Kongtong Mountains is one of the sacred mountains of Taoism.
It is located 7.5 miles to the west of Pingliang
City in Gansu Province.
It is the mythical meeting site between the Huangdi (also known as Yellow
Emperor) and Guangchengzi. 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 said to be one of the birthplaces of Taoism in China. Kongtong Mountain boasts dozens of grotesque
peaks. It is covered with dense forests rolling from one steep peak to the
other.
Huge mountains
stand one after another with vast patches of green forests as their clothes and
ethereal mist as their white belt. Kongtong
Mountain is abundant in
stone caves and houses, many of which are located in the cliffs or dense forest
where nobody sets foot. The famous ones include Guangcheng
Cave, Zhaoyang
Cave, Xuanhe
Cave and Kongtong Cave.
In addition, Kongtong
Mountain is a rich water
resource. The Yanzhi
River flows from the
north. Every spring, peach blossoms fall into the water and float on the
current: a lovely sight. At the foot of the mountain, Tanzheng
Lake flows calmly like a mirror, and
its murmuring water sounds like a Chinese zither, giving the lake its name, Tanzheng Lake
(Playing Zither Lake).
Kongtong Mountain is the holy mountain of three religions: Taoism,
Buddhism and Confucianism. It is said that Taoism temples were being built on
the mountain as early as in the Wei (220-265) and Jin (265-420) Dynasties. In
the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), construction began on Taihe Palace
and other attached Taoist buildings. Since then, Taoism has been handed down
from one generation to another. Buddhism also flourished in Kongtong Mountain,
as evidence of Buddhist rituals can be found in it from the Tang Dynasty
(618-907). There are 19 Buddhist temples from the early Qing Dynasty
(1644-1911). Today Buddhism and Taoism grow together in a harmonious atmosphere
on the mountain, a situation which is unique to Kongtong Mountain.
In addition, Kongtong
Mountain has cultivated
many Confucianism scholars such as Huang Fumi, the talented founder of Chinese
Acupuncture.
Kongtong Mountain is home to various species. There are
over 1,000 kinds of plants, many of which are precious medicinal herbs. The
famous trees include Chinese pines and cypresses. Some trees are about one
thousand years old but still grow vigorously with green boughs covering the
sunlight. Over 300 kinds of wild animals live protected on Kongtong Mountain.
Among them, the vulture, sparrow-hawk, white crane, and leopard are listed in
rosters for the national conservation of wild life.
As one of the most
famous Taoist Fairyland well known for its wonderful scenes, Kongtong has its
name“Kongtong”meaning “emptiness, lustration and naturalness” in the doctrine
of Taoism religion. Kongtong
Mountain is also
highlighted as one of important places for health maintenance. Tourists can
enjoy the wonderful landscapes, the beautiful trees and flowers, the
interesting caves, strange rocks and the running clouds. With precipitous
scenery of natural beauty and ancient cultural leftovers in collection, this
mountain is worth for both landscape appreciation and cultural relics review.
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