Hermits are people who seek enlightenment by training their mind and body deep in the mountains, far away from society. Though often believed to no longer exist, the tradition still survives today. In 1993, Bill Porter published Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits (空谷幽蘭), documenting his journeys through Zhongnan Mountains (終南山) in search of hermits. There, he discovered that the ancient hermit tradition practiced by Buddhist monks, Taoist practitioners, and scholars had remarkably endured, with thousands still living in the mountains.