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For over 2,000 years, Chinese, from emperors to peasants,
have been making pilgrimages to sacred summits, especially
to the Five Sacred Mountains staked out by the native
Daoist priest and to the Four Famous Peaks established
later by the Buddhist.
 Bei
Heng Shan
 Taoist
Mountain Shanxi province 6,617ft
Bei Hengshan used to be regarded as the final barrier
between China and the barbarian tribes from the north.
Today, it's most forgotten and overtaken by other more
popular sacred mountain. Its isolation, quietness and
loneliness are exactly the charm of this ancient mountain.
The Heng Zong Monastery dates from the Ming Dynasty
(1368-1644). There are so many magnificent halls and
temples on this mountain, you probably will need to
spend two days here to thoroughly go through them.
Do ascend to the summit to experience its space and
massiveness. It's a great place for meditation.
Emei
Shan
 Buddhist
Mountain Sichuan province 3,099 meters
Emei Shan is the mountain dedicated to Puxian Pu Sa,
the Bodhisattva of Universal Kindness. The breath-taking
view from the summit and the strange "Buddha's
Halo" are most famous.
Emei Shan is best explored on foot. Therefore, it has
a wide choice of walking trails to be followed. The
trails on Emei Shan twist through cool bamboo thickets
where countless butterflies dance in the summer sunlight.
Compared with the trails on the northern mountains,
the trails here are much more enjoyable.
Be prepared to deal with the monkey beggars on the road.
They usually don't take no as an answer.
Famous temples on Emei Shan are Pavilion of the clear
Singing Waters, Baoguo Monastery and Wannian Temple.
Himalaysa
Tibet 29,033 ft
 The
Himalayas are a group of mountain ranges running roughly
parallel to one another in an east-west direction on
the southern edge of the Tibet Plateau along China's
border with India and Nepal. The mountains run for 2,400
kilometers at a width of 200 to 300 kilometers, and
altitudes averaging over 6,000  meters.
Mount Everest, the world's highest peak with an elevation
of 8,848.13 meters, rises abruptly on the Sino-Nepalese
border, midway through the range. Four peaks each with
an elevation of over 8,000 meters and 38 peaks over
7,000 meters can be found in the more than 5,000 square
kilometers surrounding Everest.
The Himalayas is one of the youngest mountain ranges
in the world. Even today, it grows between 0.33 and
1.27 cm every year.
Hua
Shan
Buddhist and Taoist
mountain Shaanxi province 6,552ft
 Hua
Shan is such a sharp mountain that it bends the Yellow
River to the sea. For thousands of years, emperors of
numerous dynasties came here to perform the spring and
autumn rites, praying for the prosperity and peace of
their kingdoms as well as their longevity. It is believed
that Qin Shi Huang, the first emperor of unified China,
had reached the summit in his search for the fountain
of youth. Daoist hermits retreated to Hua Shan where
they became the immortals of Daoism tradition. The entire
mountain is dotted with old temples from various dynasties.
The essence of the mountain is wild, distant, fierce
and holy. It is also the most dangerous mountain. Just
look at the names of the different parts of the mountain:
River Gorge of 18 Bends, The Thousand Stairs, The Sky
Ladder.
The five peaks of Hua Shan are thought to resemble a
five petalled flower hence its common name, the Flowery
Mountain. Originally it was called Xiyue - western mountain
- because it was the westernmost of the five Taoist
peaks. A tortuous 15 kilometer stepped path  leads
to the summit where other trails lead to the major peaks.
Formerly the mountain was dotted with temples but now
few remain. To reach certain temples and caves of the
sages requires the courage to scale cliffs with only
a linked chain for support. These passages have been
given the humorous, but quite accurate names such as
'Thousand Feet Precipice' and 'Ear Touching Cliff'.
No one summarized Hua Shan as well as Hedda Morrison
did. During her trip to Hua Shan in 1935, she wrote
that the "importance of Hua Shan lay partly in
its being a supreme example of the type of landscape
so appreciated by Chinese artists." So, if you
want to find out what the ancient artists appreciated,
come to find out for yourself in Hua Shan.
Huan Shan is about three hours' driving from
Xi'an.
