N-A-A Chapter 1 Visitor Guidelines for Fulong Mountain Scenic Area
Chapter 1 Visitor Guidelines for Fulong Mountain Scenic Area
All names and places in this story are fictional. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. Please contact me if you wish to have them corrected.
On the night of July 15, 1973, a sudden and severe rainstorm hit the Fulong Mountain area, triggering a landslide and flash flood that destroyed all the houses in Bailong Village. An investigation by the Provincial Geological Bureau determined that the flood was caused by extreme weather combined with a geologically vulnerable zone. The 47 surviving villagers were resettled by the government in a housing project at the foot of the mountain… This area has been designated as a key monitoring zone for geological disasters.
——《S City Archives: Natural Disasters Volume (1973)》
"In order to remember history and pass on folk culture, our city launched the planning of the 'Fulong Mountain Ecological and Cultural Scenic Area' in 2008, preserved the ruins of abandoned villages, restored ancient road stone carvings, and built a folk culture museum to display the oral history of villagers... In 2012, it was approved as a provincial-level folk culture protection area."
—《S City Culture and Tourism Bureau (2008 Announcement)》
……
……
Summer of 2026.
A tour bus turned into the deep mountains along the mountain road. The mountains were lush and beautiful, and from the air, the rolling mountains looked like a lotus flower.
Deep within the lotus blossoms, mist and clouds swirl, and a sense of Zen permeates the ancient temple.
Li Jiu pressed his face against the car window, looking at the scenery outside.
After entering the deep mountains, the vegetation outside the window became even more lush. If Professor He hadn't mentioned it beforehand, he would never have been able to imagine that a flash flood had occurred here fifty years ago.
The tour bus rounded a bend and disappeared into the shade cast by the clouds.
Professor He Shougui, who was sitting at the front of the bus, suddenly opened his eyes as if he were a drowning person waking up.
Looking at the familiar scenery outside the car, He Shougui breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Professor, are you alright?" Yin Qixu, the female assistant wearing thin-rimmed glasses, quickly came over, her voice filled with concern.
He Shougui waved his hand lightly and chuckled, "It's an old problem... Every time I come back here, it's like passing through an invisible door, and my breathing becomes heavy."
He looked up at the approaching mountain shadows outside the window.
"Nanatsu, it's almost time."
Yin Qixu understood immediately, deftly unbuckled his seatbelt, and got up to walk into the bus aisle.
"Dear students, we are about to arrive at our destination. The 'Fulong Mountain Scenic Area Visitor Rules' have been distributed to the summer camp group. I am now handing out the scenic area pass and an extra paper copy of the rules. Please keep them safe and carry them with you as much as possible during the summer camp."
Yin Qixu's magnetic voice woke up all the passengers, and some rustling sounds immediately filled the carriage.
She moved slowly, handing out passes and paper rules to each person as if distributing exam papers.
When it was passed to Li Jiu, he casually took his share.
"Hey, Li Jiu." Tang Mubai, sitting next to him, nudged him with his elbow, lowering his voice and clutching the newly received rules in his hand, "Do you think Fulong Mountain is really as mysterious as the internet makes it out to be?"
Li Jiu didn't respond, his gaze still fixed on the flowing greenery outside the window.
"Hey, bro! I'm talking to you!" Tang Mubai nudged him again.
Li Jiu then looked away and slowly turned his face: "...Sorry, I was daydreaming. What did you just say?"
"I'm telling you," Tang Mubai said, bringing the rules closer to his face and tapping the bolded rule with his fingertip, "it clearly states here that exploring uncharted paths is prohibited, but when I was researching guides, tons of people shared their experiences of venturing into the mountains to find uncharted trails..."
"I mean, if the consequences of violating the rules are really that serious, how come there are still people who don't follow them at all? And it seems like nothing's happened to them..."
"Don't you think this is contradictory?"
Li Jiu was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke: "When I was a child, my grandmother told me that there were water ghosts in the river, so I never went to the water's edge."
"You mean, the rules are actually more of a warning?" Tang Mubai asked thoughtfully. "Oh, that's not impossible..."
"Perhaps," Li Jiu said calmly. "It's also possible that only professionals can go to those places."
Li Jiu glanced at him.
"Wait a minute, why are you thinking about how to break the rules right from the start?"
"How could that be!" Tang Mubai swished the rules around. "My grandfather taught me to obey the law since I was a child, but don't you think these rules sound like those urban legends? Each one is chilling to the bone."
Li Jiu took over, his tone still flat: "I don't know if it's similar or not. I've always selectively believed in these supernatural and bizarre things since I was a child."
Tang Mubai scratched the back of his head and spread the rules on his lap: "To be honest, I read this thing several times before we set off, and every time I read it, my brain felt even more muddled... The tone, the wording, it's like writing a scare plot for an escape room game. I even wonder if the person who wrote it is a fan of plot-driven murder mystery games?"
