Chengdu - Mt. Qingcheng

Sichuan - Chengdu - Jiuzhaigou - Leshan

Mount Qingcheng, known as the 5th among the most famous Taoist mountains of China, is one of the places where Taoism came into being. At the end of the Eastern Han dynasty, Zhang Daolin, patriarch of Taoism, preached here, and so Qingcheng is considered to be one of the birthplaces of Taoism in China. With the snow-covered Mingshan Mountain in the background and the Chuanxi Plain in front, the evergreen Mt. Qingcheng covers an area of over 120 kilometer.

The mountain consists of 2 parts; the anterior Mt. Qingcheng and the posterior Mt. Qingcheng. The anterior mountain is famous for its beautiful scenery and numerous cultural and historic sites, while the posterior mountain is noted for its paradisiacal scenery, which is primitive and brilliant, gorgeous and mysterious.

Altogether it has 36 peaks covered with thick forests of trees and bamboo, 72 caves and 108 monasteries, temples and pavilions. It gets its name from the way the peaks resemble the structure of a city wall.

The name Qingcheng means green city. Damian Mountain is its main peak and the Master's Cave (Tianshitong) serves as its pivot. The mountain is well known for its serene scenery that contains halls and temples shaded by forests and enhanced by interesting legends and anecdotes.

Some of the Eastern Han structures and sites still survive after 2,000 years including Jinfu Palace, Tianshi (Teacher from Heaven) Cave, Zushi (Patriarch) Hall and Shangqing Palace together with many cultural relics of Taoism.