Huang
Shan
Anhui province 6,102 ft
 Although
Huang Shan is not one of the Sacred Mountains, it is
definitely the most beautiful. Its series of craggy
peaks inspired a whole school of painting in the late
Ming.
 The
famous scenery includes: Stone That Flew From Afar (Feilai
Feng), Welcome Pine of HuangSHang (Huang Ke Song), the
Cloud Ladders, etc.
With two lakes, three waterfalls, 24 streams and 72
peaks, Huang Shan was declared a World Natural and Cultural
Heritage by the UNESCO Heritage Committee.
Jiuhua
Shan
Buddhist Mountain Anhui province 4,340ft
 Jiuhua
Shan is the supreme dwelling place of Dizang Pusa, God
of the underworld.
The legendary 99 peaks of Juihua Shan still stand today.
However, Jiuhua Shan was immortalized in Chinese tradition
by two contemporaries who met each other on these very
slopes around 747 AD. One was Li Bai, undoubtedly the
greatest romantic poet China has ever seen. The other
one was the prince pilgrim from Korea,  Kim
Kiao Kak who after 75 years of praying to Dizang Pusa,
god of the underworld, died here. Upon his death, he
became the reincarnation of the mountain god.
Other places of interest are Heavenly Terrace, the one-thousand-year-old
Phoenix Pine and the Green Cloud Nunnery.
Li
Shan  Taoist
mountain shaanxi province 4,268 ft
Li shan located at Lintong conunty, as a biggest branch
of Qingling range. Li means black and strong horse in
ancient Chinese, people thought this mountain looks
like a black horse from distance, hence named mountain
Li.
There are lot of attraction around li shan mountain,
such as terra cotta warriors, Hua
Qing Hot Spring Palace.
It will take 1 hour to get there from XI'AN.
Long
hu shan
Taoist mountain Jiangxi province
 Twenty
kilometers south of Yingtan is a famous mountain recognized
as a sacred mountain of Taoism. That is Mount Long-Hu
meaning Mount Dragon and Tiger, which is now classified
as a park protected by the state.
The name Dragon and Tiger was given to it because there
are two peaks standing face to face, appearing as the
dragon and tiger glaring at each other. In this areas
there are 99 peaks and 66 scenic spots. Shangqing River
flows in the mountains passing though all the main scenic
spots and making them even more picturesque. According
to legend, the founder of Chinese Taoism Zhang Ling
(the first Taoist master) once stayed here and conducted
Taoist activities. From then on Mount Long-Hu became
an important place for Taoist activities for the next
1,900 years.
Lu
Shan
Jiangxi province 4,836 ft
 In
December 1996, Lushan National Park was included in
the list of World Natural Heritage by UNESCO.
Lushan is situated in the southern part of Jiujiang
city in Jiangxi Province. Solitary and imposing, it
towers over the southern bank of the Yangtze River,
leaving behind its shadows upon the Boyang Lake.
Nature has excelled herself in such a spectacular lone
mountain. As a result of tremendous rubbing and grinding
of glaciers, its grotesque peaks and cragged cliffs
look all the more precipitous.
 The
enveloping clouds and mists make it very hard to define
the true shapes of the billowing peaks and ridges. The
rapid streams cascade down and form numerous deep pools
and hanging waterfalls. The lush mountain alongside
with a crystal clear glimmering lake is picturesque.
 Mysterious
and enchanting sceneries nestle in the secluded valleys
and deep ravines. To describe the infinite variety of
fantastic shapes of Lushan Mountain, Sudongpo (a famous
Chinese ancient poet) wrote in his poetic masterpiece:"
I can't tell the true shape of Lushan, because I myself
am in the mountain!"
Wangjianting (Pavilion of Watching the River):
It perches atop a perilous cliff soaring up from Jiandao
Ravine and offers an ideal place to watch the Yangtze
River. Far beyond the mouth of the Ravine, the Yangtze
River resembles a silvery dragon coming out of nowhere
and rolling on wave upon wave. On the River, white sails
scatter about like little dots clearly discernible.
