Heritage: The Ancient Building Complex in Wudang Shan

A legendary mountain, immortalized in countless sword-fighting novels, Wudang Shan has been the cradle of Taoism for over 1,000 years.

The Wudang Mountain range joins the Qinling Mountains in the west and Shennongjia in the south. Wudang Shan itself is situated in Danjiangkou in Hubei Province, not far from Wuhan and comprises of 72 peaks, 36 cliffs and 24 valleys. Its main peak, called Heavenly Pillar Peak (tiānzhù fēng 天柱峰) stands at a statuesque 1,612m and together with the other mist-shrouded peaks, creates a spectacular vision. However physically daunting Wudang Shan may seem, its natural beauty and exquisite architecture, its rich history mixed with Taoist culture and lore, makes it a worthwhile detour from Wuhan.

Hugging the terrain of Wudang Shan are pockets of architectural delights. Whether atop precipitous peaks, reclining on sloping terraces or tucked into ravines and caves, these exquisite pagodas, nunneries, prayer halls and cave temples have drawn pilgrims and tourists for centuries.

The oldest temple on Wudang Shan is the Five Dragon Ancestral Temple (wǔlóng gōng 五龙宫) which dates back to the 7th century AD. Like this temple, the 72 temples, 39 bridges, 36 nunneries and 12 pavilions on Wudang Shan reflect some of the best architectural styles of the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties.

Although construction begun in the Tang dynasty and expanded through the Song and Yuan dynasties, it was during the Ming dynasty that an architectural building frenzy really took hold of Wudang Shan. The pivotal time for Wudang Shan’s popularity as a center for Taoism, which spurred the construction, came with the ascension of Emperor Zhudi to the throne in 1403.

Emperor Zhudi, fourth son of the founder of the Ming dynasty, overthrew the appointed heir and pronounced himself emperor. To win the people over and justify his usurpation, the new emperor claimed that he had acted on celestial orders. He attributed his success to the widely revered Taoist deity Zhenwu of Wudang Shan, who had attained immortality atop the mountain. The new emperor initiated extensive construction projects to give thanks to the gods for his victory, but also to affirm his power in the eyes of his court. He commissioned the Forbidden City in Beijing as well as the huge temple complex on Wudang Shan, which he dedicated to his patron god Zhenwu, who is also known as the “Perfect Warrior.”

Each structure became part of the elaborate Taoist architectural complex, comprising some 8,000 rooms. Countless imperial decrees commandeered the services of laborers, designers and craftsmen. Old temples were renovated and grand new ones were built from the toil of 300,000 workers over 12 years. The Golden Hall, Taihe Temple, Southern Crag Palace, Purple Cloud Palace and Yuzhen Temple were all built during this time.

Every aspect was planned to fine detail, from guidelines of construction to the treatment of surplus building materials. The result was that this ancient complex, which was surrounded by flora, foliage, springs and rocky outcrops, blended seamlessly with the landscape. In its synergy with the natural environment, the complex remains true to Taoist principles of respecting nature, maintaining balance and being one with “the Way.”

Steadily Wudang Shan became home to the grandest temples and held the largest Taoist population in the country. It was honored across China with the sobriquet as “the first famous mountain under heaven.” Today, it’s recognized as an architectural achievement and in 1994, UNESCO bestowed Wudang Shan World Cultural Heritage status.

Wudang Shan is also world-famous for its distinctive style of martial arts called Wudang Wushu. This form of martial arts is highly regarded in China; on par with the skills of the better known Shaolin monks. Created by martial arts exponent Zhang Sanfeng, it’s still practiced by Taoist priests as part of their routine fitness and self-defense exercises. This kung fu style has been honed to a fine art through the centuries, evolving into variations like Tai Chi and Ba Gua. The technique is centered on one principle: to conquer toughness by gentleness, mainly using the opponent’s force to gain mastery – this is considered soft or internal kung fu while the Shaolin style is hard or external. Today, kung fu enthusiasts still flock to Wudang Shan’s martial arts schools to meditate and refine their skills.

About 1km from Wudang Village is the entrance gate to begin the pilgrimage up the mountain, from this gate to the mountain is a good 10km walk. By taking a minivan taxi for RMB 20 to the parking lot you can conveniently circumvent most of the pre-mountain hike, this 20 minute ride on a narrow, sharply curving road may be exhilarating for some, while stomach churning for others.

