A New Year's Dawn at Ziyan Pavilion

January 02, 2026

A New Year's Dawn at Ziyan Pavilion

The year 2025 ended with a pre-dawn climb to Ziyan Pavilion. The steady, hour-long ascent was a crisp, invigorating challenge for both the body and mind. The summit offered an immediate and profound reward: a majestic panorama of mountains cradling a lake, all bathed in the soft, horizontal light of the rising sun. Perched at the highest point, the Ziyan Pavilion stood as a silent, enduring symbol witnessing this breathtaking natural spectacle.

As the sun rose higher, the descent began, shifting my focus from the grand vista to the intimate details of the mountainside. The cool, shadowy woods began to reveal flashes of color against the muted forest floor. A vibrant pink Azalea caught the eye, followed by the delicate white petals of a foreground flower framing the vast, rugged mountain view.

The forest floor was a rich tapestry of smaller life. I discovered a tiny purple Viola Mandshurica with a green leaf, a symmetrical pair of purple wishbone flowers, and a cluster of yellow Packera spp. with green leaves. The journey through this flora continued, leading to a moment of simple, expansive beauty in a yellow grassy field with distant mountains, and culminating in a photograph of a tiny, triumphant Viola with purple blossoms.

Traces of human presence also became part of the hike's narrative. A pack of "Mimi" (a Chinese snack)—a small, modern artifact—lay on the ground. A yellow ribbon for hikers, bearing the Chinese script for "Parents and Children Working Together," served as a reminder of the trail's community and purpose.

The final stretch was a detailed study of the forest's hidden, end-of-year treasures. I noted a bunch of purple Callicarpa fruit and a cluster of red Solanum Dulcamara berries on a leaf. The sharp geometry of a green Radix Zanthoxyli leaf with its seven spines contrasted with the autumnal decay of a yellow-leafed Pteridium. Everywhere, the quiet drama of the forest unfolded: a leaf draped in a spider web, a green leaf with four worm-eaten holes, and finally, a bunch of white berries on a Maesa tree branch, all signaling the persistent, silent life marking the close of the year.

Both the ascent and the descent were filled with small, perfect moments, each one a photographic capture of the mountain’s story as 2025 concluded.

Gears & Settings

Gears & Settings	Figures
Camera	Sony A6700
Lens	Sony E 30mm F3.5 Macro
Creative Style	ST
Date	30 December 2025
Location	Qingxi, Dongguan, Guangdong, China

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Photos

#: 1 | SS: 1/800s | ISO: 100 | F: 10.0 | +/-: 0.0 | FL35: 45mm | Caption: A view of a mountain range with a lake in the middle at sunrise

#: 2 | SS: 1/60s | ISO: 100 | F: 10.0 | +/-: 0.0 | FL35: 45mm | Caption: The “Ziyan Pavilion" on the top of the mountain

#: 3 | SS: 1/125s | ISO: 640 | F: 8.0 | +/-: 0.0 | FL35: 45mm | Caption: A pink Azalea flower is growing in the woods

#: 4 | SS: 1/800s | ISO: 100 | F: 8.0 | +/-: 0.0 | FL35: 45mm | Caption: A mountain view with a white flower in the fore

#: 5 | SS: 1/250s | ISO: 400 | F: 8.0 | +/-: 0.0 | FL35: 45mm | Caption: A small purple Viola Mandshurica flower with a green leaf

#: 6 | SS: 1/250s | ISO: 400 | F: 8.0 | +/-: -0.3 | FL35: 45mm | Caption: Two purple wishbone flowers growing in the ground

#: 7 | SS: 1/60s | ISO: 250 | F: 4.0 | +/-: 0.0 | FL35: 45mm | Caption: A yellow Packera spp. flower with green leaves in the background

#: 8 | SS: 1/500s | ISO: 100 | F: 8.0 | +/-: 0.0 | FL35: 45mm | Caption: A yellow grassy field with mountains in the background

#: 9 | SS: 1/250s | ISO: 800 | F: 8.0 | +/-: 0.0 | FL35: 45mm | Caption: A small Viola plant with purple flowers growing out of the ground

#: 10 | SS: 1/250s | ISO: 250 | F: 8.0 | +/-: 0.0 | FL35: 45mm | Caption: A pack of snack on the ground called “Mimi” in Chinese

#: 11 | SS: 1/250s | ISO: 500 | F: 8.0 | +/-: 0.0 | FL35: 45mm | Caption: A yellow ribbons hanging in the forest for hikers with a chinese writing on it says “Parents and Children Working Together”