A few steps from the Pavilion, there's a rock overhanging
the fathomless ravine. It's breathtaking to stand there
and gaze down.
Dragon Head Cliff:
 Besides
a craggy cliff, it springs up some thousand feet out
of the ground, rearing in the sky like a dragon head.
From top down, it's inlaid with protruding grotesque
stones and overgrown with upside down pines. Standing
at the top, one can enjoy a bird's eye view of the Tiechuan
Peak and hear the surfing of wind in the pine forest
mingled with roaring of the waterfalls in the Stone
Gate Ravine.
Three Tier Spring:
Originating in Dayue Mountain, the spring angles around
the backside of Wulaofen (Peak of Five Old Men) and
pours into Jiudiego (Nine Tier Gully), crashing twice
upon huge rocks, and then converges into a torrent,
and drops once again, splashing and throwing about millions
of water beads. Driven by the gully wind, the tiny drops
dance in the misty air, sparkling in the sunlight, and
falling like countless dazzling pearls.
Donglin Monastery:
Built in the 9th year of Taiyuan reign in Eastern Jin
Dynasty (384 AD), it was one of the oldest monasteries
in Lushan, and also the birthplace of Buddhist Pure
Land Sect (Lian Sect).
Nan
Heng Shan
Bushiest Mountain Hunan province 1,290 meters
 Mt.
Hengshan, known as South Mountain, ranks the first among
the five sacred mountains in China. It is also a famous
mountain worshipped by Buddhists in China.
 Mt.
Hengshan extends 150 kilometers. The highest peak of
the mountain is called Zhurong Peak, 1,290 meters above
the sea level. On the top, the Shaolin Temple and Watching
Sunrise Platform are the best scenic spots.
The mountain boats many temples, among which the biggest
is the Nanyue Temple, which covers an area of 100,000
square meters and which is the largest group of ancient
buildings in Hunan province. The temple has nine courtyards
and the main hall is 22 meters high, supported by 72
stone pillars, which symbolize the 72 peaks of the mountain.
The temple, glazed in red and yellow, is linked with
many other buildings and represents a grand palace complex.
 Among
the temples in the mountain, the Fuyan Temple is known
as the nation's "temple of  Buddhist
doctrine" and the "Seven Founders' Temple
to Perform Buddhist Rites". The Nantai Temple was
built during the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368) and is regarded
as the origin of a Buddhist branch in Japan. In addition,
the Tripitaka Temple, which is famous for its delicacy,
the Fangguang Temple, which is quiet, and the Water-screen
Cave, which is mysterious, are all spots of interest.
Hengshan is also famous for its misty fog, endless
bamboo oceans and mountain capping clouds. Hugh Farley's
description of the scenery in 1935 summarizes, "
Magnificent, on the other hand, was the view, for the
temples stands on a pinnacle of rock with unobstructed
vision in all directions…. Never before in China have
I so fully appreciated the proximity or contrast of
fertility and barrenness, of water and of drought, of
living greenness like the sea and stark brownness like
the desert."
Putuo
Shan
Buddhist Mountain
Zhejiang province 284 meters
 Putuo
Mountain, on an island off the eastern coast of Zhejiang
Province, is one of the four Buddhist shrines in the
country.
The mountain rises alone over the East China Sea. Sailing
near, one can see verdant trees, strange rocks, mysterious
temples, and huge inscriptions carved on stones. The
mountain also has a stretching beach and a lot of caves,
surrounded by floating clouds.
 The
mountain has numerous temples and nunneries, and is
therefore called a "Buddhist Kingdom on the Sea".
The principal temple -- Puji Temple -- with more than
200 halls built in the Tang Dynasty(618-907), is the
largest of its kind in Southeast China. The main hall,
which can hold some 1,00 people, has statues of Skt.
