My family went to Mount. Hua on New Year’s Eve. We settled in The Hotel of Mount. Hua, a delicate, cozy hotel nestled at the mountain foot. The moon gate (a specific type of gate in Suzhou-style gardens) framed the view of a front courtyard consisting inclining maple branches, a tiny trickling waterfall on some rockeries, and some fresh green bamboos whirling in the wind, from which a poetic dwelling was revealed.

I was surprised to find the hotel lobby in such a quaint and unadorned manner. Ink wash murals hung on the walls, a few simple linen couches, some plain teacups on the lacquered tea table and a kettle on a stove, some dried leaves of scarce plants, pine cones, and beautiful rocks were placed on the racks as accessories. The “lobby”, though more like a room, was quite naturally decorated.

Stepping outside the door of lobby to find ourselves in a small pavilion amid an inner garden. Two cattail hassocks and a chess board were placed on a game table, thick, bald vines crept on the pale wall that added to the solitude of winter. A gravel road wriggled in between the abundant plants of the inner garden which range from the tall cypresses, winter sweets, bamboos to the short camellias, azaleas, shrubs, etc. The bright colors of red, orange, yellow of koi emerged mysteriously from a veiled deep cyan pond, where also a few lotuses bloomed proudly.

As we strolled on the winding corridor which stretched itself from the pavilion, a beautiful scenery of the white walls beneath black-tiled eaves of classic Chinese monochrome architecture, intricate lattice windows, and the afternoon sun casting grey shadows of the swaying maple leaves on the pale wall were witnessed. At length was our room in a two-story building.

We headed for the mountain right after resting in the hotel. Different from the latter, the mountain had a grander aesthetics. Strong, tall camphor trees, pines, and fir trees dominated the sky, creating a lively and energetic atmosphere. Wild pteridophytes spread freshness between trees, leaves of peculiar shapes often drifted from a low branch, tempting me to touch them, dazzling sunlight which occasionally bestowed itself upon some beech trees, birds chirped and hopped happily on branches, breeze rustled and brought the silent plants to life and mischief. We have entered a world of fantasy and nature, where few people set foot, and the peacefulness was never broken. As we proceed, some distant smoke drifted from an ancient-looking temple with yellow walls and ink-black roof appeared at where multiple stone paths crisscrossed, and I suddenly realized how time-honored this place might be. Had it always stood in such a manner for centuries, even millennia? At least to me, the moment felt like eternal peacefulness and harmony.

We went back to the hotel for dinner, and after night fell we decided to climb the mountain again. The pitch black texture of the night had given a diaphanous vein to the whole mountain. I felt like exploring a whole new world. Wind ceased to rustle, birds were quiet; it was entirely silent, as though the whole mountain had fallen asleep. All that we could see were shadowy towering trees, the dark path in front of us, and the black gossamer sky at times appearing from the overlaying leaves and branches. Everything seemed so much more ethereal than daytime, as though originating from a period of vague dream or dim memory. Although I felt like an intruder of the solemn night, the guilt was quickly forgotten when we finally reached the top and enjoyed the vibrant view of the city skyline with dazzling city lights and radiant fireworks exploding simultaneously and continuously. This was a perfect ending for our trip, as well as the past year; and a welcoming for the new.

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