There are so many famous mountains in the world, is Wudang Mountain, which stands in the land of Central China, worth visiting?
Where the mountains converge, the jade belt lingers, and the story of Tai Chi starts here. This famous mountain, known as "the unparalleled victory of eternity, the first immortal mountain in the world", the mountains and forests of Wudang Mountain are full of legendary stories of combining rigidity and softness, flowing clouds and flowing water, and embracing all rivers.
Located at the intersection of the Qinling Mountains and Daba Mountain, the middle point of the Yellow River and the Yangtze River, and the throat of communication between Qin and Chu, Wudang Mountain has been a place of humanities since ancient times.
It is one of the birthplaces of Taoist culture in China.
Wudang Mountain was known as "Taiyue", "Xuanyue" and "Dayue" in ancient times, and was famous for the status of "the crown of the five mountains" of "the four famous mountains are all arched, and the five immortals and mountains are the same dynasty".
Since the Tang Dynasty, the emperors of all dynasties have been named Wudang. The Tang Dynasty belonged to the "Seventy-two Blessed Lands"; Yuan Dade was named "Wudang Blessed Land" in the eighth year; Yongle of the Ming Dynasty was named "Dayue" in the fifteenth year, ranking above the Five Mountains, and in the thirty-first year of Jiajing of the Ming Dynasty, it was named "Xuanyue of the Ruling World" and was respected as the "Imperial Family Temple".
Wudi's position is lofty and prominent, and it is the best among the famous mountains in the world. The great calligrapher of the Song Dynasty Mi Fu praised Wudang, and wrote three big words "the first mountain" on his head.
It created the Wudang School (Wudang Wushu), an important school of Chinese martial arts
At the end of the Yuan Dynasty and the beginning of the Ming Dynasty, Zhang Sanfeng gathered his masterpiece and created the world-famous Wudang School, known as "Shaolin in the north and Wudang in the south". The Wudang School has not only been passed down to this day, but also attracted countless foreign friends to come to study. The 7th Wudang Taijiquan International Friendship Competition in 2023 will be held as scheduled at the foot of Wudang Mountain.
The Wudang School, which emphasizes both internal and external cultivation, combines nature and the universe, which not only has a profound traditional martial arts cultural heritage, but also contains exquisite scientific truths. In 2006, Wudang Wushu was included in the first batch of national intangible cultural heritage list, and is one of the symbols of Chinese Tai Chi culture.
It is "the first immortal mountain in the world"
Here perennial purple gas is dense, the clouds are misty, there are "Tianzhu Xiaoqing", "land and sea rushing tide", "thunder and fire refining hall", "moon knocking on the mountain gate", "ancestor sweating", "seahorse spitting fog" and other four seasonal wonders, everywhere highlights the mysterious ethereal spirit of Wudang fairyland.
The peaks are towering, high and dangerous, and the momentum is magnificent. There are 72 peaks with arrowheads, 36 rocks with deep cliffs, 24 streams with turbulent streams, 11 holes with clouds and smoke, and 10 stones and 9 platforms with mysterious and peculiar scenery.
It is a World Heritage Site
The ancient buildings of Wudang Mountain were built in the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty (627-649), and were built in the Song and Yuan dynasties.
In the tenth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di, the ancestor of the Ming Dynasty, in order to strengthen the imperial power, built the palace in Wudang Mountain, built a large number of Taoist palaces, temples, temples with the golden dome as the core, determined the pattern of the building complex of Wudang Mountain, and became the largest royal palace complex in the Ming Dynasty, representing the highest level of Taoist architecture and art in the Ming Dynasty of China.
In May 1994, after inspecting Wudang Mountain, UNESCO experts Mr. Kausra and Mr. Su Mintaga praised "Wudang Mountain is naturally one of the most beautiful places in the world" and praised that "China's great history still exists in Wudang Mountain." ”
On December 15, 1994, the Wudang Mountain Complex was included in the World Cultural Heritage List.
