Mt. Wudangshan
» Danjiangkou, Hu Bei

武当山 中国四大道教名山之首

Ancient Taoist temple complex

The ancient buildings in Mt. Wudangshan have been famous in the world for their beauty, size, and grandeur, so that Mt. Wudangshan was taken onto the list of World Cultural Legacy by UNESCO on December 17, 1994.

Mt. 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.

Zixiao Palace (Purple Sky Palace)

Zixiao Palace, located on Tianzhu Peak of Mt. Wudangshan, was built in the year of 1413. It is the best-preserved existing palace on the mountain. The main attractions in the palace are the Dragon and Tiger Hall, the Purple Sky Hall, the East Hall, the West Hall and the Prince Cliff.

Nanyan (South Rock Palace)

Nanyan is known as the most spectacular spot of the 36 scenic places in Mt. Wudangshan. It was as early as the Tang and Song Dynasty (618-1279) that Taoist priests practiced Taoism here and built Taoist temples for worshiping. Historical records show there were more than 600 buildings in Nanyan but most of them were destroyed in the late years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The Nanyan Palace, Taichang Temple, Thunder God Cave and Crow Temple are still standing.

Jindian (Golden Palace Hall)

On top of the Tianzhu Peak of Mt. Wudangshan is Jindian, meaning Golden Palace. The hall was built in 1416 and it is 5.54 meters in height, 4.4 meters in width and 3.15 meters in depth. The hall is a complete gilded bronze structure. After more than 500 years standing, the hall still glitters under the sun as new to become one of the wonders of Chinese ancient architecture.

Wudang kung fu

Wudang Kung fu, one important school of Chinese Martial Arts, has a very long history. Wudang Kung fu, incorporating the ways to keep healthy and prolong the lifespan and collecting the skills to fight, is not only a special school of Martial Arts, but also a whole system of Martial Arts theory.

Wudang kung fu, as a culture, taking root in the fertile soil of thousand-year long Chinese civilization, containing profound Chinese philosophical theories, has combined traditional notions of Taiji, Yinyang, Five-element, Eight-diagram into boxing theories, boxing skills, exercise and attack policies, tantamount to studying the laws of life activities. So we can say that Wudang Kung fu is the crystallization of Wudang Taoism in the process of studying life.

It is said that when Zhang-Sanfeng, the founder of Wudang Boxing, was self-cultivating in Mt. Wudangshan; he met a fight between a magpie and a snake. That the magpie was flying up and down to attack and the snake was shaking its body and raising its head to fight back gave him some inspiration and understood Taiji theory so that had created Wudang Boxing.

The original legend of Wudang Kung fu and the pose of the snake in the fighting have visually demonstrated the gist of Wudang Kung fu: to overcome the strong in a gentle way and to win by striking only after the enemy had struck; to ascertain one's position and then defeat the enemy.

After many boxing masters' enrichment and development, Wudang Kung fu has many derivative schools and kinds, such as, Taiji Boxing, Form-and-will Boxing, and Eight-diagram Palm; Taiji Spear and Taiji Sword; Qingqong, Hard kung fu, feats and some kinds of Qigong. From then on, Wudang Kung fu has walked out of the deep mountain and become an important school of Chinese Martial Arts.

Spectacular natural scenery

The natural scenery of Mt. Wudangshan is powerful and magnificent, tinged with some fantastically serene and charming touches.

Major scenic spots include 72 peaks, 36 rocky cliffs, and 24 streams. Tianzhu Peak, its highest point, creates a striking view of "One Pole Supporting the Sky." Clustered around it are numerous smaller ones, composing a fantastic picture of 72 peaks paying homage to the main one.

On top of Nanyan (South Rock) is a stone beam with a dragon carved on it protruding from above the cliff, which attracts many travelers to burn incense on it as a sign of their devotion.

The Huanglongdong (Yellow Dragon Cave) is a cave surrounded by Taoist temples and shrines on the way to Jinding (Golden Peak). It is cool and damp, and said to be an ideal spot for meditation.

The final ascent to Jinding is a zigzag stone staircase of 212 steps carved into the mountain called Jiuliandeng (Nine Lotus Stairs). Standing on Jiuliandeng, the summit appears to be near at hand, and the mountains surrounding Jinding all seem to lean in towards it.

When finally arriving at the top, visitors go through a dark hall called Zhuanyundian (Changing the Fate Palace). Taoists rap on a wooden fish, asking, "Have you turned round?" The reply, "Yes, I have" implies that their fate has changed. Upon stepping out of the dark hall, the cont sunshine is said to symbolize the experience of nirvana and a new life ahead.

Attractions around » Danjiangkou, Hu Bei

Natural Scene

Natural Scene

Mountain

Mountain

Nature Reserve & Scenic Area

Nature Reserve & Scenic Area

Mt. Wudangshan, also known as Taihe Mountain, in the northwest of Hubei Province, is perhaps the best known of China's Taoist holy mountains and also known as the site of an ancient architectural complex both at home and abroad. Mt. Wudangshan stretches 400 kilometers and covers an area of more than 30 square kilometers. Mt. Wudangshan's beautiful scenery of tranquil valleys juxtaposed with precipitous peaks offers three main areas of interest to travelers: Ancient Taoist temple complex, Wudang Kung fu, Spectacular natural scenery.

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