Avalokitesvara in 32 incarnations. The five-storied
quadrangular Duobao Pagoda(Rich Treasure Pagoda) to
the east of Puji Temple was put up in the Yuan Dynasty(1271-1368)
with stones from Taihu Lake in Jiangsu Province. The
Fayu Temple, consisting of halls in six layers, is the
second largest temple on the mountain and was constructed
in the Ming Dynasty(1368-1644). Inside the temple, a
sunk panel , with a huge bright pearl hanging from its
center, is supported with nine rafters engraved with
coiling dragons, which are depicted to try to get the
pearl. Huiji Temple, built in the Ming Dynasty, is located
on the top of Putuo Mountain. In front of the temple
are some 1,000 stone steps.  The
temple, the third largest on the mountain, has four
halls, seven palaces and six attics. Yueling Temple
half way up the mountain has been turned into a museum,
which keeps more than 1,000 pieces of precious historic
relics, including imperial edicts and gifts from ancient
emperors and empresses; gifts presented by the ninth
Panchen living Buddha of Tibet; precious Buddhist relics
from Japan, India, Burma, the Philippines and Kampuchea.
Today's Putuo Shan is also a navy base which is a bit
ironic considering Putuo Shan was dedicated to the Goddess
of Mercy.
Qiyun
shan
Taoist mountain
Anhui province 3281 ft
 Situated
in Xiuning County north of Huangshan Mountain, Qiyun
Mountain is one of the four Taoist Mountains in China.
It is 1,000 meters above sea level, with 36 peaks, 72
steep cliffs, 16 caves, 24 canyons and spectacular natural
views above crystal streams and waterfalls. There are
a total of 108 structures housing palaces, temples,
halls, pavilions and other buildings with numerous Buddhist
sculptures, paintings and monuments.
Qingcheng
shan
 Taoist
mountain sichuang province 5,249 ft
Qingchengshan Mountain is 75 kilometers from Chengdu
City. The mountain here is covered with green trees;
therefore it is called Qingchengshan (Green City Mountain).
There are 36 peaks; the highest peak is Laoxiaoding
at 1,600 meters above sea level, and 108 scenic spots.
It first became famous because the Taoist master Zhang
Daoling once held Taoist activities on the mountain.
Many buildings that have been used for Taoist activities
are well preserved.
Song
Shan
Taoist Mountain
Henan province 4,900ft
 Song
Shan, the Daoist peak at the center of China, has two
of the most famous temples, the Zhong Yue, China's oldest
Daoist Temple and ShaoLin, world center of the martial
arts and birthplace of Zen Buddhism.
 Zhong
Yue contains about one thousand halls and pavilions.
The famous Four Iron Guards are still protecting this
Taoist temple. Standing ten feet tall, they were cast
in 1064 AD, modeled after the soldiers of their time.
Another magic relic is " The True Map of the Five
Mountains", caved in 1604. It placed Song Shan
in the center, Bei Heng Shan to the north, Nan Heng
Shan to the south, Hua Shan to the west and Tai Shan
to the east.
Shaolin temple was the meditation place for Da Mo,
also known as Bodhidharma, the 28th incarnation of the
Buddha. He spent nine  years
in solitary meditation staring at the wall of a cave.
When he emerged, he founded a new sect of Buddhism,
known as Chan in China and Zen in Japan. You can still
find the wall that Da Mo faced when he was meditating.
On the wall, there is a vague human image, said to be
left by Da Mo himself.
Shaolin also contains a magnificent Forest of Stupas,
the largest collection in China of these small brick
pagodas that hold holy relics and remains of great monks.
The oldest stupa here was built in 746, the oldest stupa
in China.
Tai
Shan
Taoist Mountain
Shandong province 5,069ft
 Tai
Shan is the center of the five Taoist Sacred Mountains.
As Confucius said, 'From the summit of Mount Tai the
earth seems small.' Throughout history, emperors regularly
visited Tai Shan leaving behind trails of historic relics.
Mt Taishan, as a famous Taoist mountain and one of
the five holiest mountains in China, has been the object
of imperial pilgrimage for thousands years, which made
it superior over any other mountains within China. According
to historical records, there had been 72 emperors offering
imperial sacrifices here. As a source of inspiration
to artists and scholars, the mountain has inherited
thousands of cultural relics. The sacred mountain is
in certain aspect a symbol of Chinese civilizations
and beliefs. In 1987, it was included as a World Natural
and Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
Climbing the mountain is grueling. Of the two possible
routes to the summit, the central one is most people's
choice although they converges at Zhongtianmen where
a cable car system reaches Nantianmen, since on the
route there are a collection of bridges, towers, inscriptions,
caves, temples, trees and rivers. The climb beginning
at Daizongfang to Zhongtianmen is a 3000 steps stairway
walk. Wusongting (Five Pine Pavilion) is a little stretch
further. A story says that Emperor Qin Shi Huang was
sheltered by the pines in a storm and then he granted
them an official rank of ministers. The precarious Path
of Eighteen Bends is a hard climb leading to Nantianmen.
