Wudang Shan

 
                                              

Name :  Wudang Shan

Location :

Wudang Shan is a small mountain range in the northwestern part of Hubei Province of People's Republic of China, just to the south of the city of Shiyan. Wudang Mountains has a very vast landscape comprising of 72 strange peaks, 24 powerful streams, 36 solid rocks, 11 caves, 3 ponds and 9 springs and its landscape is a vast of tranquility, mystics and spirituality.

History :

In years past, the mountains of Wudang were known for the many Taoist monasteries to be found there, monasteries which became known as an academic centre for the research, teaching and practice of meditation, Chinese martial arts, traditional Chinese medicine, Taoist agriculture practices and related arts. As early as the Eastern Han Dynasty (25–220 AD), the mountain attracted the Emperor's attention. During the Tang Dynasty (618–907), the first site of worship—the Five Dragon Temple—was constructed.

Some of the monasteries were damaged during and after the Cultural Revolution of 1966–1976, but the Wudang mountains have lately become increasingly popular with tourists from elsewhere in China and abroad due to their scenic location and historical interest. The monasteries and buildings were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994.

Purple Cloud Temple

The palaces and temples in Wudang, contains Taoist buildings from as early as the 7th century, and the largest groups of complex on the mountain was built during the Ming Dynasty (14th–17th centuries). It represents the highest standards of Chinese art and architecture over a period of nearly 1,000 years. Noted temples include the Golden Hall, Nanyan Temple and the Purple Cloud Temple.

Description :

The range of 72 peaks stretches for 400km (250 miles). At 1,600 meters (5,250ft) Tianzhu Feng peak is the highest of Wudang Shan’s peaks. Its name means pillar to the sky. Many of the hills in Wudang Shan have Daoist temples scattered on their slopes which date back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) and this is one of the most sacred mountain areas for Daoists. 

The Ming emperor Zhen Whu, who became a Daoist deity, lived here during the 15th century and there is a statue of him in the impressive Taihe Temple, which is about halfway up Tianzhu Feng Peak. The climb to the top of the mountain takes about 3 hours. Jinding (Golden Summit) is located at the top of Tianzhu Feng Peak. and it is the main temple on the topmost peak. The roof of the temple is made of polished brass, so it gleams like gold in the clear mountain sunlight.

There are numerous other temples to visit in this scenic area including Zixiao Gong ( Grand Purple Cloud ), which was built in 1413 and is located northeast of Tianzhu Feng peak. It is located below Zhanqi Peak. This palace looks most splendid in appearance and kept in perfect unseasoned condition on Wudang Mountain. The Taoist building covers an area of about 6,850 square meters and it comprised the Stele Pavilion, Dragon and Tiger Hall, The Parents Hall, Shifang Hall and other buildings. This palace was constructed with depicting wooden structures, glazed tiles and roofs are carved with yellow and blue colors.

It is claimed that the Chinese martial art of Tai Chi has its origins in Wudang Shan, based on a style of boxing developed by a Daoist monk named Zhang Sanfeng who lived in the area during the 14th century. Zhang Sanfeng developed the martial art from his observations of birds and animals in Wudang Shan.

Websites :

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wudang_Mountains
2. http://www.chinaetravel.com/attraction/att14h.html
3. http://aircommandoman.tripod.com/theway/

Mount Tai Shan

Name : Mount Tai

Location : It is located north of the city of Tai'an, in Shandong Province, China.

Description : This is a mountain of historical and cultural significance. The tallest peak is Jade Emperor Peak, which is commonly reported as 1545 metres (5069 ft) tall.

Mount Tai is one of the "Five Sacred Mountains". It is associated with sunrise, birth, and renewal, and is often regarded the foremost of the five. The temples on its slopes have been a destination for pilgrims for 3,000 years.

History : Traces of human presence at Mount Tai date back to the Paleolithic period. Human settlement of the area can be proven from the neolithic period onwards. During this time, two cultures had emerged near the mountain, the Dawenkou to the north and Longshan to the south.

Religious worship of Mount Tai has a tradition of 3,000 years, it has been practiced from the time of the Shang to that of the Qing Dynasty. Over time, this worship evolved into an official imperial rite and Mount Tai became one of the principal places where the emperor would pay homage to Heaven (on the summit) and Earth (at the foot of the mountain) in the Fengshan Sacrifices. In 219 BC, Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China, held a ceremony on the summit and proclaimed the unity of his empire in a famous inscription.

