Flaming Mountains (Huoyan Shan) is a significant location in the classic Chinese novel "Journey to the West." It is a crucial point on the journey where the monk Tang Sanzang and his disciples must pass through on their way to obtain sacred scriptures from the West. The mountain is engulfed in fierce flames that cannot be extinguished by ordinary means; only the magical Banana Leaf Fan can quell the fire.

According to the local keeper, "Sun Wukong gained his fiery eyes after being refined in Laozi's Eight Trigrams Furnace. When Sun Wukong kicked over the furnace, the furnace bricks fell here and transformed into Flaming Mountains."

Red Boy grew up on Flaming Mountains, and it was here that he mastered the Samadhi Fire.

The Real Flaming Mountains

In reality, Flaming Mountains is located along National Highway 312 in the Gaochang District of Turpan, Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It runs east-west along the northern edge of the Turpan Basin, about 10 kilometers east of Turpan city and 183 kilometers from Urumqi.

Flaming Mountain is known as the hottest place in China, with summer temperatures soaring up to 47.8°C (118°F). The surface temperature on the sun-facing slopes of the mountain can reach an astonishing 82.3°C (180°F). It is also a popular tourist attraction, so if you ever visit China, it’s definitely worth a visit.