K is for... Kunlun

Kunlun was a mountain paradise, often mentioned in ancient Chinese mythology and located within the Kunlun mountain range. The gods were believed to live in the Kunlun mountain range, and the Chinese also thought the source of the Yellow river could be found there. Kunlun was guarded by a mythical beast called Kai-ming, as well as phoenixes and a luan bird. Because the paradise stood on top of jade posts, a ladder was necessary to reach it. Only pure people were allowed to climb the ladder and speak to the gods.

Kunlun was also said to be the location of the jade palace of the goddess Xi Wang Mu (see my post J is for... Jade). It was also where the shores of the Lake of Gems could be found, with the peach tree on which the peaches of immortality grew. Peaches were a symbol of long life in Chinese mythology but this tree was special. It was the peach tree of the gods, and only flowered once every 3,000 years. Other trees in the gardens of Kunlun included the Jadestone Tree and the Tree of Pearls, which bore fruits that made the person who ate them immortal.

The Kunlun mountains (Source: Wikimedia Commons)