Mount Qingcheng
By admin on 2015-01-12

Mount Qingcheng (qīng chéng shān 青城山), called Zhangren Mountain (zhàng rén shān 丈人山), is located in southwest Dujiangyan City (dū jiāng yàn shì 都江堰市) of Sichuan Province (sì chuān shěng 四川省). As a center of the Taoist religion, it became host to many temples. In 2000, the mountain was listed in the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Mount Qingcheng is covered with thick forests, and is green all year round. With 36 peaks, the mountain is like a small town, hence the name of Qingcheng, which means green town. Mount Qingcheng is facing the Chengdu Plain (chéng dōu píng yuán 成都平原), with the Min River (mín jiāng 岷江) at its back. In the mountain there are tens of thousands steps leading to the top, the winding path leading to the secluded quiet place. Since ancient times, Mount Qingcheng is famous for its tranquility.

Mount Qingcheng can be devided into two parts, namely, the Front Mountain and the Rear Mountain. The Front Mountain is the main part, covering an area of about 15 square kilometers. Within this area, there are the Shangqing Palace (shàng qīng gōng 上清宫), Jianfu Palace (jiàn fú gōng 建福宫), Tianshi Palace (tiān shī dòng 天师洞), and Chaoyang Cave (cháo yáng dòng 朝阳洞), among which the most famous one is the Shangqing Palace.

Shangqing Palace is located on the slope of the main peak of Mount Qingcheng, Laoxiao Peak (lǎo xiāo dǐng 老霄顶). It was originally constructed in Jin Dynasty (jìn dài 晋代). The palace at present was the one rebuilt in Qing Dynasty (qīng cháo 清朝). The inscriptions on the gate of Shangqing Palace was written by Chiang Kai Shek (jiǎng jiè shí 蒋介石). In the hall of the palace, there conscrate the statue of Lao Zi (lǎo zǐ 老子). On the Laoxiao Peak, there is the Huying Pavilion (hū yìng tíng 呼应亭), which is a best place for you to appreciate the sunrise and the cloud sea.

Since the Front Mountain is famous for its ancient architecture, the Rear Mountain is well known for its natural scenery. Within the area of 100 square kilometers, there are mysterious caves, various pools, which will take you to a tranquil world.