大唐西域記 1.29

1.29

國西北行三百餘里，度石磧，至凌山。此則葱嶺北原，水多東流矣。山谷積雪，春夏合凍，雖時消泮，尋復結氷。經途險阻，寒風慘烈。多暴龍難，凌犯行人。由此路者，不得赭衣持瓠，大聲叫喚。微有違犯，災禍目覩。暴風奮發，飛沙雨石，遇者喪沒，難以全生。

Going 300 li or so to the north-west of this country, crossing a stony desert, we come to Ling-shan (ice-mountain). This is, in fact, the northern plateau of the T'sung-ling range, and from this point the waters mostly have an eastern flow. Both hills and valleys are filled with snowpiles, and it freezes both in spring and summer; if it should thaw for a time, the ice soon forms again. The roads are steep and dangerous, the cold wind is extremely biting, and frequently fierce dragons impede and molest travellers with their inflictions. Those who travel this road should not wear red garments nor carry loud-sounding calabashes. The least forgetfulness of these precautions entails certain misfortune. A violent wind suddenly rises with storms of flying sand and gravel; those who encounter them, sinking through exhaustion, are almost sure to die. Going 400 li or so, we come to the great Tsing lake.