Kongtong Mountains
By admin on 2015-01-08

Kongtong Mountains (Chinese: 崆峒山) is one of the sacred mountains of Taoism. It is located in Pingliang City, Gansu Province, People's Republic of China. It is the mythical meeting site between the Huangdi (also known as Yellow Emperor) and Guangchengzi.

The Kongtong Mountains, located west of the city of Pingliang, Gansu Province, is a pair of the Liupanshan Mountains. It is the most famous Taoist Fairyland well known for its wonderful scenes, and its name “Kongtong” means “emptiness, lustration and naturalness” in the doctrine of its religion.  In the years as early as Qin and Han dynasties, it was the place where monks and Taoists lived together, and the Emperor Shi Huang of Qin and the Wu Di of Han have once climbed up the mountain. There were shrines and temples in Tang, Song, Ming and Qing dynasties in the mountain. Ming Dynasty saw its largest scale-with more than 40 key spots of interest and historic sites, among which Kongtong Pagoda is the most famous.

The meandering, imposing mountain with rich vegetation provides a magnificent view. The Jing River rises from here. The Emerald Screen Peak, 2100 metres high above sea level, is the highest peak in the mountain. The mountain has five "terraces", one in the center, and the rest in the east, west south and north respectively. The one in the middle is higher than the other four. The mountain boasts a lot of temples and palaces, among other spots of interests. It is said that an immortal named Guangchengzi once lived in a stone cave in the mountain, and the Yellow Emperor once came here to hear his preaching. So it is one of the birthplaces of Taoism in China. The first Emperor of the Qin Dynasty and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty visited this mountain, and historical sites of later dynasties are found here. With the magnificence peculiar to the northern mountain and elegance of the southern mountains, the Kongtong Mountains is a famous place of tourism in eastern Gansu.