Mountain Retreat Healing Notes: Two Days at the Foot of Qingcheng Mountain

I rose early to misty morning skies and drove from the city to the long-awaited healing retreat—**Hegu Mountain Lodge**. Its wooden entrance emerged quietly amid the forested hills. An attendant was already waiting at the parking lot to help with our bags 👍. At the reception, my fingertips brushed over cedar-scented sandalwood incense as the mountain breeze swept through my hair. For the first time, the knots of tension from city life began to loosen. Everything felt serene 🍃.

The moment I pushed open the door of the "Four Symbols" room, the crisp scent of wood interwoven with the warm earth greeted me. Beyond the floor-to-ceiling window, steam rose from the private hot spring, mingling with the distant mountain haze. On the terrace, a woven basket held snacks from Sam’s Club—biscuits, hawthorn strips, and jelly treats 💯. The scent of Jo Malone’s English Pear & Freesia drifted from the bathroom. This space struck a delicate balance between rustic charm and modern comfort, inviting me to step barefoot onto the floor and feel the raw texture of the wood grain ❤️.

The retreat’s healing journey began with *Sound Healing*:
In the evening, a singing bowl meditation class was held in a bamboo-encircled hall. The bronze bowls resonated like the earth’s primal pulse, their vibrations passing through my body as months of pent-up anxiety sank into the valley with the last twilight. At dawn the next day, a yoga session (Bāduànjǐn was also offered at different times—ask the attendant in advance �) synchronized my breath with birdsong. Stretching my arms, I stirred the crisp forest air, feeling like a bamboo shoot growing toward the sun 🌳.

A hidden surprise awaited on the lodge’s back-mountain trail. Following branches marked with indigo-dyed cloth, I passed dew-laden spiderwebs and reached a secluded viewpoint in just twenty minutes. Below, waves of green rolled across the hills; in the distance, the fences of the Dujiangyan China Panda Valley peeked through the mist. The trekking poles provided by the attendant steadied my steps on mossy stones, their bamboo clicks echoing unnamed birdsongs.

Healing came just as powerfully through taste:
The breakfast buffet felt like a showcase of mountain bounty—freshly baked bread, homestyle pickles and rice, sirloin steak, fruits, and vegetable salads. Utterly wholesome and nourishing ❤️. But the sweetest farewell gift came at checkout: two large bags of crisp red plums (over a kilogram!) from the owner—a truly touching surprise 👍.
True craftsmanship lies in sculpting every moment with heartfelt hospitality. 💖

On my last morning, as I packed, I discovered two bamboo-leaf bookmarks tucked into my backpack’s side pocket. Ink sketches showed pandas nibbling bamboo shoots; on the back, fine calligraphy read: *“Though your body returns to the world, leave your heart in Qingcheng.”* Driving down the mountain road, I finally understood: healing is nature’s gentle way of reconnecting the umbilical cord to life—severed by the city 🍃.

As the city skyline reappeared through the car window, the mountain spring’s warmth still lingered. Hegu Mountain Lodge remains a natural punctuation mark in my life, reminding those of us caught in the rush: home is simply breathing in rhythm with all things. 🙏

**Nearby**: Panda Valley 🐼 | Dujiangyan China Panda Valley (formerly Panda Valley)

Post by _TI***mz | Aug 9, 2025