Wolf Mountain
It's true
Are there no wolves?
Photo by Jiang Yinzi
Tap the image above to see Wolf Mountain at sunrise
Nantong people often say
"There are no wolves in Wolf Mountain, and there are no mountains in Guanyin Mountain"
So, is there really no wolf in Wolf Mountain?
Perhaps, not really!
The legend of the white wolf
Wolf Mountain, also known as Zilang Mountain, Five Wolf Mountain, White Wolf Mountain, etc. Regarding the name of Wolf Mountain, one says that the mountain resembles a wolf, and the second is because there is a white wolf in the mountain. In ancient times, Wolf Mountain was occupied by white wolf spirits, endangering living beings. The founder of Wolf Mountain, the Sangha (i.e., the Great Sage Bodhisattva), came to Wolf Mountain to practice in order to spread the Dharma. The white wolf thought carefully about how big the robe could be, and he agreed without care. Unexpectedly, the Sangha used a spell, and in an instant, the golden light was shining, and the robe became bigger and bigger, covering the whole mountain in a blink of an eye. The white wolf said, you are the incarnation of a bodhisattva, my good roots are far behind, and you should leave. The Great Sage said, everything comes from fate, you have cultivated in this mountain for hundreds of years, so leave your name. Therefore, the mountain is named "Wolf Mountain".
The statue of the white wolf located at the foot of Wolf Mountain
It is precisely because of this legend that there is a saying in Nantong area: "The Great Sage Bodhisattva borrows the Wolf Mountain - only borrows but does not return".
In the eyes of some people, even if they fight the white wolf, the Sangha should have something to say in a clear place, and the practice of borrowing and not repaying is not authentic enough.
However, looking at the "legend of the white wolf" in other regions, the fate of the white wolf spirit is often even more tragic - for example, in the legend of Jixinling at the junction of Chongqing, Shaanxi and Hubei, the white wolf spirit was beaten to death by villagers who represented justice. Another example is Yellowstone Park in the United States, where wolves were once extinct under the endless hunting of humans, and the existing wolves were forced to be introduced from Canada due to serious damage to the ecological chain.
White Wolf (Photo source: Pixabay)
In contrast, the practice of "driving away and leaving a name" in the legend of the white wolf in Nantong reflects the compassion and humanistic care of all sentient beings.
When it comes to the image of "white wolf", many people will think of Hayao Miyazaki's famous animated film "Princess Mononoke". The film tells the story of Shanshan, an abandoned baby adopted by the white wolf clan to trap the white wolf, starting from the irresolvable natural contradiction between man and nature, and exploring the ultimate proposition of whether humans and nature can truly achieve harmonious coexistence from the perspective of human existence.
Photo source movie "Princess Mononoke"
In fact, from art to reality, Wolf Mountain is indeed "a wolf to be found". Wolf Mountain belongs to the subtropical monsoon climate zone, with mild climate, abundant rainfall, and diversified ecological conditions of hills, land, rivers, rivers and ponds, which is suitable for wild animals to breed.
According to the historical records of the past dynasties, the Wolf Mountain area used to be a vast grass, except for the residents of boiling salt, there were few people, and it was an active place for wild animals such as wolves, monkeys, wild boars, and tooth deer. It was only later, with the increase of population and the process of urbanization, the living space of wild animals was greatly compressed and gradually faded out of people's field of vision.
sika deer
European badger
Red-bellied squirrel
(Photo taken in the Natural Science Museum of Wolf Mountain National Forest Park, Nantong, Jiangsu) Until the beginning of the 21st century, the construction of ecological civilization has been promoted as a whole, and Wolf Mountain has been built into a national forest park, and new vitality has quietly sprouted in the foothills. Today, the nature reserve at the southern foot of Junshan Mountain has become the only urban "wildlife gene bank" in the Jianghai Plain. In 2016, Nanjing Forestry University conducted a survey of the Junshan Natural Ecological Reserve and found a total of 468 species of plants and more than 360 species of animals (220 species of birds, 117 species of insects, and dozens of other amphibians, reptiles, fish, etc.).
Check-in point: Nantong Wolf Mountain National Forest Park Natural Science Museum
Between Huangnishan and Ma'anshan, relying on the old site of "Xishan Village" built by Mr. Zhang Jian, the entire exhibition hall covers an area of about 600 square meters.
The mulberry field is restored to the sea, and the sea is mulberry field. Ecological protection, we have been on the road to catch the exam, the disappearing ecological chain is slowly recovering, and the picture of "ten thousand kinds of frost competition freedom" is slowly unfolding. Maybe one day, the "wolf mountain without wolves" in people's mouths will become "knowing that there are wolves in the mountains, they prefer to go to the wolf mountain".
Of course, there are no wolves in Wolf Mountain now, so you can go there with confidence-
Climb to the top of Wolf Mountain
There was a long roar, and the mountains and valleys responded
Raise your head and look around at the sea and the sky
Overlooking the vast river scenery that only sees the skyline of the Yangtze River
to Riverside Park
Watch the finless porpoise chase the waves
Catch a glimpse of the vast smoke waves of the sunset and the lonely birds flying together
With lovely creatures
Qi-阔谈讌
Drink a cup of spring together
Swipe left and right to watch the porpoise leap out of the water
Photo by Jiang Jianhua
On February 1, 2022, the Yangtze finless porpoise in the river section of Fanyin Square in Wolf Mountain
(Source: "Wolf Mountain Chronicles")
Five mountains and birds
(Source: "Wolf Mountain Chronicles")
On December 8, 2021, an infrared camera photographed a sika deer, a national first-class protected animal, at the Junshan Nature Reserve
(Source: "Wolf Mountain Chronicles")
Everything grows (Source: "Wolf Mountain Chronicles")
Source: Nantong Cultural Tourism