Mt. Hengshan Scenic Spot is located 10 kilometers south of Hunyuan County, which is about 68 kilometers away from Datong City. Mt. Hengshan is one of the Five Sacred Taoist Mountains in China covering for about 150 square kilometers. The highest peak of the mountain, Tianfeng Peak, reaches to 2016.8 meters above sea level. In 2002, Mt. Hengshan Scenic Spot was selected as the “National 4A Class Scenic Spot”.
Mt. Hengshan in history
According to the history, when Emperor Shun (2372 BC) toured his northern domain, he was very impressed by the scenery of Mt. Hengshan. So he named the mountain as the “North Mountain”.
Many years later, many other emperors in China’s history also had come to visit Mt. Hengshan. The renowned traveler Xu Xiake came to visit Mt. Hengshan in Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and left inspiring writings.
Mt. Hengshan is historically a sacred place for Taoism and a venue for Taoist activities. According to the legend, Zhang Guolao, one of the ancient Taoist Eight Immortals in Chinese mythology, once resided in Mt.Hengshan for practicing. He imparted Taoism and left many interesting myths and legends here.
Attractions at Mt.Hengshan
Mt. Hengshan Scenic Area has evergreen plants - the special Chinese Red Pine, ancient Taoist temples and pavilions, and strange rocks, which form the eighteen representative scenic spots. Each spot is unique and looks like beautiful pictures among the magnificent mountain.
Beiyue Temple is the only Taoist temple in Mt. Hengshan. It situates on the West Hill, hiding among dense pines.
The highest peak, Tianfeng Peak, has fabulous scenes. The steep on north slope is covered with verdant pine trees, some of which even grow on the cliff. Also, exotic flowers, rare herbs and strange stones and the temples where emperors prayed for good luck, can be found on the mountain.
Taohua Cave (Peach Flower Cave) was renovated in 2012. In spring and early summer, the blooming peach flowers and the verdant willows complement with each other, attracting many tourists by the natural scenery. Around the cave, there are many clusters of the peach flowers, which have a history of hundreds of years. The flowers decorate the valley and convey the meanings of spring. The entrance of the cave faces to the north, with the height of 3.33 meters, the width of nearly 2 meters and the depth of about 15 meters. According to the legend, it is the place where the Taohua Fairy practiced. The Taohua Fairy was deeply adored among the locals as she used to solve many difficulties of people.