About Wudang Mountain, there are few mountains like it, "five miles and one nunnery and ten miles of palace, Dan wall and green tile look exquisite", so harmoniously integrate ancient buildings and nature, or built on the top of the high mountain and dangerous peaks, or hidden in the cliffs, or hidden in the deep mountains and jungles.
At that time, Zhu Di issued a pardon, and 300,000 craftsmen built for more than ten years, and the majestic Dayue was able to tower over the world. The whole building complex is laid out in strict accordance with the story of Zhenwu Xiuxian, and adopts the royal building regulations, reaching the artistic conception of "Immortal Mountain Qiongge".
The autumn colors are thick, the golden top is golden, the purple sky is green, the palace wall is red, the robe is blue, and no one can resist the oriental beauty. Under the aerial photography, there is a mysterious, transcendent, and natural artistic effect, which fully embodies the idea of "the unity of nature and man". It is no wonder that Wudang Mountain will be known as "a museum of ancient Chinese architectural achievements".
The overall layout of the ancient buildings of Wudang Mountain is centered on the Golden Temple of Tianzhu Peak (also known as the Golden Dome), and radiates to the surroundings with the official road and the ancient Shinto road as the axis. If you want to experience this so-called "Forbidden City hanging on the cliff", then you have to start with the Golden Temple.
The mountains look up, and the scenery stops. When you stand in the Golden Palace, looking at the mountains and overlooking the entire Purple City, you may be like me, and you can't help but admire: it is really a model of ancient planning, design, and architecture.
The Golden Palace is the most important core building in the ancient buildings of Wudang Mountain, sits in the west and faces east, faces three rooms 5.8 meters wide, enters three rooms 4.2 meters deep, is 5.54 meters high, adopts the top of the palace of the royal special heavy eaves, is the gilded copper hall of imitation wood structure, was built in the 14th year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1416).
The Purple City is also known as the Imperial City and the Red City, and is named after the Golden Palace on it. This is the Ming Dynasty ancestor Zhu Di according to his own residence in the "Forbidden City", for the Zhenwu Emperor in the world to build the "Yujing", in the 17th year of Yongle (1419) built.
The Purple City surrounds the Tianzhu Peak and stands in a circle, with a circumference of 344.43 meters, and each of the four sides builds an imitation wood and stone building Tianmen, symbolizing the Tianque.
However, the eastern, northern, and western gates face cliffs, and only the South Heavenly Gate can be passed. Nantianmen also has a god gate, a ghost gate and a human gate. The gate is located in the middle, which is tall and majestic, and it is also a special passage for the royal family.
Entering the South Heavenly Gate, it is the corridor of the Lingguan Palace. The Lingguan Hall is a rare tin building in Wudang Mountain, and there are several imperial holy decree steles next to the hall, which has important research value. Walk through the corridor of the Lingguan Hall and climb the stairs to reach the Golden Palace.
There are many other important buildings built on the mountain under the Purple Gold Palace, such as the Imperial Scripture Hall, the Taihe Palace of Dayu (Yue) and so on.
Huangjing Hall: Started in the Ming Dynasty, the Qing Dynasty repaired many times, and still retains many building techniques and practices of the Ming and Qing dynasties, which has historical and research value. Outside the hall, the book "white jade Jingzhong" four characters, a gold plaque hanging in the hall, the plaque "born heaven and earth" four golden characters, for the Qing Dynasty Daoguang Emperor imperial gift.
Dayue (Yue) Taihe Palace: Dayue Taihe Palace is one of the highest victories in Wudang Mountain, it is said that only by entering Taihe Palace, is the real sense of Wudang Mountain.
Ten years of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty ordered the construction of the Taihe Palace, and after the completion of the Jiafeng Wudang Mountain as "Dayue Taihe Mountain", the Taoist Palace built on the top of the mountain was "Dayue Taihe Palace". The emperor's Jiafeng made Wudang Mountain's status the first of the five mountains in one fell swoop.
