Reclusive poet Hanshan inscribed eccentric Zen-Taoist verses on Cold Mountain cliffs, depicting hermit life and sudden insights in raw, paradoxical style. Compiled later. It mattered as folk-mystic counter to court poetry.

The Cold Mountain poems by Hanshan in Tang China, dating back to 700, inspired Beat poets like Gary Snyder and Jack Kerouac. His wild spontaneity and themes of nature shaped American counterculture verse, emphasizing the search for authenticity and mystical experiences.