China Mountains

                
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.

 

 

                 

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.

 

                

 

 

                  

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, Thousand Stairs, 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.

 

                  

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.

Huang Shan

 

                

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.

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.

 

 

                

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.

 

 

              

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.

 

 

               

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.

 

 

              

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. 

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.

 

 

              

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.

 

 

              

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.

 

 

               

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.'

 

 

 

              

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.

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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, resembling 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.

 

 

             

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).
Related: Guilin Tours