Case file · Folklore / legend
The hermits of the Zhongnan Mountains
Taoist and Buddhist hermits have lived in caves and huts in the Zhongnan Mountains south of Xi'an for more than two thousand years, by tradition. American translator Bill Porter (Red Pine), told in Beijing that hermits no longer existed, went looking in spring 1989 and found the tradition still alive.
1989 CE · 33.93, 109.00 · status: account
The account
His book 'Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits' (1993) described recluses in mountain caves pursuing immortality and enlightenment, and sparked new interest in China. The mountains are linked to the Quanzhen school of Taoism.
The sceptical view
Real people living simply; legends of immortals belong to the tradition, not to verifiable fact.