Bixiaci (Azure Clouds Temple) is a temple of about 1,000
years. The halls in it have iron tiles and bronze eaves.
Yuhuangding (Jade Emperor Summit), also called Daiding,
is the summit of Mt Taishan. Emperors used to offer
sacrifices to Heaven on the peak. Riguanfeng (Sun View
Peak) east of Yuhuangding is the best place to watch
sunrise. Descending to Zhongtianmen and taking the western
route, you will see the beautiful scenery of Mt Taishan.
 Tai
Shan is famous for the sunrise over the sea of clouds
that lies above the plain. This is best described by
Mary Augusta Mullikin and Anna Hotchkis in the book,
The Nine Sacred Mountains of China:' On a clear day
the view form the top is one continuous line of interlacing
mountains lying to the north and east, whereas to the
south the plain spreads out in a glory of light, as
though the tawny soil had become a golden yellow carpet.'
Tai Shan is dedicated to the Taoist deity, the Jade
Emperor. The Dai Temple at the foot of the mountain
is one of the most famous temples in China.
Wu
dang shan
Taoist mountain
He bei province 5,288 ft
Wudangshan Mountain, located in the northwest of Hubei
Province, covers an area of more than 30 square kilometers.
It is now classified as a national park. Wudangshan
has 72 peaks with steep valleys and beautiful scenery.
The main peak, Tianzhu Peak (HeavenColumn), is 1,612
meters above sea level.
Wudangshan is known as a sacred mountain of the Taoism.
Famous Taoist masters in history used to reside here.
It was as early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907) that people
 built
the Five Dragon Temple. In the following dynasties,
the buildings on the mountain were expanded. There are
now 36 palace halls, which were built in the Ming Dynasty
(1368-1644). These buildings are the largest existing
Taoist complexes, in which various sculptures, scriptures
and Taoist items are of high cultural and artistic value.
Wutai
Shan
Buddhist Mountain Shanxi province 10,003ft
 Wu
Tai Shan actually encompasses a number of differant
mountains, but long ago Buddhists chose five particular
flat-topped peaks as the perimeter of the sacred area,
hence the name which means 'Five Terrace Mountain'.
The center of Chinese Buddhism for two thousand years,
Wu Tai Shan is widely known not only to the people of
China but also to Buddhists in Japan, India, Sri Lanks,
Burma, Tibet and Nepal. Its Buddhism is indissolubly
tied up with that of Japan and had a great influence
on that country. Seeking after the Buddhist truth, such
famous monks as Ennin and Ryoosen in the Tang Dynasty,
and Choonen and Seisan in the Song Dynasty made long
pilgrimages to Wu Tai Shan. The Tantric master Amoghavajra
also came to meditate here. The first temples on Mt.
Wu Tai were built during the reign of Emperor Ming in
the first century A.D. Today, the fifty-eight temples
built after the Tang Dynasty (A.D. 684-705) still stand.
There are forty-eight temples of Chinese Buddhism and
ten Tibetan Lamasaries. Taihuai town, in the center
of the Wu Tai Mountains, is surrounded by the five peaks.
Most of the temples are located near the town. The peaks
of Wu Tai and all the surrounding temples are sacred
to Manjushri, the Bodhisatva of Wisdom and Virtue. Manjushri
is believed to reside in the vicinity of Wu Tai Shan
and numerous legends speak of apparitions of the Bodhisatva
The author stayed a week at Wu Tai Shan. It was a very
cold time of the year and thus I spent most of the day
light hours indoors, doing long periods of sitting meditation
(4-5 hours) in the temples of the various monasteries.