One of the first temples you’ll see is the Southern Crag Palace (nányán gōng 南岩宫), it’s a 15-minute walk from the parking lot. Behind the main altar of Southern Crag Palace is the Tianyi Zhenqing Stone Palace (tiānyǐ zhēnqìng gōng天乙真庆宫), surrounded by craggy outcrops. A 2.9m long stone beam resembling a dragon’s head protrudes out over a cliff with an incense burner at its end. Modern day visitors continue to be impressed by the ancient craftsmen who built this without any high-tech gadgets and worshippers test their faith by crawling onto the dragon’s head to place their incense sticks, despite it being extremely dangerous.

Purple Cloud Palace (zǐxiāo gōng 紫霄宫), also close to the parking lot, reclines prettily on the mountainside as it has for 600 years. It has one of the largest and best-preserved Taoist halls of worship this side of the mountain known as Nanyan Scenic Area (nányán jǐngqū　南岩景区). It was built during the Song dynasty but received a makeover during the Ming dynasty. It consists of several halls, including the Dragon and Tiger Hall (lónghǔ diàn 龙虎殿), the Purple Sky Hall (zǐxiāo diàn 紫霄殿), the East Hall (dōngdào yuàn 东道院) and West Hall (xīdào yuàn 西道院). It was an important ancestral shrine of the imperial court and the monks here used to offer prayers for the emperor. There are 28 life-sized statues of Perfect Warrior Zhenwu. Look for two Chinese treasures: the “iron tree blossoms” lanterns, decorated with patterns of phoenixes, dragons, blossoms.

From the parking lot, a 2-hour hike to the Golden Hall (jīndiàn金殿) awaits you. Alternatively, take a minivan around to the other side of the mountain where you can hop onto a cable car to reach the summit. The Golden Hall is a copper wonder. Built in AD 1416, the gold-gilded hall is 5.5m high, 4.4m wide and 3.15m deep and is completely copper-cast, save for its base. It houses a 10 ton life-size statue of Zhenwu. At the base is his symbol of a tortoise and a snake, the latter’s body wound around the former and the two heads raised towards each other. In the past, before lightning rods were installed, lightning struck the hall whenever there was a thunderstorm, which meant a spectacular visual treat of flashing lights and sparks of fire. Fortunately, despite numerous strikes, the hall has remained unscathed.

Another Taoist temple with a fascinating story is Yuanhe Guan (yuánhé guàn 元和观). Taoist monks who turned power-hungry and challenged the authority of the emperor were banished to lifelong repentance here. It was the only such jail for Taoist monks in China in the Ming dynasty.

Some notable sights include the five-storey tall Truth Returning Nunnery (fùzhēn guàn 复真观), where there is a single column supporting 12 roof beams. If you’ve been to Beijing’s Temple of Heaven, there is similar echo wall at Wudang Shan called Nine-bend Yellow River Wall (jiǔqū huánghéqiáng 九曲黄河墙). Then there is the special bell at Turning Round Hall (zhuǎnshēn diàn 转身殿). If you ring it, the sound lingers for a long time outside the hall, while hardly any sound can be heard inside the hall. Over at Taizi Po (tàizǐ pō太子坡) is a gorgeous waterfall. It’s a bit out of the way, but if you have an extra day or so, it’s definitely worth the side trip.

Making Your Trip Easy

Area Code 0719

Practical Tips

Springs, summers and autumns are the best seasons to visit Wudang Shan. The moun-tain can be chilly near the top and be sure to have enough clothes for the nights.

You can stay on the mountain, but most prefer the convenience of staying closer to the town (called Laoying in the past), which is some 25km from the main peak.

In early-April and early-October there are dragon boat races at Wudang Shan on the Han River. Every October, the weeklong Wudang International Tourism Festival takes place on the mountain with kung fu displays, photography exhibitions, and calligraphy and art exhibitions.

The Wudang Shan Scenic Area is quite large so most people spend a few days seeing the sights. A good itinerary is to spend one day checking out the sights at the foot of the mountain, then spend the night in one of the hotels surrounding the parking lot. On the second day, either hike or take the cable car up the mountain then spend the day exploring.

Transportation

Airport – Wudang Airport is 110km southwest of Shiyan City and 70km from Wudang Shan.

Bus – Direct sleeper buses are available from Wuhan’s Wuchang long distance bus station. Tickets are about RMB 90 and it takes up to 12 hours to reach Wudang Shan. If you’re leaving Wudang Shan by bus, the sleeper bus station is diagonally opposite to the Xuanwu Dajiudian along Hanshi Gonglu.

Cable Car – A round trip ticket for the Wudang Shan cable car is RMB 70.

Taxi – Taxis in Shiyan City are RMB 6 at flag-fall.

