Most Famous Mountains in China

TopChinaTravel has specially listed the Most Famous Mountains in China for you to experience their unique charm. Some are elegant or magnificent, while some of them are given articular meanings like the Five Great Mountains for Taoism and the Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism. Owning to their varied figures, unique natural environment and religious significance, they have attracted people from all over the world.

Yellow Mountain (Mt. Huangshan)

It is said that the beauty of Yellow Mountain (Mt. Huangshan) is beyond the 5 great mountains. Located in the south part of Anhui Province,  it is one of the top mountain-view spots of China and known as the No. 1 Mountain under heaven. It features imposing peaks, grotesquely-shaped rocks, steep cliffs, fantastic caves and those peculiarities that make the mountain outstanding among others. Yellow Mountain is celebrated for having all the features of mountain scenery.

Due to the weather condition, misting, clouding, natural scenery in the area changes beyond prediction. Yellow Mountain can be divided into Beihai Scenic Area, Xihai Scenic Area, Songgu Scenic Area, Yungu Scenic Area, Yuping Scenic Area, Baiyun Scenic Area and Hot Spring Scenic Area.

In 1990, UNESCO enrolled it as a World Heritage Site.

Mt. Everest

Stood at the south part of Tingri County in southern Tibet, Mt. Everest , or Qomolangma in Tibet, is the highest mountain of the world. With a height of 8,848 m above sea level, this mountain is permanently covered with snow. Its body assumes the shape of a pyramid with its peak stabbed the sky. Its snow peak sends out silver radiance year after year. Its waist is hidden in the clouds.

As the earth’s highest mountain, it is the ultimate goal of every mountain lovers. The optimum weather to visit Mt. Everest is from April to June, a golden period for mountaineers. But due to its complicated and volatile natural environment, it is actually a tough job even for those well-experienced mountaineers.

► Recommended Tibet Tour to Mt. Everest: Tibet Tours

The Five Great Mountains is some kind of the spiritual symbol of Taoism that combined the cultural core of Mountain Worship, Heaven & Earth Worship and Five Evolutive Phases.

Mt. Taishan (East Great Mountain)

Mt. Taishan , located in the middle part ofShandong Province, and covers Tai’an city and Jinan city with the area of 426 square kilometers, it is often regarded the foremost of the five. With magnificent natural scenery, Mt. Taishan is well known for its majesty in vigor, grandness in structure, soaring in shy and rooting in terra, but especially renowned for its imperial worship culture, as it is the very place for emperors to hold grand ceremony of worship of heaven and earth. Mt. Taishan therefore, is the grand scared mountain and the very spiritual symbol of China.

Famous Dongyue Temple and Master Shrineare the very place worshipping the Grand East and Mother Bixia of Taoist. In 1987, it was inscribed into the list of the World Natural Heritage Site by UNESCO.

Mt. Hengshan of South China (South Great Mountain)

As one of the Five Great Mountains of China, with a height of 1,300.2 m, Mt. Hengshan locates in Hunan Province, is famous for its superb natural scenery and brilliant religious culture, which earning it a place on the UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site list.

Because of the ideal climate conditions, Mt. Hengshan keeps green all year around. And the natural scenery in this scenic area makes it reputed as a “solitary beautiful mountain in southern China”.

It is also the religious centre of south China, the scared place of Taoism and the birth place of several Buddhism Schools. It has four blessed spots of Taoist, the Zhuling Cave Heaven and Qingyu Tan, Guangtian Tan and Donglingyuan four Heavenly Abodes.

Mt. Huashan (West Great Mountain)

Mt. Huashanis the highest one among the Five Great Mountains (2,154.9 m), which reputed for its majestic breath-taking crags, steep paths, beautiful sceneryprecipices, deep and narrow creeks, and profound Taoist culture, as it is said to be the most precipitous mountain in the world.

Situated 100 km to the east of Xian, Mt. Huanshan is known as “The Number One Precipitous Mountain under Heaven”. It has 5 main peaks, the east peak, which named “Chaoyang Peak”, is one of the 9 great places of China to see the sunrise.

It is the 4th holy ground of Taoism, there re are over 20 Taoist Temple built on the mountain, among which Yuquan Temple, Dongdao Temple and Zhenyue Temple are the important Taoist temples of China.

