Grotto-heavens

Mount Qingcheng is the birthplace of Chinese Daoism and the ancestral mountain of Celestial Masters Daoism. As early as over 1,800 years ago in the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Daoling, the founder of Daoism, established a thatched hut here to preach and founded China's indigenous religion—Daoism, making Mount Qingcheng the foremost of the four famous Daoist mountains in China. Daoism has ten major grotto-heavens, thirty-six minor grotto-heavens, and seventy-two blessed lands. Among the ten major grotto-heavens, Mount Qingcheng ranks fifth, hence it enjoys the reputation of being the "Fifth Famous Mountain Under Heaven." However, among the ten major grotto-heavens, Mount Qingcheng stands out for having the best-preserved and most complete palaces and observatories, embodying the harmonious coexistence between man and nature, and the concept of harmony and conformity with nature in its architectural style and layout. Here, the peaks overlap, surrounded by numerous peaks, appearing like city walls when viewed from afar, hence the name "Qingcheng," which means "Green City." Since ancient times, Mount Qingcheng has been renowned for its verdant greenery all year round, with evergreen trees, earning it the reputation of the "Green Mountain." The thirty-six peaks are arranged in a ring, with steep cliffs and precipices, resembling…