Mount Tai has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. In 2003, it attracted around 6 million visitors.

Natural wonders : Mount Tai is a tilted fault-block mountain with height increasing from the north to the south. It is the oldest example of a paleo-metamorphic formation from the Cambrian Period in eastern China. Known as the Taishan Complex, this formation contains magnetized, metamorphic, and sedimentary rock as well as intrusions of other origins during the Archean Era.



Besides the Jade Emperor Peak, other distinctive rock formations are the Heaven Candle Peak, the Fan Cliff, and the Rear Rock Basin.

Temples : There are 22 temples, 97 ruins, 819 stone tablets, and 1,018 cliff-side and stone inscriptions located on Mount Tai. These include the Azure Cloud Temple dedicated to the daughter of the God of Mount Tai, the goddess Laomu and the Divine Rock Temple which features the Thousand-Buddhas Hall with painted Arhat statues, Dai Miao Temple & Dongyue Temple.



Website : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Tai

Songshan

Name : Songshan

Location : is one of the Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism and is located in Henan province on the south bank of the Yellow River in China. Its summit is 1,500 meters above sea level.

Description : The Historic Monuments of Mount Song have been placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Tentative List.

Despite the mountain being one of the Daoist sacred mountains, the mountain is predominantly Buddhist today. It is home to the Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Zen Buddhism, and even today the temple's collection of stupas is the largest in China. The Zhongyue Temple is also located here, one of the earliest Taoist temples in the country. The Songyang Academy nearby was one of the four great academies of ancient China. The mountain and its vicinity are populated with Taoist and especially Buddhist monasteries. The 6th century Songyue Pagoda is also located here, as well as Tang Dynasty (618–907) pagodas within the Fawang Temple.

Website : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Song

Heng Shan

Name : Heng Shan

Location : It is located in Shanxi province in China. At 2,017 m, it is one of the five tallest peaks in China Proper is one of the Five Sacred Mountains of Taoism. It is sometimes known as the Northern Heng Shan, and should not be confused with the Southern Heng Shan in Hunan Province. Both mountains have the same pronunciation in Chinese, and the Southern Heng Shan is also one of the Five Sacred Mountains.

Description : During the Han Dynasty, a temple called the Shrine of the Northern Peak (Beiyue Miao), dedicated to the mountain god was built on Hengshan's slopes. While periodically destroyed and rebuilt, this temple has an uninterrupted history from Han times to the present day.

The Hanging Monastery, built in 491, has survived more than 1,400 years. The extant monastery was largely rebuilt and maintained in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911).

The most famous temple at Hengshan is not Daoist, but is actually the Buddhist Hanging Monastery (Xuankong Si). The Hanging Monastery stands at the foot of Mt. Hengshan and is one of the most dramatic sights at Hengshan - a wooden temple clinging to the cliff side, appearing to defy gravity with only a few wooden posts as support.

The buildings were restored in 1900 and there are 40 wooden halls and structures linked by an ingenious system of pillars, posts and walkways.

Website : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Heng_(Shanxi)

Sacred Mountains of China

Name : Sacred Mountains of China

Description : The Sacred Mountains of China are divided into two groups.
1) One associated with Taoism and
2) Other associated with Buddhism

The group associated with Taoism is known as the Five Great Mountains, whereas the group associated with Buddhism is referred to as the Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism.

The Five Great Taoist Mountains
The Taoist Five Great Mountains are arranged according to the five cardinal directions of Chinese geomancy, which includes the center as a direction:

1. East: Tai Shan , literally Leading Peaceful Mountain, Shandong, 1,545 m
2. West: Hua Shan , literally Splendid Mountain), Shanxī, 1,997 m
3. South: Heng Shan , literally Balancing Mountain, Hunan, 1,290 m
4. North: (Bei) Heng Shan , literally Permanent Mountain, Shanxī, 2,017 m
5. Center: Song Shan , literally Lofty Mountain, Henan, 1,494 m

Alternatively, these mountains are sometimes referred to by the respective directions, i.e., as the "Northern Great Mountain" (Bei Yue), "Southern Great Mountain" (Nan Yue), "Eastern Great Mountain" (Dong Yue), "Western Great Mountain" (Xi Yue), and "Central Great Mountain" (Zhong Yue).

