Wudang Shan (Mount Shan) is the main mountain amid a small chain of mountains in the west of Hubei Province. It sits between the cities of Shiyan and Yichang and is known for its hiking and numerous temples.
There are a total of 72 peaks in Wudang Shan and the entire mountain chain stretches for 400kms. The tallest peak is Tianzhu Feng peak, meaning ‘pillar to the sky’. It lies at 1,600m above sea level and has the Taihe Temple halfway up and Jinding (Golden Summit) atop it.
Wudang Shan is a sacred mountain, which is the reason it has so many temples on it. Many of these temples date back to the Ming Dynasty (from 1368 to 1644). Ming emperor Zhen Whu lived here in the 1400s and visitors can see a statue of him in the Taihe Temple.
Another popular temple to climb to on Wudang Shan is Zixiao Gong (Purple Cloud). It was built in 1413 and can be found just northeast of Tianzhu Feng peak. The climb to the top of Tianzhu Feng peak takes around three hours.
Getting There & Away
The industrial town of Shiyan is gateway to Wudang Shan, via highways G209 and S307. Buses take around 3 hours from Shiyan, which itself can be accessed by train from Xiangfan. Xiangfan Airport is the nearest to Wudang Shan, a 2-hour flight from Beijing and 150kms east of Shiyan.