Train – The Wudang Shan Train station is located south of the main road. There are daily trains from Wuhan to Wudang Shan, the trip takes about 6 hours and costs about RMB 40. Alternatively, you can disembark at Shiyan or Liuliping and take a bus to Wudang Shan. Both bus routes take an hour and cost RMB 5.

The Best of Wundang Shan

Wudang Shan Scenic Area武当山风景区 wǔdāng shān fēngjǐngqū

Three recommended sites are:

The Golden Hall 金殿 jīndiàn

Purple Cloud Palace 紫霄宫 zǐxiāo gōng

Tianyi Zhenqing Stone Palace天乙真庆宫 tiānyǐ zhēnqìnggōng

Address: 35km from Shiyan十堰市城区35公里

Phone: 566 5571, 566 8567

Opening hours: 7am to 7pm

￥: 80

Hotels

Huazhong Hotel 十堰市华中大酒店shíyànshì huázhōng dàjiǔdiàn ★★★

Address: 5 Renmin Nan Lu 人民南路5号

Phone: 889 1899

￥: 207 – double room, peak-season; 196 – double room, off-season

Website: sy-info.hb.cninfo.net/huazhong

Lingxiao Hotel 十堰市凌霄大酒店 shíyànshì língxiāo dàjiǔdiàn ★★★

Address: 1 Renmin Bei Lu 人民北路1号

Phone: 810 0000

￥: 224 – double room, peak-season; 174 – double room, off-season

Website: sy-www.hb.cninfo.net/lingxiao

Wudang Shan Tianlu Holiday Hotel武当山天禄度假村 wǔdāng shān tiānlù dùjiàcūn ★★★

Address: east slope of Purple Cloud Palace, Wudang Shan武当山紫霄宫东侧

Phone: 568 9115

￥: 290 – double room, peak-season; 249 – double room, off-season

Yanliang Hotel 十堰市燕良大酒店shíyànshì yànliáng dàjiǔdiàn ★★★

Address: 38 Renmin Lu 人民路38号

Phone: 866 8888

￥: 249 – double room, peak-season; 232 – double room, off-season

Website: sy-www.hb.cninfo.net

Food & Restaurants

The local cuisine is light with subtle flavors. Some of the local delicacies include Han River fish (hànjiāng héyú 汉江河鱼), baiyu wuji (白羽乌鸡) and different kinds of noodles like moyu guamian (磨芋挂面), duzhong guamian (杜仲挂面) and corn noodles (yùmǐ guàmiàn 玉米挂面).

The food offered in the hotels on the mountain isn’t as tasty and costs at least three times more than those in the city. Head to Yongle Lu where many family restaurants offer cheap and good eats. The Xuanwu Hotel’s restaurant offers a great selection of Chinese cuisine, try the scallion pancakes and deep-fried dough cakes.

For street food in Shiyan, head over to the Shiyan Fengwei Snack Street (十堰风味小吃一条街) on Dongyue Lu (东岳路). You’ll find cheap Sichuan, Muslim and local fare.

RESTAURANTS

Sanhetang Xiaochi Dian 三河汤小吃店

Lots of local snacks, with sanhe soup as the house special.

Address: Xianggang Jie, Shiyan 十堰香港街

Phone: 9am to 11pm

Souvenirs

Jewels are abundant in Shiyan; silver jewelry, intricate swords and carved stones called tortoise jewels (lǜ sōng shí 绿松石) await souvenir hunters. A mine on the north slope of Wudang Shan produces a treasure trove of jewelry, from silver bracelets and necklaces to silver wine goblets and jade. Head to the Xinyin Jewelry Store (xīnyín zhūbǎoháng 鑫银珠宝行, 867 5918) or the Yiboyuan Gongyipin Guangchang (艺博源工艺品广场, 811 5337) to take a look at these goods. They don’t come cheap though with prices range from RMB 2,000 to 4,000. Wudang Shan is also known for its swords (wǔdāng jiàn 武当剑). Swords are about RMB 45 to 500.

Other Information

POST OFFICES

Shiyan City Post Office 十堰市邮局

Address: 38 Chezhan Lu 车站路38号

Phone: 889 5282

HOSPITALS

Shiyan People’s Hospital 十堰市人民医院

Address: 23 Chaoyang Lu 朝阳路23号

Phone: 865 2119

Taihe Hospital 十堰市太和医院

Address: 29 Renmin Nan Lu 人民南路29号

Phone: 880 1533

COMPLAINT HOTLINES

General: 868 3356

Taxi: 888 2271