As I ascend by foot to Yanmen Pass,
A faint churning stirs my heart.
The ancient path of a thousand years remains,
But gone is everything of the past.
From here Yanzhao^[17] left, commanding his horse,
A thousand stormy years have elapsed.
Now, gazing down from the Pass,
I see Dafa in the central plains.^[18]

August 10, 1998, at Yanmen Pass

^[16]Located in Shanxi Province, Yanmen Pass was historically a point of strategic importance along the Great Wall and the site of many battles.

^[17]“Yanzhao” is short for Yang Yanzhao, a national hero and great general in the Northern Song Dynasty who died in a battle against invaders from the north.

^[18]The term “central plains” refers usually to the Yellow River valley, and can be understood to here mean China more broadly.