Mt. Hengshan of North China (North Great Mountain)

Mt. Hengshan, or Taiheng Mountain, is one of the Five Great Mountains of China, located only 62km away from Datong. Stretching 150km from east to west, this magnificent mountain is renowned for its towering figure, magnificent vigor and religious relics.

It has been considered a sacred mountain since the Zhou Dynasty, since when, lots of legends and mythologies were recorded and left to the offsprings. Owning to its superb geographical advantage, it is also the important military fortification between remote northern plateau and fertilized middle plain of China.

Mt. Songshan (Center Great Mountain)

Mt. Songshan Scenic Area is a World Cultural Heritage Site listed by UNESCO. Consists of grand Taishi Mountain and Shaoshi Mountain, Mt. Songshan is one of the cradles of profound China civilization, the political, cultural and economical centre in ancient time.

Located in the northwest of Dengfeng County and reputed as the Central Sacred Mountain among the five, Mt. Songshan is one of the sacredTaoist mountains of China, and contains important Taoist temples such as the Zhongyue Temple; however the mountain also features a significant Buddhist presence.

This mountain also boasts a large number of Buddhism cultural relics. The most famous Shaolin Temple is located here. Traditionally it is considered as the birthplace of Zen Buddhism.

Buddhism is one of the 4 Greatest religious groups in China, and enjoys special status since ancien time. There are Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism in China, namely Golden Mt. Wutai, Silver Mount Putuo, Copper Mt. Emeiand Iron Mount Jiuhua, worshiped Manjusri, Guanyin, Samantabhadra and Kitigarbhaon separately.

Mt. Wutai

Situated to the northeast part of Shanxi Province, 230km away from Taiyuan, Mt. Wutai is the first of the Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism, the rite place of Manjusri. During the prime time (Tang Dynasty), more than 300 temples could be found. Now there are still 47 temples preserved on the mountain, among which Foguang Temple and Nanchao Temple are the two largest well-preserved wooden structures in China.

It takes its name from its unusual topography, consisting of five rounded peaks (North, South, East, West, Central), of which the North peak, called Beitai Ding or Yedou Feng, is highest point in northern China, with a height of 3,061.1 meters. The mountain thus has entitled “the Roof of North China”.

Mt. Wutai was listed as a member in the World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 2009.

Mt. Putuo

Mount Putuo is actually an island of Zhoushan Islands lies on the East China Sea southeast of Shanghai. As one of the Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism, it is the rite place of Guanyin. It therefore has a nickname of “Buddhist Realm on the Sea”, which renowned for its grand marine scenery, serenity natural beauty and thick religious atmosphere.

The oldest temple was built in 858 during the Tang Dynasty. Nowadays, Puji Temple, Fayu Temple, Pantuo Nunnery and Lingshi Nunnery are the most popular attractions on the island.

Mt. Emei

Mt. Emei scenic area locates 150 km to the southwest of Chengdu , is a famous sightseeing attraction and one of the sacred mountains of Buddhism. Seen from afar, the undulating mountain range of Emei resembles a girl’s eyebrows, hence the name.

It is the enlightening place of Samantabhadra, the Bodhisattva of moral. There are 26 temples on the mountain. The Golden Summit, gathered the most representative religious and sightseeing attractions of Mt. Emei, especially famous for its 4 great spectacles, which are sunrise, clouds sea, Buddha’s Auro and scared light. It was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996.

Mt. Jiuhua

Mt. Jiuhua is one of the four sacred mountains of Buddhism that worships Kitigarbhaon. Located in Qingyang County in Anhui Province, it is famous for its rich landscape and ancient temples. Mt. Jiuhua has 9 scattered peaks that formed a lotus-shaped layout, within the area, more than 78 temples are well-preserved and worshipped over 6,000 Buddha statues. Thus it mountain is also called “Lotus-Buddhism-Realm”.

Since its opening in 1979, Jiuhua Mountain, with its abundant Buddhist culture and uniquely attractive scenery, has enjoyed a high reputation in Southeast Asia, South Korea and Japan.

Those are the most famous mountains in China. Among them, Mt. Huangshan, Mount Huashan, Mt. Wutai, Mt. Emei and Mt. Taishan are the most visited ones, as the transport to them is more convenient compared with other places.