Hengshan Mountain is located in Hunyuan County of Shanxi Province in northern China. It is the Northern Mountain of the Five Sacred Mountains. Boasting 108 peaks and spanning 150 kilometers, it has an average elevation of 2,017 meters. The Tianfeng Peak, the highest peak, is 2,190 meters above sea level, the highest among the Five Sacred Mountains.
Hengshan Mountain is famous for steepy ridges, splendid peaks, exotic-shaped temples, and gushing fountains, together with oddly-shaped stones and forests of ancient trees, which constitutes a beautiful landscape.
Mt. Hengshan is composed of 72 peaks, among which the first mountain peak you will see when touring is Huiyan Peak. Going further toward the north, you will feast your eyes on all the graceful scenery. Here in Mt. Hengshan, no mountain peaks are without trees. It is green all over. There are various kinds of precious trees and a vast area of primeval forest. Among all these trees here, some are 300 - 400 years old, which still bloom when spring comes. Some trees are even over 1,000 years old. The trees in the primeval forest are bending with lichen growing on the trunks, resembling old men wearing tattered clothes. From the mountain peaks, you can see the grand view of sunrise, the rolling cloud and the oceans of trees. There magnificent views are called 'four oceans' on Mt. Hengshan: ocean of flowers, ocean of trees, ocean of cloud and ocean of snow.
People summarize all the spectacles here as 'the eight marvels in Mt. Hengshan'. They are the height of the Zhurong Peak, the grace of the Sutra Collection Hall, the profundity of Fangguang Temple, the quietness of Mojingtai, the magic of the Shuilian Cave, the antiquity of Dayu Stele, the majesty of the Nanyue Temple and the steepness of Huixian Bridge. Zhurong Peak is the highest mountain peak of this scenic area. Sutra Collection Hall is located deep in the glen and is surrounded by towering trees. The running spring and flying birds make this place very peaceful and leisurely. Huixian Bridge is in fact a bridge on a big stone. It is narrow and dangerous, and few people are brave enough to go over it.
This scenic area is also a well known and hallowed Buddhist ground. It has abundant temples including nunneries and Taoist temples. The most notable one is Nanyue Damiao, the largest temple in Wuyue.
Hengshan Mountain boasts many cultural relics like temples, sites of academy, steles and engravings, some of which occupy important positions in the development of China's ancient architecture, such as the Xuankong Temple, Yuanjue Brick Pagoda and Yongan Temple. The Xuankong Temple, built 1,400 years ago, hosts worship for the Taoists, Confucians and Buddhists. The temple is hung in the middle of the cliff and is still in perfect conditions after so many years.
Besides the Xuankong Temple, many other temples are constructed on the cliffs or caved just like castles in the air, adding to steepness and grandiosity. Standing high in the mountain, with the clouds floating under your feet and the wind in the pine trees resounding above your head, the mountain peaks occasionally appearing and disappearing in the clouds, one will be reluctant to leave. On the sides of some cliffs there are full of stone inscriptions eulogizing the beauty of Hengshan Mountain by celebrities in history.
Admission Fee: RMB 80 per person.