The Western Mountain Classic begins with Mount Qianlai, where the summit is abundant with pine trees and the base is rich in washstone. A beast lives here, resembling a sheep but with a horse's tail, called the Qianyang. Its fat can be used to cure frostbite.
Forty-five li to the west is Mount Songguo. The Chuan River originates here and flows north into the Wei River, which is rich in copper. A bird called Chongqu lives here, resembling a pheasant with a black body and red feet, and it can cure sunburn.
Sixty li further west is Mount Taihua, steep and square-shaped, towering five thousand ren high and spanning ten li. No birds or beasts dwell here. A snake lives here, called Feiyuan, with six legs and four wings. Its appearance foretells a great drought.
Eighty li west lies Mount Xiaohua, rich in thorny shrubs and home to the strange Niuza cattle. The shady side contains resonant stones, while the sunny side is abundant with jade. Many red pheasants live here, and they can protect against fire. The mountain is also home to a herb called Bili, which resembles black chives growing on rocks, with red edges. Eating it cures heart pain.
Eighty li west lies Mount Fugou, where the sunny side is rich in copper and the shady side in iron. A tree called Wenjing grows here, bearing fruit resembling dates, which can cure deafness. A herb grows here resembling sunflowers, with red flowers and yellow seeds, resembling a baby’s tongue. Eating it prevents confusion. The Fugou River originates here, flowing north into the Wei River. Many Conglong beasts live here, resembling sheep with red manes. Many birds called Wen also live here, resembling kingfishers with red beaks, and they can protect against fire.
Sixty li west is Mount Shicui, rich in palm trees and thorny shrubs. A herb resembling chives with white flowers and black seeds grows here, and eating it cures scabies. The sunny side is abundant with jade, while the shady side is rich in copper. The Guan River originates here, flowing north into the Yu River. The water contains red ochre, which, when applied to cattle and horses, prevents illness.
Seventy li further west lies Mount Ying, which is rich in oak and iron on its shady side, and red gold on its sunny side. The Yu River originates here, flowing north into the Zhao River, which is full of Liyu fish that resemble turtles and sound like sheep. The sunny side is abundant with arrow reeds, and the mountain is home to the strange Niuza cattle and Qianyang sheep. A bird resembling a quail with a yellow body and red beak, called Feiyi, lives here. Eating it cures leprosy and kills insects.
Fifty-two li west is Mount Zhu, where large trees grow, and the shady side is rich in iron. A herb called Huangguan grows here, resembling the ailanthus tree, with leaves like hemp. It has white flowers and red fruits that resemble red ochre. Bathing in it cures scabies and can heal sores. The Zhu River originates here, flowing north into the Wei River. The sunny side is abundant with bamboo arrows, and the river contains many cichlids and jade. The Dan River originates here, flowing southeast into the Luo River, which is rich in water jade and mermaids. A beast called Haozhi lives here, resembling a pig with white fur, as large as a cow, with black tips on its fur.
One hundred twenty li west is Mount Fu, rich in pandora trees, whose thorny leaves do not cause harm. Insects called Muworms live here. A herb called Xuncao grows here, resembling hemp with square stems, red flowers, and black fruits. Its fragrance is like marjoram, and wearing it cures leprosy.
Seventy li further west is Mount Yuci, where the Qi River originates and flows north into the Wei River. The summit is rich in oak, while the base is full of bamboo arrows. The shady side contains red copper, while the sunny side is abundant with jade. A beast called Xiao lives here, resembling a monkey with long arms, and it is skilled in throwing. A bird resembling an owl with a human face and one leg, called Tuozhang, also lives here. It appears in winter and hibernates in summer. Wearing its skin prevents fear of thunder.
One hundred fifty li west is Mount Shi, devoid of vegetation. The Zhu River originates here and flows north into the Wei River, which is rich in water jade.
One hundred seventy li west lies Mount Nan, where the summit is rich in red millet. The Dan River originates here, flowing north into the Wei River. The mountain is home to fierce leopards, and many corpse crows live here.
Four hundred eighty li further west is Mount Dashi, where oak trees grow on the summit, and the base is abundant with oak and jujube trees. The shady side contains silver, and the sunny side is rich in white jade. The Ceng River originates here, flowing north into the Wei River. The Qing River originates here, flowing south into the Han River.
