The Hanyan Cave in the Tiantai Mountains

The Hanyan Cave in the Tiantai Mountains

The Hanyan Cave is a big cave in the Tiantai Mountains. It is 15 meters in height, 48 meters in width, and 78 meters in depth. Earlier it was known as "Fushi Cave." It was also called "Qianzhen Cave" because Mi Fu (1051-1107), a great calligrapher of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), wrote the characters "Qian Zhen" in the cave. Han Shan (dates unknown), a vernacular poet of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) who is known both at home and abroad, lived here in seclusion for more than 70 years.

In front of the cave lie the ruins of the Hanyan Temple, and the naturally weathered tortoise-shaped and snake-shaped rock formations guard each other at the entrance of the cave. The stone snake, as large as a thick pillar, rises up from the ground and raises its head to the sky. It is very vivid and lifelike. A large stone at the entrance of the cave, commonly known as the "Meditation Stone," marks the place where Han Shan would sit in meditation. 

The mountain where the Hanyan Cave resides is called the Hanshi Mountain. It is situated over 35 kilometers west of Tiantai County. The mountain is distinctive for its craggy, majestic, imposing and dangerous features and its numerous caves. It looks like a mighty dragon with steel scales (geologically marine-abrasion rocks). The Hanshi Mountain consists of the Hanyan Cliff and the Mingyan Cliff. The Hanshi Cave constitutes the main body of the Hanyan Cliff which is at the back of the mountain while the Mingyan Cliff is at the front and faces the sun. 

天台寒岩洞

寒岩洞，为天台山大洞，称“寒岩洞天”，高约15米，宽48米，深78米，旧名拊石洞，因宋代大书法家米芾在洞中书有“潜真”二字，又名“潜真洞”。闻名海内外的唐代白话隐逸诗人寒山，就曾隐居于此长达70余年。洞前有寒岩寺遗址，洞口有“龟”“蛇”相守的形象，是由天然岩石生成的。尤其是石蛇，大如粗柱，从地下钻出，翘首望天，非常神似。洞口有块大石，俗称“宴坐石”，相传是寒山当年宴坐之处。

寒岩洞所在的山称为寒石山。寒石山位于天台县西70余里，山势峭、雄、奇、险，山内洞穴众多，独具特色，在当地被称为“十里铁甲龙”（地学上属于“海蚀石”）。寒石山由寒岩和明岩两部分构成，寒岩以寒岩洞为主体，位于山体的背面；明岩则在山体的正面、向阳。