The Western Pillar
The Ruomu Tree (若木, Ruòmù) is the western counterpart to the Fusang Tree — if Fusang is where the ten suns begin their daily journey, Ruomu is where they come to rest each evening. Together, these cosmic trees frame the daily cycle of light and darkness.
Description
The Shanhai Jing describes Ruomu as growing in the far west, its red flowers glowing with the residual heat of the setting suns. Unlike Fusang's upward-reaching branches, Ruomu's branches droop downward, as if tired from receiving the suns at day's end.
Cosmological Significance
The paired trees create a complete cosmological framework: Fusang (east/sunrise/beginning) and Ruomu (west/sunset/completion). This east-west axis mirrors the yin-yang principle — each day, the suns travel from yang (light, east) toward yin (dark, west), and the trees mark these cosmic boundaries.