The Mountain’s Smile

Replenished from the spring rain and prodded to action by the cold winter, azalea buds slowly expand, pink and white. Flowers awaken one by one, and in an instant, the entire mountain lights up!

On the slope, pioneering vegetation details their family histories. The underground stems of miscanthus transmorrisonensis and Yushania niitakayamensis hold tightly onto the soil between the rocks. Following the rise and fall of the mountains, and covered with total silence, the mountain becomes calm. Water vapor drifts in from the valley; the clouds and fog gather, secretly covering reality across the ridges. The mountain slowly enters a surreal and misty dream.

Without a song of celebration — a joyous and crisp sound — the mountain will not stir. Yushan Rhododendron rubropilosum and Rhododendron morii boisterously bloom in clusters.

The mountain’s eyes open in a flash and it sees the azaleas. The mountain smiles. Pink and white, one blossom after another, just like dimples framing the mountain’s long-absent smile. Its feelings are best conveyed by the happy azaleas.

The impermanence of the clouds and fog gradually spread out after the sun shines on them. On the surface of the rocks near the peak, the community of grass and trees can be seen clearly, like a green spring pouring forth from the bare rocks and meandering down little by little. Juniperus squamata grow between steep cliffs, tangled andcoiled, becoming a short and solid bush–growing among pockets of azalea. When the azaleas become gorgeous and perfect, the junipers awaken from the previous season, and using their vigorous branches, tightly hug the longawaited spring.

• upper：Yushan rhododendron