Qingchengshan Mountain is 75 kilometers from Chengdu City. The mountain here is covered with green trees; therefore it is called Qingchengshan (Green City Mountain). There are 36 peaks, the highest peak Laoxiaoding being 1,600 meters above sea level, and 108 scenic spots. It is famous because the Taoist master Zhang Daoling once held Taoist activities on the mountain. Many buildings that have been used for Taoist activities are well preserved.There are numerous Taoist temples on route to the summit. The Jianfu Temple, at the entrance to the mountain area, is probably the best preserved. Of the 500 or so Taoist monks in residence on the mountain prior to be around 100 left.
Among its famous scenic sites are the Shangqing Palace, the Jianfu Palace, and the Tianshi Cave. The Jianfu Palace stands against the cliff under the Zhangren Peak with an extraordinary bearing. The palace was built in the Tang Dynasty and repaired several times in the successive dynasties. Now, only two halls and three compounds are preserved. On the left side of the Jianfu Palace lies the princess of Mingqing mansion site. Visitors venturing one kilometer to the west can find the "the natural pictures". When looking at the rocks standing erect with the clouds and mist thickly wreathing, visitors often fancy that they are in the pictures.
Two kilometers towards the north lies the Tianshi Cave, which is the major temple of Mt. Qingcheng. According to a legend, Zhang Daolin was here for preaching in the Eastern Han Dynasty. In the Three Kings Palace, the main hall of the Tianshi Cave, stone inscriptions of three kings of the Tang Dynasty were laid. The palace contains wood and stone tablets of past dynasties. The most famous include the Tang Xuanzong's imperial decree and Yuefei's handwriting of Zhuge Liang's famous piece Chu Shi Biao.
After exiting the Tianshi Cave, visitors may cross over the Fangning Bridge to reach the Zhushi Palace. Following the visit to the Zhushi Palace, an unceasing walk straight north will lead the visitors to Chaoyang Cave. Exiting the Chaoyang Cave, climbers will be able to see the Shangqing Palace, which is situated on a high platform. The Shangqing Palace was first built in the Jin Dynasty and the extant temple was built during the reign of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty. There are stone inscriptions in the palace such as "the fifth famous mountain under the sun", " the first peak in Mt. Qingcheng" and so on. With an annual average temperature of 15 centigrade, Mt. Qingcheng falls under the humid subtropical monsoon climate. It is reputed as "Dong Tian Fu Di" (which means wonderful mountain and happy place), "the fairyland on earth".