Many famous scenic spots in China are steeped in legends. Numerous folk tales, such as the Guangji Bridge in Teochew, are recounted in this article. This article recounts a mountain legend: “The Line of Sky.”

A Talented Man and a Beautiful Woman

Many years ago, there lived in Zhuji a young man named Shiwa. He was both intelligent and strong. Not only was he a skilled farmer, he was also a skilled stonemason.

Every morning and evening, he would bring his hammer and chisel and, along with the young men from the village, would go up to the mountains to chip away at the rocks.

Spring, summer, autumn, winter, wind, frost, rain, or snow, he would work tirelessly, never stopping for a single day. Gradually, he transformed the hilltops surrounding the village into a scene of extraordinary beauty.

In Shiwa’s village, there lived a girl named Huamei. Her flower resembled a newly opened peony. She was clever and skillful, and her embroidery skills were unparalleled.

No other girl could match her skill. Every day, Huamei sat by the window embroidering with the other girls in the village. They embroidered all the beautiful flowers onto brocade, which they then made into garments. Everyone looked their best.

Huamei also sang. Whenever she opened her mouth to sing, flowers bloomed, birds flew, and the village, young and old, men and women, burst into laughter.

Shiwa was chiseling rocks in the mountains when he heard her singing, his enthusiasm intensified.

Shiwa loved Huamei, and Huamei loved Shiwa. They shared a common wish: to wait until Shiwa had chiseled all the rocks on the mountain and Huamei had embroidered all the flowers of the four seasons before they could marry.

The entire village loved Huamei and Shiwa, saying they were a perfect match.

The Jealous Thunder God

It was the Mid-Autumn Festival, August 15th. Shiwa finished chiseling the last block of rock, and Huamei finished embroidering the last strand of silk thread.

They both ran to the stream outside the village. Huamei untied her braids, letting the clear spring water wash her long hair. The moon shone brightly in the sky, the stars twinkled and smiled, and the fairies in the sky peeked out. Who wouldn’t envy this mortal couple?

Even the Thunder God, perched on the clouds, saw them. Shiwa and Huamei were so happy, so close. The more he watched, the more jealous he became, thinking bitterly:

How could anyone in the world live happier than I? That’s impossible! Such a beautiful girl should belong to me!

So he smeared his face with black paint, transformed into a thick, dark-faced man, and descended to the underworld.

Hua Mei dressed up and returned to the village with Shi Wa. The villagers carried them up to the most beautiful hill, where they had already built a new house for them. The entire village, young and old, spent the night in great joy on the hill. It was only as dawn approached that they gradually dispersed.

The guests had left, and Shi Wa and Hua Mei were about to go back inside. Suddenly, the moon disappeared, and dark clouds loomed overhead. A terrifying sound rolled in from the distance. The Thunder God appeared on the hilltop, grinning mischievously as he pulled Hua Mei away, saying, “My beauty, come with me to heaven.”

Hua Mei, furious and angry, reached out and slapped Shi Wa twice. Shi Wa rushed over and sent him flying. The Thunder God, having received a beating, refused to give up! With a swirl of his eyes, two bolts of lightning flashed. A clatter of thunder, his mouth opened. With a flick of his sleeve, a fierce wind blew and a torrential rain fell.

The lightning blinded, the thunder deafened, the gusts of wind made it impossible to stand, and the torrential rain battered people, making it impossible to lift their heads. Huamei and Shiwa clung to each other, swearing to remain together even until death!

The Thunder God slashed his hand between Shiwa and Huamei:

Suddenly, a flash of green light split the mountain in two.

The Thunder God blew, and the half of the mountain where Huamei stood immediately took flight. Shiwa nimbly leaped and clung to the vines on that half of the mountain. Flying, flying, faster and higher.

Counterattack on the Thunder God

Shiwa could only hear the whirring of the wind in his ears. Gradually, he grew dizzy and dazed. His hands unknowingly transformed into wings, and he could no longer hold on. He gnashed the vines tightly with his teeth. However, his beak grew longer, sharper, and harder…

Finally, this half of the mountain flew over the Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou. It landed on the ground with a loud thud, shocking Shiwa unconscious.

When Shiwa regained consciousness, he saw that he had transformed into a bird with a long beak and felt heartbroken.

At that moment, he faintly heard a song—a familiar one!

So he spread his wings and flew to the top of the mountain. He looked around:

He had led the carvings on the mountain, and led the planting of the trees. He immediately recognized that this was the half of the mountain that had flown from his hometown!

He put his ear to the rock and listened. The song became clearer. No matter how thick the rock wall was, it couldn’t block out Huamei’s singing. Huamei must be at the foot of this mountain!

Shiwa found a spot and began pecking at the rock:

He pecked day after day, until the rock started to spark.

Hua Wa was singing when he suddenly heard a faint “tap, tap” sound overhead.

He held his breath and listened. Sure enough! The sound grew clearer and louder. It must be Shi Wa chiseling the rock! Hua Mei was overjoyed! She pulled out the silver hairpin from her hair and began digging toward the spot on the cave ceiling where the sound was coming from.

The Blind Thunder God

She wanted Shi Wa to save her energy and get through the rock faster.

So, Shi Wa pecked at the top of the mountain while Hua Mei dug in the cave. Shi Wa’s sharp beak pecked through the rock, and Hua Mei’s silver hairpin was worn down to a short fragment.

After an indescribable amount of time, Shi Wa finally pecked through the rock with a silver hairpin. A beam of warm sunlight streamed into the black hole. Shi Wa flew through the crack into the cave, circling Hua Mei three times.

Hua Mei immediately transformed into a beautiful bird, and together they flew into the sky, facing the sun.

Shi Wa and Hua Mei soared through the blue sky, through the white clouds, and soared into the heavens.

They found the Thunder God and, flapping their wings together, charged forward. With two clap-claps, they pecked out both of the Thunder God’s copper-bell eyes.

From then on, the Thunder God remained blind, roaring only in the sky, never daring to descend to the earth to wreak havoc again.

To this day, there’s still a “Half Mountain” outside Zhuji City. The other half of the mountain that flew away from there is now the “Flying Peak” at Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou.

On Feilai Peak, there’s a small hole called “One Line Sky,” where Shi Wa rescued Hua Mei.