Nature & Landscapes
For three thousand years the Chinese have climbed mountains not to conquer them but to meet them. Emperors performed coronation rites on Mount Tai, bodhisattvas were given peaks as earthly addresses, and painters turned Huangshan into the very idea of scenery. Choose a mountain below — each guide covers its story, its sights and exactly how to visit.
China's first sacred mountain: twelve emperors climbed its 6,600 steps to announce their mandate from heaven. Night-climb for the most famous sunrise in Chinese culture, past 1,800 carved inscriptions.
Full guide →The drama queen of the Five Great Mountains — knife-edge ridges, the cliff-bolted Plank Walk in the Sky, and the 'Duel on Mount Hua' of every kung-fu novel. Thirty minutes from Xi'an by rail.
Full guide →The mountain Chinese painting is based on: granite spires, contorted pines and seas of cloud. Sleep on the summit for sunset, stars and the dawn cloud-sea — one ticket now covers three days.
Full guide →The most complete Buddhist-mountain experience: two-day forest pilgrimage, monastery lodging, cheeky macaques, and the Golden Summit's sea of clouds where 'Buddha's light' halos appear.
Full guide →First among the four Buddhist mountains and the only one where Tibetan and Chinese Buddhism share the same valley. China's oldest wooden hall (857 AD) hides on its flank.
Full guide →Guanyin's island: the ferry crossing is the first rite, a 33-metre bodhisattva watches the East China Sea, and beaches back onto thousand-year temples.
Full guide →The quietest of the four Buddhist peaks, devoted to the bodhisattva of the great vow. Its 'flesh-body halls' preserve monks whose remains have not decayed for centuries.
Full guide →Taoism's Everest: a Ming emperor built palaces here to Forbidden City standards, tai chi was born on its terraces, and its schools still take in students from around the world.
Full guide →The centre of heaven and earth, home of Chan (Zen) Buddhism and the Shaolin Temple — where the word 'kung fu' entered the world's vocabulary.
Full guide →The gentlest of the Five Greats: a temple where Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism share one compound, and pilgrim fires that have burned for a thousand years.
Full guide →A 1,500-year-old temple glued to a vertical cliff, where statues of Buddha, Laozi and Confucius sit side by side in the highest hall.
Full guide →Prices, opening hours, transport and policy details can change at any time — always verify with official sources before you travel. China Travel Co is an independent travel guide with no affiliation to, or endorsement from, any government body.