Confession: I came to Huaguoshan in Lianyungang for a monkey. Or rather, for the legendary monkey king, Sun Wukong, whose mythical birthplace this mountain is said to be. What I found was a landscape so whimsically dramatic it could indeed have spawned a superhero.
Huaguoshan (“Mountain of Flowers and Fruit”) rises abruptly from the coastal plain, its forested peaks often wreathed in cloud. Taking the cable car up, I emerged into a world of sheer granite cliffs, twisted pines, and deep, echoing ravines. The air was cool and smelled of pine resin. Following the paths, I soon discovered the mountain’s personality: playful and slightly mischievous.
I passed the Water Curtain Cave (Shuilian Dong), a waterfall tumbling over a cave mouth—the supposed home of Sun Wukong and his monkey tribe. Kids (and playful adults) dashed through the spray, laughing. Further on, at the Summit (Yuding), the view was staggering. On one side, the Yellow Sea stretched to a hazy infinity. On the other, jagged peaks marched into the distance like a petrified army. It felt like standing on the spine of a dragon.
But the real magic happened away from the main sites. On a quieter trail, I found a small, deserted temple tucked into a cliff face. An old caretaker was sweeping the courtyard. “Looking for the Monkey King?” he asked with a smile. “He’s everywhere here. In the wind that shakes the trees, in the water that carved these rocks.” He pointed to a formation that did, indeed, look like a monkey gazing at the moon.
Huaguoshan doesn’t just reference Journey to the West; it embodies its spirit. It’s a place of adventure, myth, and natural fantasy. Hiking its trails, you half-expect to see an immortal practicing alchemy on a cloud-wrapped peak or a demon disguised as a beautiful maiden. It’s a mountain that encourages imagination.
Descending as the afternoon light slanted, painting the granite in warm hues, I understood. They didn’t just choose this mountain as Sun Wukong’s home. Its very essence—its isolated beauty, its dramatic shapes, its sense of hidden magic—inspired the legend. Huaguoshan isn’t a backdrop to a story; it is the source of the story itself.