Taoist culture

Ever since Ge Hong, a former senior official of Jin Dynasty (265-420), left his office and came to the Sanqing Mountain to make pills of immortality as a Taoist practice, the mountain gradually became a holy place for those of past dynasties that believed in Taoism.

Especially in the Tang (618-907) and Song dynasties (960-1279), when Taoism was revered as a state religion, the construction of Taoist buildings on the Sanqing Mountain entered an unprecedented period of growth.

During the past 1,600 years, a large number of ancient Taoist buildings and cultural relics have been well preserved on the mountain. The ancient building complex has a carefully planned pattern.

In addition to its natural landscape and Taoist buildings, the Sanqing Mountain also boasts a high-altitude plank road over 4,000 metres long.

In the past, there were only mountain paths blazed by axmen, herb diggers and Taoists. It was extremely difficult for tourists to climb to the top of the mountain.

To ensure tourists fully enjoy the enchanting sight of the mountain, the administration committee of the mountain invested more than 20 million yuan (US$2.5 million) in 2002 to build a plank road along the face of the cliffs.