Mount Qingcheng

Mount Qingcheng has famous Taoist temples and offers well-prepared paths up the peaks. Chinese tour groups love the area, and it is popular with foreign tourists too. TripAdvisor rates it with a Certificate of Excellence in 2018 as one of the best Things to Do in the Chengdu area.

Kungfu Panda 3 took inspiration from this location — known as the birthplace of Taoism.

It is about an hour's drive from Chengdu and about half an hour from Dujiangyan (see below). You might want to visit the two places on the same day.

Brief Introduction & History

Located at the southwest of the prefecture-level city – Dujiangyan City of Chengdu, and is 68km east of Chengdu city center, Mount Qingcheng is one of the four famous Taoist mountains in China. Together with Dujiangyan Irrigation System, it’s listed as World Heritage Site in 2000. Mount Qingcheng has enjoyed a reputation of Serenest Mountain under Heave since ancient time. The whole mountain is covered with evergreen forest all year round, and thus it gets this name “Qingcheng” mountain, which literally translated as “mountain of green”. The whole scenic spot can be divided into two parts, and the anterior part is the Front Mountain, while the posterior part is the Rear Mountain. Front Mountain covers an area of 15 square kilometers and it’s the main attraction of Mount Qingcheng. Most historical and cultural relics are located in Front Mountain, including Jianfu Palace, Tianshi Celestial Cave, Shangqing Palace, etc. Rear Mountain is featured in beautiful and tranquil natural scenery, with an area about 100 square kilometers. Winter is little cold on the mountain top, however, summer in the Rear Mountain is very cool, and this is a great place to escape the summer heat.

Mount Qingcheng is also a famous Taoist mountain for it’s one of the cradles of Chinese Taoism. The founder of Taoism – Zhao Daoling thought the tranquil and serene natural scenery of Mount Qingcheng was suitable for the development and prosperity of Taoism, thus, Mount Qingcheng had been listed as the “fifth Taoist fairyland” in China. Over a dozen of Taoist temples were built according to the topographical features of the mountain with the Tianshi Celestial Cave as their center. Mount Qingcheng has a great historical and artistic value in researching the Taosim philosophy of China.

Attractions

Located at the left side of the Arch of Front Moutain (the entrance of Front Mountain), Jianfu Palace was built 730. At present, the palace has three halls and there is a 394 words couplet on the pillar in the hall, and the couplet is the third longest couplet in China. The architecture style of Jianfu Palace is kind of antique. It seems normal from outside; however, you’ll be surprised when you enter in. Red lanterns hang all over the palace; they look even brighter under the contrast of the green trees in and around the palace.

Tianshi Celestial Cave is one of the major Taoist temples in Mount Qingcheng, and the Qingcheng Taoism Association is located here. First built in Sui Dynasty (518 ~ 619), Tianshi Celestial Cave is surrounded by mountains in three directions. Legend says that Zhang Daoling, the founder of Taoism, had cultivated himself at here. Till now, the temple still worships the sculpture of Zhang Daoling. There is a thousand years old ginkgo tree in the temple, which, according to the legend, was planted by Zhang Daoling himself. The ginkgo tree is most beautiful in autumn and it’s a must-see when you visit Tianshi Celestial Cave.

Shangqing Palace is located at 500m to the summit of Mount Qingcheng. First built in Jin Dynasty (265 ~ 420), and the existing palace was rebuilt and restored in Qing Dynasty (1644 ~ 1912). Now, the palace has Laojun Hall, Sanqing Hall, Wenwu Hall and many ancient architectures and antiques. Keep climbing up from the stone steps in the back of the palace, there is a pavilion named “Sun-view Pavilion”, and the scenery here is more magnificent and beautiful. If you are tired from the hike, this is the good place to rest, and you can taste the delicious vegetarian food here.

Comparing with the Front Mountain, Rear Mountain is more primitive. The whole Rear Mountain Scenic Spot starts from Tai’an Ancient Town, where provide restaurants and hostels for tourists. The attractions here are mainly waterfalls, caves, primitive forest, etc. which are charming as the attractions in Front Mountain. Most attractions are concentrated in Feiquan Valley and Wulong Valley. The whole journey in the Rear Mountain is about 20 kilometers, and there is two cableways in the scenic spot, which can save half of the walking distance and tourists can still appreciate most of the sceneries. For mountain-hiking lovers, you won’t regret to visit here. If you want to walk the entire journey, then, you must get up early for you’ll need one day in normal situation.

How to Get to Mount Qingcheng

Getting There

By Flight: Mount Qingcheng has no airport, and the closest airport to it is Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. After arriving at the airport, travelers can take direct bus from the airport to Dujiangyan City (about 70km) and then transfer to public vehicles to Mount Qingcheng.

By Train: from Chengdu, travelers can take bullet train of ChengGuan Line to Mount Qingcheng. ChengGuan Line starts from Chengdu North Railway Station and ends at Mount Qingcheng, and it’s about 30 minutes to one hour ride. At present, this is the most convenient way to get there. After get off the train, take bus 101a can get to the Front Mountain, and travelers can take mini bus to get the Rear Mountain. The ticket for the train is tight in holidays and weekends, so book the ticket in advance.

By Bus: from Chengdu, tourists can also take direct bus from Chadianzi Bus Station to Mount Qingcheng. The departure time is from 8:00 to 10:00. If you can’t catch the direct bus, then you can take bus to Dujiangyan from Chadianzi Bus Station first, then after arriving Dujiangyan Bus Station, transfer bus 101 to get to the mountain.

Transportation in the Scenic Spot

Cableway

Front Mountain: Buyun Cableway is the only cableway in Front Mountain, and it runs between Yuecheng Lake and Viewing All-round Temple. One way ticket is ¥35/person and round-trip ticket is ¥60/person.

Rear Mountain: there are two cableways in Rear Mountain. Baiyun Cableway runs from Youyicun Village to Baiyun Temple, and one way (about 30 minutes) ticket is ¥45/person and round-trip ticket is ¥70/person. Jinli(about 15 minutes) Cableway runs through the Feiquan Valley, from Feiquanfang to Shisuntang, and one way ticket is ¥30/person and round-trip ticket is ¥55/person.

Battery Car

There are battery car in the scenic are, and they run two sections: from the Arch of Mount Qingcheng to Tai’an Temple (located in Tai’an Ancient Town), and from Tai’an Temple to Wulong Valley. The tickets for them are both ¥5/person. The road from Tai’an Temple to Wulong Valley is long and the scenery along the road is normal. So it’s advised to take battery car in this section if you want to save some energy.