Legend : According to Chinese mythology, the Five Great Mountains originated from the limbs and the head of Pangu, the first being and creator of the world. Because of its eastern location, Mount Tài is associated with the rising sun which signifies birth and renewal. Due to this interpretation, it is often regarded as the most sacred of the Five Great Mountains. In accordance with its special position, Mount Tài is believed to have been formed out of Pangu's head.

The Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism

The Buddhist Four Sacred Mountains in China are:

1. Wutai Shan (literally Five-Terrace (Plateau) Mountain), Shanxi, 3,058 m
2. Emei Shan (literally Delicate-Eyebrow Mountain), Sìchuan, 3,099 m
3. Jiuhua Shan (literally Nine-Glories Mountain), Anhui, 1,341 m
4. Putuo Shan (literally Potalaka (Potala) Mountain), Zhejiang, 284 m

Website : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacred_Mountains_of_China

Mount Huashan

Name : Mount Huashan (or) Flower Mountain

Location : Mt. Hua is located in the Shaanxi Province of China. It stands to the south of Huayin City, 75 miles east of Xian. From the map, this mountain is located close to Himalayas of Tibet. 'Shan' means 'mountain' in Chinese, thus the name 'Hua-shan'.

Religion : Mt. Huashan is also a holy mountain of Taoism. It is said that Lao Zi (Lao Tzu), the founder and patriarch of Taoism, once lived and gave sermons here. Today many Taoism temples are also located on Mr. Huashan which helps explain why this is a much-visited area.

Description : When seen in a certain way, the five peaks of Huashan look like five petals of a flower. This is how Huashan got its nickname of Flowery Mountain.

Formerly the five mountains were dotted with temples but now only a few remain. These days the majority of visitors to Huashan are Chinese youth on vacation. However the mountain routes are still trekked by devoted pilgrims and wandering monks intent of visiting the sacred shrines.

In order to reach certain temples and the caves of the sages great courage is needed. Pilgrims must scale cliffs with only a linked chain for support and to fall is certain death.

The trek consists of 5 peeks ( north, south, west, east and middle ).

There are three ways up to Huashan's North Peak (1613 m), the lowest of the mountain's major peaks. The most popular is the also the original route, which winds for 6 km from Hua Shan village to the north peak. There is also the cable-car, as well as a path that follows the cable car to the North Peak. From the North Peak, a series of paths rise up to the four other peaks, the West Peak (2038 m), the Center Peak (2042 m), the East Peak (2100 m) and the South Peak (2160 m).

The North Peak, which was called Clouds Stand by ancient people, looks like a flat platform in the clouds. The peak is 1,614 meters (about 5,295 ft) high above sea level. The most important site on the North Peak is the Zhenwu Hall for God of North. The North Peak is very popular for climbing.



Nowhere are the cliff more difficult to climb than the South Peak. A tortuous 15 kilometer stepped path leads to the Green Dragon Ridge (Bilong ji) where other trails lead to the major peaks.



This picture was taken at the base of the West Peak climb.

These are the Heavenly Stairs.These steps are the Starting Point for the hiking trip up the West Peak mountain.As you can gather, the initial part of the climb seems steep, but safe. In addition, the view is awe-inspiring.

The Middle Peak, which is always connected with a beauty, is also called Jade Maiden Peak. Story goes that Nongyu, the daughter of King Mugong (659B.C.-621B.C.) of the Qin Kingdom (770B.C.-476B.C.), was tired of the life in the court. So she and her husband lived alone at Middle Peak.



The East Peak is 2,090 meters (about 6,857 ft) high above sea level. It is also called Facing Sun Peak because the top of the peak is the best place to watch the sunrise.



Recent Developments : As tourism has boomed and the mountain's accessibility vastly improved with the installation of the cable car in the 90s, visitor numbers surged. Despite the safety measures introduced by cutting deeper pathways and building up stone steps and wider paths, as well as adding railings, fatalities continued to occur. The local government has proceeded to open new tracks and created one-way routes on some more hair-raising parts, such that the mountain can be scaled without significant danger now, barring crowds and icy conditions. Some of the most precipitous tracks have actually been closed off.

The former trail that leads to the South Peak from North Peak is on a cliff face, and it was known as being extremely dangerous; there is now a new and safer stone-built path to reach the South Peak temple, and on to the Peak itself. The infamy and perilousness of the original route can be enjoyed in a story put on the web page of a person called Rick Archer with the title "The Deadly Huashan Hiking Trail"

Website :
http://www.ssqq.com/ARCHIVE/vinlin27d.htm