaded side much iron. On its heights there is a tree called the wenjing. Its fruit is like a jujube, and it can cure deafness. Its plants are mostly the tiao, shaped like a mallow, with red flowers and yellow fruit like the tongue of an infant. Eating it keeps a person from being deluded. The Fuyu River rises here and flows north into the Wei. Its beasts are mostly the conglong, shaped like a sheep but with a red mane. Its birds are mostly the min, shaped like a kingfisher but with a red beak, and it can ward off fire.

Sixty li further west is Mount Shicui. Its trees are mostly palm and nanmu, and its plants are mostly the tiao, shaped like a chive, with white flowers and black fruit. Eating it cures scabies. On its sunny side there is much tufu jade, and on its shaded side much copper. The Guan River rises here and flows north into the Yu. In its waters there is flowing ochre, and smearing it on oxen and horses keeps them free of illness.

Seventy li further west is Mount Ying. On its heights there are many niu and jiang trees; on its shaded side there is much iron, and on its sunny side much red metal. The Yu River rises here and flows north into the Zhao. In its waters there are many fang fish, shaped like a soft shelled turtle, and their voice is like a sheep. On its sunny side there is much jian bamboo and mei bamboo, and its beasts are mostly the zuo ox and the xianyang sheep. There is a bird here shaped like a quail, with a yellow body and a red beak. It is called the feiyi, and eating it cures pestilence and can kill worms.

Fifty two li further west is Mount Zhu. On its heights there are many tall trees, and on its shaded side much iron. There is a plant here called the huangguan. It is shaped like the ailanthus, its leaves are like hemp, its flowers are white and its fruit red, and the color of it is like red earth. Bathe in it and scabies is cured, and it can also cure swelling. The Zhu River rises here and flows north into the Wei. On its sunny side there is much small bamboo and much blue jade. The Dan River rises here and flows southeast into the Luo. In its waters there is much rock crystal and there are many renyu fish. There is a beast here shaped like a pig but with white hair, as thick as a hairpin and black at the tip. It is called the haozhi.

A hundred and twenty li further west is Mount Fu. There are many pan trees, which put out leaves like the trifoliate orange but do not wound, and wood insects live inside them. There is a plant here called the xuncao. Its leaves are like hemp and its stem is square, its flowers are red and its fruit black, and it smells like the miwu. Wear it at the belt and it can ward off pestilence.

Seventy li further west is Mount Yuci. The Qi River rises here and flows north into the Wei. On its heights there are many yu and jiang trees, and below much small bamboo. On its shaded side there is much red copper, and on its sunny side much yingyuan jade. There is a beast here shaped like a monkey but with long arms, and it throws well. It is called the xiao. There is a bird here shaped like an owl but with a human face and a single foot. It is called the tuofei. It appears in winter and hides away in summer, and one who wears its feathers does not fear thunder.

A hundred and fifty li further west is Mount Shi. There is no grass or tree. The Zhu River rises here and flows north into the Wei. In its waters there is much rock crystal.

A hundred and seventy li further west is Mount Nan. On its heights there is much cinnabar fine as millet. The Dan River rises here and flows north into the Wei. Its beasts are mostly the mengbao, and its birds are mostly the shijiu.

Four hundred and eight li further west is Mount Dashi. On its heights there are many paper mulberry and oak trees, and below many niu and jiang trees. On its shaded side there is much silver, and on its sunny side much white jade. The Cen River rises here and flows north into the Wei. The Qing River rises here and flows south into the Han.

Three hundred and twenty li further west is Mount Bozhong. The Han River rises here and flows southeast into the Mian, and the Xiao River rises here and flows north into the Tang. On its heights there is much taozhi and goudan bamboo. Its beasts are mostly rhinoceros, wild ox, bear and brown bear, and its birds are mostly the white han and the red bie. There is a plant here whose leaves are like the hui orchid and whose root is like the balloon flower. Its flowers are black and it bears no fruit. It is called the gurong, and eating it leaves a person without children.

Three hundred and fifty li further west is Mount Tiandi. On its heights there are many palm and nanmu trees, and below much jian rush and hui orchid. There is a beast here shaped like a dog, and it is called the xibian. One who sits on its hide is not struck by gu poison. There is a bird here shaped like a quail, with black markings and a red ruff at the neck. It is called the li, and eating it cures piles. There is a plant here shaped like a mallow, and it smells like the miwu. It is called the duheng. It makes a horse run well, and eating it cures goiter.

Three hundred and eighty li to the southwest is Mount Tutu. The Se River rises here and flows west into the Zhuzi, and the Tu River rises here and flows south into the Jihuo. On its sunny side there is much cinnabar fine as millet, on its shaded side much silver and gold, and on its heights many cassia trees. There is a white stone here called the yu, and it can poison rats. There is a plant here shaped like the gaoba, with leaves like a mallow but red on the back. It is called the wutiao, and it can poison rats. There is a beast here shaped like a deer but with a white tail, the legs of a horse, the hands of a man and four horns. It is called the yingru. There is a bird here shaped like a kite but with the feet of a man. It is called the shusi, and eating it cures goiter.

A hundred and eighty li further west is Mount Huang. There is no grass or tree, and there is much small bamboo. The Pan River rises here and flows west into the Chi. In its waters there is much jade. There is a beast here shaped like an ox, dark and black, with large eyes. It is called the min. There is a bird here shaped like a horned owl, with green feathers and a red beak. Its tongue is like the tongue of a man and it can speak. It is called the yingwu.

Two hundred li further west is Mount Cui. On its heights there are many palm and nanmu trees, and below much small bamboo. On its sunny side there is much gold and jade, and on its shaded side many yaks, ling antelope and musk deer. Its birds are mostly the lei, shaped like a magpie, red and black, with two heads and four feet. It can ward off fire.

Two hundred and fifty li further west is Mount Gui. It sits astride the Western Sea. There is no grass or tree, and there is much jade. The Qi River rises here and flows west into the sea. In its waters there is much colored stone and gold, and much cinnabar fine as millet.

In all, the first section of the First Guide to the Western Mountains runs from Mount Qianlai to Mount Gui, nineteen mountains in all, two thousand nine hundred and fifty seven li. Mount Hua is the chief mountain. The rite of its sacrifice uses the great offering. Mount Yu is where a god dwells, and torches are used at its sacrifice. One fasts a hundred days, uses a hundred victims and buries a hundred pieces of yu jade. A hundred casks of wine are warmed, and a hundred gui tablets and a hundred bi jades are set out for the offering. All that belongs to the other seventeen mountains is whole in coat and sound in body, and the sacrifice is made with a single sheep. What is called a torch is the hundred grasses not yet burned to ash. The white mat is edged round with colors.