Three hundred twenty li west is Mount Bozhong, where the Han River originates and flows southeast into the Mian River. The Xiao River also originates here, flowing north into the Tang River. The summit is full of peach trees with golden stems. The mountain is home to rhinoceros, buffaloes, bears, and pandas, while many white-feathered and red-tailed pheasants live here. A herb called Gu Rong grows here, resembling fragrant orchids with roots like bellflowers. It has black flowers but no fruit, and eating it renders one infertile.
Three hundred fifty li west lies Mount Tiandi, rich in palm trees, and the base is full of fragrant rushes. A beast resembling a dog, called Xibian, lives here. Its skin wards off poisoning. A bird resembling a quail with black markings and a red beak, called Li, also lives here, and eating it cures hemorrhoids. A herb called Duheng grows here, resembling sunflowers and emitting a scent like marjoram. It allows horses to run fast, and eating it cures tumors.
Three hundred eighty li southwest is Mount Gaotu, where the Qiang River originates, flowing west into the Zhuzi River. The Tu River also originates here, flowing south into the Jihuo River. The sunny side is abundant with red millet, while the shady side contains silver and gold. The summit is rich in cinnamon trees. A white stone called Ku lives here and is used to poison rats. A herb called Wu Tiao grows here, resembling gaoling and having leaves like sunflowers with red undersides. It is used to poison rats. A beast resembling a deer with a white tail, horse hooves, human hands, and four horns, called Yingru, lives here. A bird resembling an owl with human feet, called Shusi, also lives here, and eating it cures tumors.
One hundred eighty li west is Mount Huang, devoid of vegetation but rich in bamboo arrows. The Pan River originates here, flowing west into the Chishui River, which is abundant in jade. A beast resembling a bull with blue-black fur and large eyes, called Minniu, lives here. A bird resembling an owl with blue feathers, a red beak, and a human tongue that can speak, called a parrot, also lives here.
Two hundred li west lies Mount Cui, where palm trees grow on the summit and bamboo arrows fill the base. The sunny side is rich in gold and jade, and the mountain is home to Luan birds, which resemble magpies with red and black feathers and four legs. They are believed to protect against fire.
Two hundred fifty li further west is Mount Kui, stretching toward the Western Sea. It is devoid of vegetation but rich in jade. The Qi River originates here, flowing west into the sea, which is abundant with gemstones and gold, as well as red millet.
In total, from Mount Qianlai to Mount Kui, there are nineteen mountains spanning two thousand nine hundred fifty-seven li. Mount Hua is their peak, and the sacrificial ritual involves the offering of a grand sacrifice. The god of Mount Kui requires offerings with candles, a hundred days of fasting, a hundred sacrifices buried with jade, and a hundred vessels of wine, along with a hundred pieces of jade and a hundred silks. For the remaining seventeen mountains, a single sheep is offered, and the ritual involves unburnt herbs and a white mat woven with equal strands.
The second section of the Western Classic begins with Mount Qian, where copper is abundant on the summit and jade at the base. The mountain is rich in oak.
Two hundred li further west is Mount Taimo, where the sunny side is abundant in jade and the shady side in iron. The Yu River originates here, flowing eastward into the Yellow River, which is abundant in jade and white snakes.
One hundred seventy li further west is Mount Shuli, rich in gold on the summit and silver at the base. The mountain is home to golden trees and oak, and many parrots live here. The Chu River originates here, flowing south into the Wei River, which contains many white pearls.
One hundred fifty li west is Mount Gao, rich in silver on the summit, with blue-green minerals and realgar at the base. The Jing River originates here, flowing eastward into the Wei River, which is rich in fragrant stones and blue-green minerals.
Three hundred li southwest is Mount Nüchuang, rich in red copper on the sunny side and full of tin on the shady side. The mountain is home to tigers, leopards, and rhinoceroses. A bird resembling a pheasant with colorful feathers, called a Luan bird, lives here. Its appearance signals peace throughout the world.
Two hundred li west is Mount Longshou, rich in gold on the sunny side and iron at the base. The Tiao River originates here, flowing eastward into the Jing River, which is abundant with fine jade.
Two hundred li further west is Mount Lütai, rich in white jade at the summit and silver at the base. Many Niuza cattle, Qianyang sheep, and white wild boars live here. A bird resembling a rooster that crows on its own, signaling the arrival of war, also lives here.
Two li southwest is Mount Niaowei, abundant in fragrant stones on the sunny side and sandalwood on the shady side. The Niaowei River originates here, flowing west into the Chishui River, which is rich in red millet.
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