Legends of the Flaming Mountain (Turpan, Xinjiang)
The Flaming Mountain is located in the Turpan Basin of Xinjiang, famous for its scarlet red rock surface and extreme high surface temperature all year round. Two major legends have been passed down for centuries, including the classic tale from Journey to the West and local Uyghur folk stories.
1. Legend of Sun Wukong Borrowing the Plantain Fan
This is the most widespread legend originating from China’s classical novel Journey to the West.
When Sun Wukong made havoc in the Heavenly Palace, Lord Lao Zi trapped him in an Eight Trigrams alchemy furnace to refine him with holy fire. Unexpectedly, Sun Wukong kicked over the burning furnace. Several blazing red pieces of the furnace fell to the mortal world and formed the Flaming Mountain. Constant flames blazed on the mountain, making the whole region barren and impassable.
Years later, Tang Monk and his disciples passed this area on their journey to fetch Buddhist scriptures in India. The raging fire blocked their way forward. Princess Iron Fan owned a magical plantain fan capable of putting out fires, generating winds and summoning rainfall.
Sun Wukong tried three times to borrow the fan. At first, he was blown far away by the strong wind from the fan. In the second attempt, he turned into a tiny insect to sneak into Princess Iron Fan’s body and forced her to hand over a fake fan, which intensified the mountain fire instead. In the end, he defeated Bull Demon King and obtained the real plantain fan. He waved the fan repeatedly to extinguish the wildfire on the mountain. From then on, the mountain no longer burst into flames but keeps sweltering heat permanently.
2. Uyghur Local Folk Legend
An evil fire dragon once lived in the Turpan Basin in ancient times. It sprayed scorching fire nonstop, scorching farmlands and drying up rivers, bringing endless suffering to local residents.
A brave young Uyghur warrior decided to eliminate the dragon to save his people. He put on thick water-soaked leather clothes, took a sharp sword and fought fiercely with the fire dragon deep in the mountains. Eventually, he cut the dragon into two halves with his sword. The dead dragon’s crimson body turned into the red mountain range we see today, and the residual heat inside the dragon’s body was sealed in rock layers, creating the enduring high-temperature landscape of the Flaming Mountain.
Basic Remark
Geologically, the high temperature of Flaming Mountain results from red sandstone weathering and the low-lying terrain of the basin. The ancient legends endow this special landform with rich cultural and mythological charm.
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