In the novel, this mountain is located in the country of Aolai in the Eastern Continent of Superior Deity, also known in Anthony C. Yu's translation as the "Pūrvavideha Continent". It is known as the birthplace of Sun Wukong, a protagonist of the novel. The large mountain has many demons and monkeys in its population and contains many hidden areas, such as the Shuilian Cave. After Sun Wukong bravely rushes through a large waterfall and into this cave, every individual in the mountain acknowledges him as their king. After Sun Wukong becomes king, this mountain becomes exceedingly civilized and well-trained for various future conflicts, such as war. This can be seen in the fact that Sun Wukong often left this mountain for various reasons, including his eventual task of protecting the TangmonkTang Sanzang on his journey to India. Due to the natural and civilized ways of this mountain set by Sun Wukong, this mountain continues to thrive even after 500 years of conflict.
Mount Huaguo is a popular tourist attraction, especially because of its role in the novel Journey to the West. It has over 100 scenic spots and thousands of visitors every year. Since the novel is very influential and popular in China, the mountain has many statues based on its heroes, such as a sculpture of the head of Sun Wukong, a protagonist of the novel, who was also said to be born on the mountain. Near the entrance stand sculptures of the four main characters, along with 109 stone monkeys welcoming visitors as they enter and six stone lions guarding the mountain. Other attractions related to Sun Wukong include the Monkey Stone, Water Curtain Cave, Sanyuan Palace, Yuvu Peak, South Gate of Heaven, etc.
Monkey Stone
The "Monkey Stone" resembles a monkey from a distance. Because of this, people like to relate the stone with the Sun Wukong, who rules and protects his home just as the stone monkey seems to protect Mount Huaguo.
Water Curtain Cave
Water Curtain Cave, or Shuilian Cave, is a natural waterfall over a cave that was formed by a ground fissure. There are many ancient carvings in front of the cave, with letters written by emperors from different dynasties. For example, "印心石屋" was written by the Daoguang Emperor during the Qing dynasty. Inside, there are tunnels leading to a platform inside the cave. There is a spring inside called Lingquan Spring; it is not big, but it is always full of water, even when there is a drought. It is said that the spring can lead you to the Dragon King's Palace. The cave is featured within the novel Journey to the West, written in the Ming Dynasty. Very early on, Sun Wukong becomes the king of this cave, and it is generally used for all the monkeys to train within and generally rest. Before such an event, Wukong, with his bravery, nominated himself to be the monkey that would rush through the Mount Huaguo's great waterfall in order to see what was behind it. He discovered Following this, Wukong After many points following this, Sun Wukong returned to the Water Curtain Cave for miscellaneous reasons, either while returning from his celestial master, or because of an issue with his enlightened master, Sanzang.
San Yuan Palace
San Yuan Palace is the biggest building in Mount Huaguo, and one of the most ancient. It was initially built during the Tang dynasty. It contains three statues that represent the three gods of Heaven, Earth, and Water.
