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 city walls, hence the name “City Mountain.” Therefore, this mountain is called Mount Qingcheng, where “Qing” refers to color and “Cheng” refers to shape. The character “Secluded” epitomizes the natural landscape features of Mount Qingcheng, while the character “Dao” encapsulates the essence of its cultural landscape. One secluded and one Dao form the thread for touring Mount Qingcheng. Here, the forests are deep and quiet, the ancient paths are serene, the mountain flowers are fragrant, the bird calls are delightful, the pavilions are elegant, and the streams are clear, hence it has the reputation of being “The Most Secluded Mountain Under Heaven.” Mount Qingcheng boasts beautiful scenery and numerous historical relics, including famous attractions such as Jianfu Palace, Yu Pavilion, Natural Pavilion, Chunxian Walking Path, Moon City Lake, Zhangren Spring, Shangqing Palace, Shen Deng Pavilion, Laojun Pavilion, Writing Utensil Trench, Tian Shi Cave, and Natural Picture.
Jianfu Palace
Jianfu Palace sits at the foot of Mount Qingcheng's Patriarch Peak, located to the left of the front mountain gate. The palace was originally built in the Jin Dynasty, with its original site in the middle of Mount Tianhe in Qingcheng. In the eighteenth year of Kaiyuan (AD 730) during the Tang Dynasty, it was relocated to its current location by imperial decree. It is covered by red rocks and lush forests at the back, with pavilions and buildings in front, and the axis of the architecture intersects with the mountain road at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. Tourists follow the stone steps covered by towering cypress and camphor trees, turning into the palace. The couplets on the outer gate were written by the famous calligrapher Dong Shaoping. The three characters “Jianfu Palace” on the inner gate were inscribed by Lin Sen, Chairman of the National Government, in 1940.
Shangqing Palace
Shangqing Palace is located on the first peak of Mount Qingcheng, originally constructed in the Jin Dynasty. The existing temple was built during the Tongzhi period of the Qing Dynasty. There are cliff carvings above it, such as “The Fifth Famous Mountain Under Heaven” and “The First Peak of Qingcheng.” The three characters “Shangqing Palace” on the gate were written by Chiang Kai-shek. Within the palace, the founder of Daoism, Li Laojun, is enshrined, with a statue of Laozi and a woodblock carving of the “Daodejing” in five thousand words. There are also legendary sites such as Magu Pool and Mandarins' Well… Behind Shangqing Palace is Old Celestial Summit, where the Echo Pavilion is built, an ideal spot for viewing sunrises, divine lanterns, and sea of clouds.
The contemporary master of Chinese painting: Zhang Dazhan once lived in Shangqing Palace for four years, and the works created during this time have been engraved on stones by the world, preserved to this day.
Laojun Pavilion
Laojun Pavilion is at the very summit of Mount Qingcheng, a pagoda-like building with nine stories, each level with eight corners, symbolizing the Taiji Eight Trigrams. Its exterior is shaped like a pagoda, with three circular treasures atop it, signifying the Three Talents of Heaven, Earth, and Man. Inside the pavilion, there is a majestic seated statue of Supreme Elder Lao, measuring 7.3 meters high, with the platform totaling 10.37 meters in height. Outside the pavilion, there is a terrace base made of white jade stone, built according to the terrain, with balustrades winding up the stairs to the top of the pavilion. On a clear day, one can overlook the magnificent scenery of hundreds of miles away in the Min Mountains, Qionglai Mountains, and Qing Mountains, as well as the picturesque views of hundreds of miles of the Sichuan Basin, truly a spectacular sight.
Dawn Cave
Dawn Cave is located at the foot of the main peak, Old Celestial Summit, with its entrance facing east. It is several dozen feet deep and wide enough to accommodate a hundred people, said to be the dwelling place of Ning Feng, the patriarch. During the Qing Dynasty, Huang Yunhe lived in a thatched hut here and wrote a couplet: “Heaven is far but the sun is near, the ground is weary but the imperial palace is spacious.” In modern times, the painter Xu Beihong also wrote a couplet here: “A hollow cave welcomes the shining light, and there are phoenixes perching on the blue cliffs from time to time.”
Tian Shi Cave
Tian Shi Cave was originally built during the Daye period of the Sui Dynasty. Surrounded by mountains on three sides and overlooking a ravine on the other, it is filled with ancient towering trees and a tranquil atmosphere. The existing halls were built at the end of the Qing Dynasty, with grand scale and exquisite carvings, housing many precious cultural relics and ancient trees. It is said that during the late Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Daoling preached and transmitted Daoism here. The main hall within the observatory is the “Three Purities Hall,” behind which lie the Yellow Emperor Shrine and the Tian Shi Cave, ancient historical sites.
At the lower right corner of the Tian Shi Cave, there is a small hall named the Three Sovereigns Hall, housing stone statues of Huangdi, Fuxi, and Shennong. In front of the cave gate stands an ancient silver fir tree, about 50 meters tall, with a circumference of 7.06 meters and a diameter of 2.24 meters. It is said that this tree was planted by Zhang Tian Shi himself, with an age of over 1,800 years.
Natural Picture
The Natural Picture Pavilion is located on the ridge of Longju Mountain, at the Dragon Dwelling Mountain Gatepost Ridge, a ten-cornered double-eaved pavilion built during the Guangxu period (AD 1875~1908) of the Qing Dynasty. The scenery here is beautiful, and tourists feel as if they are in a painting, hence it is called the “Natural Picture.” Located between Jianfu Palace and Tian Shi Cave at an altitude of 893 meters, it is sandwiched between two peaks. Upon reaching here, visitors can see the pavilion standing amidst steep cliffs and dense greenery, as if they are in a painting. Behind the pavilion is the Crane Abode, where red-crowned cranes often gather and cry in the mountains; to the right is the Heavenly Immortal Bridge, a horizontal stone lying on the cliff between two mountains, said to be a place where immortals gathered to play games.
A natural and genuine scroll painting is clearly presented before your eyes. Passing through the plaque, the landscape as beautiful as a painting is within reach. Far away, the green layers are lush and dense; close by, white egrets play in the water, and cloud sparrows soar.
Secluded and verdant, it stretches endlessly to the eye.
All the buildings are integrated with the ancient trees, simple yet not lacking in style, full of elegance. Perhaps the scenery gave inspiration to literati, gathering the vitality of heaven and earth in one observatory, making the atmosphere here extraordinarily refined. (Compiled by Li Fengsen, submitted by Mount Qingcheng, text and images)