Sun and Moon Mountain

Legend has it that in 641 AD, Princess Wencheng set off from Chang'an and traveled to Tibet via the Tang-Tibet Ancient Road. When she passed by Sun and Moon Mountain, she was overcome with homesickness and took out the Sun and Moon Mirror given to her by the empress. She saw the beautiful scenery of Chang'an in the mirror and was so excited that she accidentally dropped the mirror, which broke into two pieces and fell on two small hills. One piece reflected the sunset, and the other reflected the moonlight. This is how Sun and Moon Mountain got its name. After entering the scenic area from the ticket gate, you will find a wooden walkway built along the mountain. On the grassy slopes beside the walkway, you can see marmots everywhere. They are not afraid of people. When you look at them, they look back at you. When they have had enough, they lazily stroll on the grassy slopes. At the top of the mountain is the largest prayer flag in the Qinghai-Tibet region, like a large tent covering the top of the mountain. The wind is strong at the top of the mountain, and Tibetans like to place prayer flags in windy places to ward off disasters and pray for peace and health. Inside the huge prayer flag tent, there are flowers and ponds at the bottom. The sky through the gaps in the prayer flags and the words on the prayer flags are reflected in the ponds. Although I don't understand Tibetan culture, I still feel a strange sense of sacredness. The altitude of Sun and Moon Mountain is 3,520 meters, which may not be high, but when you keep talking and walking at this altitude, you will still feel a little dizzy. Usually, the car will pick up passengers at the top of the mountain, which means that the entrance and exit of the scenic area are not in the same place. I didn't listen carefully because I had a little altitude sickness when I got out of the car. After visiting the scenic area at the top of the mountain, I returned to the entrance of the scenic area, only to be told that the car was at the exit at the top of the mountain. At that time, I could feel my blood pressure slowly rising, and I was having trouble breathing. While I was adjusting on the walkway, I stared blankly at the marmots for a long time, and finally climbed to the top of the mountain for the second time. The car spiraled up to a higher peak, and Sun and Moon Mountain was far away. The magnificent prayer flags became a colorful little bag at the foot of the mountain.