If it is said that the Golden Palace (Golden Dome) is "the heavenly palace, the white jade in the middle of the capital", then the building of Taizipo presents a kind of beautiful beauty. Taizipo, also known as Fuzhen Temple, is built on the 60-degree steep slope of the Lion Peak of Wudang Mountain, and is one of the most prestigious scenic spots in Wudang for 800 miles.
The overall layout of Taizipo is uneven, high and low, coordinated and perfect, fully embodies the ideological connotation of Taoism "quiet and inaction", and skillfully uses the terrain structure to create "one mile and four gates", "nine curves of the Yellow River wall", "one pillar and twelve beams", "ten miles of osmanthus fragrance" and other famous landscapes.
Jiuqu Yellow River Wall: Walking into the mountain gate, there is a sandwich wall that rises and falls according to the mountain, and the smooth arc-shaped wall is like undulating waves, and the momentum is extraordinary. The architectural style of the red wall is eye-catching, and the green glazed tile roof is even more joyful, reflecting the grandeur and luxury of the royal architecture.
One Pillar and Twelve Beams: This is the most peculiar architectural design of Taizipo, where the building is Wuyunlou (the tallest wooden building in Wudang Mountain). There are 12 beams on a pillar that are pierced and chiseled, crossed and stacked, and the calculation is thorough, which is a perfect combination of mechanics and aesthetics, and is known as the miracle of ancient Chinese architecture.
The full name of Nanyan Palace is "Great Sage Nanyan Palace", which is located on the south rock of Wudang Mountain, and many buildings are built on the cliffs, which are very steep and magnificent. It is mainly composed of buildings such as the South Rock Palace, the South Heavenly Gate, the Tablet Pavilion, the Liangyi Palace, the Imperial Scripture Hall, the Eight Seal Pavilion, and the Dragon and Tiger Palace. Among them, the most curious thing for the world is the dragon head incense, which is known as "the first fragrance in the world".
Longtou incense is located on a carved dragon stone beam next to the cliff outside the "Tianyi Zhenqing Wanshou Palace Stone Palace". For a long time in the past, the dragon head incense attracted many people to come to worship, but because the incense burner stone of the dragon head incense stood on the suspended stone beam, about 30 centimeters wide, countless people fell into the rock and died.
Zixiao Palace, also known as "Taiyuan Zixiao Palace", is located in Wudang Mountain, Tianzhu Peak northeast of the banner peak, the overall building symmetrical layout, the central axis is a five-level terrace, from top to bottom to build the Dragon and Tiger Palace, the stele pavilion, the Shifang Hall, the Zixiao Palace, the Shengwen Mother Palace, the two sides are separated into three courtyards by buildings such as the matching room, it is one of the more intact royal temple buildings in Wudang Mountain, and the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty sealed it as "Zixiao Blessed Land".
As an integral part of the ancient buildings of Wudang Mountain, Wulong Palace has been listed as a world cultural heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
According to the literature, the Five Dragons Palace is the earliest Taoist palace in Wudang Mountain, Tang Taizong built the "Five Dragons Temple", Song Zhenzong was promoted to the "Five Dragons Lingying Temple", the Yuan Shizu gave the amount of "Five Dragons Lingying Palace", and Yuan Renzong gave the amount of "Big Five Dragons Lingying Wanshou Palace", which was the Taoist activity center of Wudang Mountain, until the end of the Yuan Dynasty was destroyed by fire.
Yinxian Rock is a large cave in the 36 rocks of Wudang Mountain, located in the north of the Five Dragons Palace, and has a long reputation in the history of Taoism in China. According to historical records, in ancient times, there were many high-level hermits who achieved Taoism here, such as the famous Han Dynasty scholar Yin Rail who practiced here.
Different from other buildings in Wudang Mountain, Yinxian Rock is actually a large grotto, with five existing stone halls, and two stone statues in its main hall, namely "Sun Xingjun" and "Taiyin Xingjun". Due to its remote location, outsiders almost never come here, making the Hidden Immortal Rock feel quiet, and the long history of the river permeates the surrounding area.