Destinations: Major Mountains

Mt. Emei / Emei Shan, Sichuan Province

Nearest city: Chengdu
Emei Shan lies to the southwest of the city of Chengdu in Sichuan Province. It is a Buddhist mountain and represents Puxian, the Bodhisattva of Universal Kindness. As it is higher than most of China's other sacred mountain, rising to a lofty 3,000 meters, Emei Shan should be visited at least for 2 days. There is a wide choices of walking trails to be followed, but the ascent to the summit requires some steep climbing. Once you are there, the view is breathtaking. If all the circumstances are correct, you will not only see the sun from the summit but also the strange light effect known as "Buddha's Halo", which appears between the clouds.

Mt. Hua / Hua Shan, Shanxi Province

Nearest city: Xian
"the Most perilous under heaven" Huashan is one of the noted five mountains in China. It is 2,160m above sea level, located in Huayin City, about 120km away from the ancient capital of Xian. Huashan beat known both at home and abroad for its precipitousness and picturesque beauty is acclaimed as "Number One Mountain throughout China for its perilousness". It is also a place to disseminate the Confucian and Taoist Culture in Chinese history.

Mt. Jiuhua / Jiuhua Shan, Anhui Province

Nearest city: Huangshan City
Jiuhua Shan is one of China's four sacred Buddhist Mountains (the others are Putuoshan in Zhejiang, Emei Shan in Sichuan and Wutai Shan in Shanxi). Third-century Taoist monks built thatched temples at Jiuhua Shan, but with the rise of Buddhism, stone monasteries gradually replaced them. Its 90 peaks rise as high as 900 meters against the backdrop of wooded plain. The trails make comfortable walking, except for those to the summit, and just fewer than 100 monasteries have survived to this day.

Mt. Lu / Lu Shan, Jiangxi Province

Nearest city: Jiujiang
If you look for comfort and relaxation, Mt. Lushan may be perfect. The side of Poyang Lake in northern Jiangxi Province situates Mt. Lushan. A national Park of China, it occupies an area of 300 square kilometres, and it is famous for its sheer cliffs, grotesque crags, clear streams and waterfalls. In 1996, Mt. Lushan National Park was included in the list of World Natural Heritage by UNESCO.

Mt. Putuo / Putuo Shan, Zhejiang Province

Nearest city: Putuoshan
Mt. Putuo is located at the south east of Zhoushan Islands, Zhejiang Province. This rocky island, 7 km long by 5 km wide, is a remarkable sanctuary of peace and beauty, which has been a Buddhist site of pilgrimage since the Tang Dynasty. Mt. Putuo is famous for the scenery of "Oceanside Paradise and Buddhist Realm"and talked about as "the First Sacred place in the world". Mt. Putuo is one of the four famous Buddhist Mountains in China.

Mt. Tai / Tai Shan, Shandong Province

Nearest city: Jinan
It has a deep religious and philosophical significance in China's history. Mt. Tai is situated in the middle of Shandong Province. The Majestic Mountain Tai is one of the national parks, and the first of the Five Sacred Mountains in China. In ancient China, many new emperors came here to perform grand sacrificial ceremonies in worship of Heaven. In December 1987, UNESCO listed Mt. Tai as the World Natural and Cultural Heritage.

Mt. Wudang / Wudang Shan, Hubei Province

Nearest city: Wuhan
The Wudang Mountains stretch for 400km across northwestern Hubei Province and are sacred to Taoists. Situated southeast of Shiyan, the highest summit is the 1612 meters Tianzhu Feng, which translates as 'Pillar Propping Up the Sky' or 'Heavenly Pillar Peak'.

Mt. Wutai / Wutai Shan, Shanxi Province

Nearest city: Taiyuan
To the northeast of the city of Taiyuan, in Shanxi Province, soars the five-peaked mass of Wutai Shan. The mountain is sacred to Buddhists. It presents Manjusri, the Bodhisattva of Transcendent Wisdom, known in Chinese as Wenshu. Being close to the grasslands of Inner Mongolia, Wutai Shan was a frequently visited place of pilgrimage for Mongolians who had adopted the Tibetan version of the faith.

Mt. Wuyi / Wuyi Shan, Fujian Province

Nearest city: Wuyishan City
Located in the northwest of Fujian Province, it is the marvelous resort area since the second century BC. A trip to these mountains takes you through scenery as evocative as the landscapes of Guilin. Many famous visitors have come here over the centuries, and the various stone inscriptions by the side of the river have been carved in the calligraphy of well-known painters, poets and scholars. Of special interest is the exhibition of 3,000-year-old boat-shaped coffins, which were found on ledges high up on the river cliffs.

Mt. Yellow / Huang Shan, Anhui Province

Nearest city: Huangshan City
Huang Shan is the name of the 72-peak mountain range in Anhui's south, 280 km west of the coastal city of Hangzhou. For the Chinese, Huang Shan, along with Guilin, is probably the country's most famous landscape attraction. But it was never classified as a sacred mountain. Huangshan rises in a series of craggy peaks, which inspired a whole school of painting in the late Ming period. The peaks themselves have literary names that reflect the traditional reverence Chinese scholars feel for mountains-Lotus Flower Peak, Bright Summit and Heavenly Capital Peak. Huangshan is just over 1,800 meters does not offer easy hiking; the granite trails are tough on the feet.