The cloud-wrapped Wudang Mountains and their temples

Taoism

武当山

Wudang Mountains

“A mountain where Taoist temples nest on every cloud-wrapped peak”

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Photo: xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0

Scenes

The Golden Summit, the gilded hall at the peakWikimedia Commons · Public domain
The sacred Taoist mountain adrift in cloudxiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0

Meaning

Mist winds up the ridgelines, and from the golden hall at the summit a bell tolls slowly into the valleys.

Held sacred in Taoism, the mountains carry long traditions of practice and the martial art of tai chi, with temples raised on peak after peak. Their ancient temple buildings are inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Field notes

Location
Hubei · China · N32.4° · E111.0°
Best time
Spring and autumn mornings, when mist wraps the peaks
Getting there
From the mountain gateway, shuttles and a cable car climb to the Golden Summit.
Etiquette
In the temples, quiet and reverence, following the pilgrim paths.

Sources

  • · UNESCO World Heritage
  • · Encyclopaedia Britannica
UNESCO World Heritage↗Wikipedia↗

Photographs are freely licensed works from Wikimedia Commons and similar sources; the author and license appear beneath each image.