Stephen L. FIELD

The symbols for the five sacred Daoist mountains in China represent the five elements: water, fire, earth, wood, and metal, which correlate to the four cardinal directions (and center) of the square. Northern Peak is associated with the water element and the color black.
Often called the five material elements of the world and compared with Aristotle’s four elements, the Chinese wuxing, or “five movements” refer instead to the physical