During these meditations I had some quite extraordinary
experiences, including visions,  spontaneously
arising inner heat, and feelings of sublime joy. On
one particular occasion something that I can only describe
as a 'beam of energy' surged out of a large statue of
Manjushri and entered into my chest. While the transmission
of energy lasted no more than ten seconds, my entire
body was profoundly effected and for nearly two weeks
afterwards I had a constant tingling sensation in my
chest. It remains one of the most powerful experiences
I have had at any of the over 500 sacred sites that
I have visited. I mention this experience because it
closely parallels something I read about Wu Tai Shan
a year after I left China. Writing about Tsan-ning's
10th century Biographies of Eminent Monks Compiled in
the Sung, Raoul Birnbaum tells us that: "Though
I have not studied all of these biographies, I have
sampled through them, especially those concerning monks
who were associated with Mount Wu-t'ai. In these cases,
the monks all had extraordinary visionary experiences,
most especially unusual manifestations of a buddha or
bodhisattva and his retinue, in the course of which
significant blessings and teachings were bestowed. In
each of these cases, the manifestations occurred spontaneously
in response to the purity and sageliness of the monk,
or it occurred in response to a prayer-plea. These manifestations
did not occur in response to any willful coercion or
manipulation of the monks; there was no magical activity
involved; In the realm of practice, this distinction
is fundamentally important".
Wu
yi shan Fujian province
 Wuyishan
lies in north-western part of Fujian Province, encompassing
an area of 60 square kilometers. Cut off from the outer
mountains, it's surrounded by streams and valleys.
Jiuqu Stream (Nine Turns Stream): Now and again its
torrents churn over shoals, throwing sheets of spray
into the air, and then merge into clear deep pools which
are as smooth as a mirror. At its two banks, myriad
peaks soar up, vying with one another for beauty and
wild azalea flowers glow crimson. The Jiuqu Stream is
a fabulous place to visit. One taking a bamboo raft
downstream would be mesmerized as if cruising in the
mysterious universe.
Tianyou Peak (Peak of Sky Tour): Frequently shrouded
in clouds and mist, it towers aloft over clusters of
peaks.  Ascending
to its top, one feels as if traveling upon a sea of
clouds high up the sky. Hence it becomes the most famous
spot of Wuyishan. The pavilion on the top, the highest
among myriad peaks commands a panoramic view of Wuyishan
encircled by well-known peaks and the Jiuqu Stream on
its three sides.
Water Screen Cave: It's formed by curved cliff walls
and an over-hanging cliff,
each measuring several hundred feet in height or in
width. It's spacious and can seat some thousand people.
Built along the walls are a few roofless temples. Two
springs keep cascading down day and night from the over-hanging
cliff. Blown by the breeze, the waterfalls break into
tiny drops, which resemble two water screens hanging
from the top, and descend into the Dragon Bath Pond
below.
Chongyou Wanniangong (Palace of Ten Thousand Years)
As one of famous Taoist religious service centers, it
consisted of over three hundred halls and rooms in the
Song and Ming Dynasties, but declined since mid Qing
Dynasty. Today only one temple and two wells have remained.
The beautiful Wuyishan is gifted with exotic flowers
and rare plants, precious birds and animals. It abounds
in teas growing on rocks with a bright color, strong
scent, and pure taste. Among them Dahongpao "Grand
Red Robe" is the most famous and precious.
Xiang
bi shan (Guilin - Elephant Trunk shan)
Guangxi province
 Elephant
Trunk Hill is a Guilin landmark situated where the Lijiang
River meets the Peach Blossom River and as its name
suggests, appears as a giant elephant drinking water
from the river with its trunk. There is a moon-shaped
cave between the trunk and the legs, which inspired
people to name it Moon-over-Water Cave. Halfway up the
hill is a cave that cuts through the hill and serves
as the eyes of the elephant. On top of the hill stands
a pagoda named Puxian Pagoda, built during the Ming
Dynasty (1368-1644). There are many carvings on the
inside and outside of the cave with inscriptions, the
most well known of which is a poem by Lu You (1125-1210),
one of the four great poets of the Southern Song Dynasty
(1127 -1279).
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