I left a small mountaintop hostel early to arrive at this vantage point before sunrise. At 5:30 am, the initial low sunlight illuminated the 'Stone Monkey Gazing at the Sea' formation with a warm and fleeting clarity. I exposed two sheets of 4x5 film before the light changed and became too intense, successfully capturing the precise equilibrium between dawn illumination and atmospheric ambiance.

The Stone Monkey appears to hover over an extensive mountain range, reminiscent of the renowned Huangshan landscape admired in art and poetry. In reality, the moment was perceived as both fleeting and profoundly significant.