But as he spoke, he suddenly became more enthusiastic, and his eyes lit up slightly: "I've also seen those 'Hidden Dragon Mountain Wilderness Exploration Teams' online, saying things like 'Searching for dragons and touching gold in winding mountains, each winding path is a barrier'... It sounds so exciting!"
Li Jiu finally revealed a strange expression: "I think you just can't let go of that adventurous spirit, right? Besides, the most random groups I've seen are just secretly digging for bamboo shoots or something, nothing as outrageous as what you're doing."
Tang Mubai chuckled twice but did not reply.
Li Jiu withdrew his gaze and looked down at the pass in his hand.
The thin card, bearing his one-inch photo and name, is of ordinary quality, yet it is printed with the outline of the misty Fulong Mountain.
Li Jiu was somewhat surprised; this pass wasn't universally valid.
He carefully put it into his pocket and then unfolded the rulebook again.
The paper was somewhat soft and didn't seem to be made of ordinary material. He was already familiar with the terms on it, and had even consulted many travelogues and guides before coming.
But at this moment, as the mountain air wafted in through the car window, he couldn't help but read it aloud again, word by word:
"【Fulong Mountain Scenic Area Visitor Guidelines:】"
Fulong Mountain Scenic Area is a national 4A-level scenic area and a key protection area for folk culture. It consists of several parts, namely the starry sky camping area at the foot of the mountain, the natural scenery area in the mountains, the Jiding Temple area at the top of the mountain, and the Bailong Lake area.
Bailong Lake is the most famous scenic spot in this area. Originally a high-altitude lake with a long history, its tributaries converge to form Bailongtan in the stargazing camp area.
In order to maintain order in the scenic area, protect the natural ecology, and ensure your personal safety during your visit, please be sure to abide by the following:
1. Please keep your scenic area pass safe. This is your pass to enter the scenic area and use transportation. If you lose it, please go to the visitor center to apply for a temporary pass.
2. There is an ancient folk legend in the Fulong Mountain area that says "one Buddha can eliminate two evils". When you enter the scenic area, please do not believe everything or be superstitious.
Due to natural environmental factors such as miasma and the interplay of light and shadow on the mountains, some seemingly illogical phenomena may occur in certain areas of the scenic area. Please remain steadfast in your understanding and view folk culture dialectically.
3. You can only carry out hiking activities between 6:00 and 18:00 each day, but this time period is for reference only and is not fixed. The specific situation depends on the lighting conditions.
During the longest days, you can begin your hiking activity after the sun has risen;
When the nights are long, you need to leave the mountains and return to the camp before the sun completely sets. If you are unable to leave, you can try to stay overnight at Jiding Temple.
4. You can choose from the following three methods to travel between the mountaintop and the foot of the mountain:
a. Cable car, fixed opening hours: 6:00 to 18:00 daily.
The cable car starts at Bailongtan in the Starry Sky Camp area and ends at Bailonghu area.
Bailong Lake is a high-altitude lake, with its main body located on the mountaintop. Its branches are distributed throughout Fulong Mountain, and most of them converge at the foot of the mountain, cascading into the pool in the form of waterfalls, forming the spectacular sight of "White Dragon Entering the Pool" at Bailongtan.
(Note: For rules regarding specific areas such as Bailongtan and Jiding Temple, please refer to the notice boards in the respective areas.)
b. Shuttle bus, fixed operating hours: 6:00-18:00 daily.
The shuttle bus starts at the Starry Sky Camp Station, passes through the Stone Carving Area Station, and finally arrives at the Jiding Temple Station.
Because there are unofficial members inside the scenic area, passengers must show their scenic area pass when getting on and off the shuttle bus.
You may only board the train at three fixed stops, but you may jump off at any time. Under normal circumstances, we do not encourage you to do anything that endangers your personal safety.
c. Hiking Trails. Detailed route maps of the hiking trails are shown in the Fulong Mountain Scenic Area Guide Map attached to this guide. Hiking precautions are as follows.
5. When hiking, please pay attention to the following:
a. Climbing mountains alone is prohibited.
b. Each fork in the road has detailed trail signs. During the hike, you must strictly check the trail signs and map each time you reach a fork in the road. If you find any abnormalities in the trail signs, mark them on the map immediately. After that, you can choose to continue along the hiking trail or return the way you came.
If you need to take a shuttle bus during the hike, you must wait at the designated stop and are not allowed to stop the shuttle bus during the hike.
c. Fulong Mountain has a complex terrain and many undeveloped areas. If you find any trails or shortcuts that are not marked on the map during your climb, please do not explore them on your own to avoid accidents.
d. When selecting hiking trails, the scenic area avoided most cemeteries. If you see some isolated graves during your hike, don't be surprised.
Try not to leave the hiking trails and head towards the cemetery, whether you do so intentionally or unintentionally.
e. Due to the historical and folk cultural heritage of the scenic area, some irregular tourists often appear in the area. These tourists have purposes such as "curiosity exploration", "folk culture exploration" or "poaching of rare species". Their behavior may be a bit strange. If you see them in the forest area or on the wild road outside the hiking trail, try not to have too much interaction with them and just ignore them.
f. All the monks inside the scenic area live in Jiding Temple on the mountaintop and will leave the temple at specific times, but they will never meet you on the mountain trails.
If you encounter monks during your hike, please ignore them.
Especially when you find them in areas outside the hiking trails.
g. During the climb, if you hear calls or chanting, please do not respond, and do not try to find the source of the calls.
6. There are many viewing pavilions along the mountain trail for tourists to rest. Some of these pavilions may lead to stone steps that are not part of the trail. Please do not walk down these steps out of curiosity or other reasons.
If a companion starts walking down the stone steps, please call them back before they disappear from your sight.
Never chase after him, especially once he has already gone out of your sight.
Some viewing pavilions have corresponding rules. Please read them carefully before entering to rest, or choose not to enter that viewing pavilion.
Note: If you find a snake near the viewing pavilion, even just one, please leave the pavilion immediately.
7. The scenic area has a large number of stone carvings and cliff carvings. Due to geological disasters and other reasons, some stone carvings are incomplete. You should not be surprised if you see broken stone carvings during your visit.
If you experience dizziness or other discomfort while viewing stone carvings or engravings, please immediately stop observing and rest nearby with the help of your companions, or go to the nearest viewing pavilion to rest until the discomfort disappears.
Note: In any such cases, the abnormal locations should be marked on the map.
8. Due to folk legends and the natural and cultural landmarks within the scenic area, the atmosphere of metaphysics is relatively strong. However, there are no phenomena that violate the common sense of physics, such as streams flowing backward or shadows flickering. If you find yourself experiencing such illogical or cognitive situations, even if you feel no abnormality, please stop all your current activities immediately and descend the mountain as soon as possible.
During your ascent and descent, please keep track of the number of people in your group:
If you find that there are more people in your team than before, please ignore these extra people and do not interact with them too much.
If you notice that the number of people is decreasing, please try to inform your companions.
If you are left alone, pretend that you have a companion and maintain normal communication with them.
After that, please immediately use the Fulong Mountain Scenic Area map to determine your location and find the nearest trail start and end point, or a shuttle bus station, cable car station, or other means of transportation that will allow you to quickly leave the scenic area and return to the Starry Sky Camp.
If you do not meet any of the above conditions, but are close to Jiding Temple, you may stay overnight at Jiding Temple. If you wish to enter Jiding Temple, please abide by the "Jiding Temple Visitor Rules and Pilgrim Guidelines".
Note: Beware of people who reappear after disappearing!
9. The shuttle bus terminates at Jiding Temple Station. After getting off the bus, you can continue along the mountain trail until you reach Bailong Lake.
Jiding Temple is a key cultural relic protection unit and a key folk culture protection area in J Province. It is not recommended to enter unless absolutely necessary.
10. In addition to the situations listed above, if you encounter any of the following situations due to various uncontrollable factors, please evacuate the area immediately with at least one companion:
a. Experience intense hallucinations, including but not limited to seeing spatial distortions, displacement of earth and wood, and swarms of snakes.
b. Intense auditory hallucinations occur, including but not limited to increasingly loud and persistent calls, or hearing continuous chanting in places far from Jiding Temple.
c. You smell odors that are not typical of the mountains, including but not limited to the smell of decaying organisms, fishy smells, or smells that make you instinctively uncomfortable.
Note: Pay special attention to a mysterious fragrance that draws you in unconsciously.
d. When you suddenly step on a soft, slippery, sticky solid-liquid mixture.
Note: Do not attempt to identify the properties of this type of substance.
It is forbidden to trace the source of such substances!
In addition to the situations described above, if you experience dizziness, nausea, weightlessness, or other discomfort without warning, please find a suitable route down the mountain based on your location and seek medical attention as soon as you arrive at the stargazing campsite.
11. If you violate the above rules, or are unable to take specific actions in accordance with the rules in a timely manner for some reason, please determine your current location according to the Fulong Mountain Scenic Area Guide Map, and then go to Jiding Temple as quickly as possible. You will know what to do.
If you are unable to reach Jiding Temple in time, or lose your way, find the nearest viewing pavilion and follow the stone steps away from the area where the hiking trail is located. Keep walking, and you will know what to do.
As long as you follow the above rules, you can have a pleasant time at Fulong Mountain Scenic Area.
After scanning the rules again from beginning to end, Li Jiu couldn't help but rub his temples and turn his gaze back to the window.
"Li bro, what are you looking at? I've seen you looking out the whole way." Tang Mubai leaned over and followed his gaze.
"I'm looking for Jiding Temple," Li Jiu said. "Since just now, I've been vaguely hearing chanting sounds... intermittent, like through a layer of fog, so I want to see which direction it's in."
He paused, then pointed to the clouds swirling around the distant mountainside:
"There seemed to be a temple in the mist just now, but I don't know if it was one."
Tang Mubai's expression immediately turned strange: "Don't mess around, we're only at the Fulong Mountain Scenic Area after that next bend. What ghost could you have seen just now!"