Mount Qingcheng and the
Dujiangyan Irrigation System (2000)
China
Construction of the Dujiangyan irrigation system began in the 3rd century B.C. This system still controls the waters of the Minjiang River and distributes it to the fertile farmland of the Chengdu plains. Mount Qingcheng was the birthplace of Taoism, which is celebrated in a series of ancient temples.
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Qingcheng Mountain, originally called Old Man Mountain, is a famous mountain of Taoism. Located to the southwest of Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province, it covers an area of some 100 kilometers, the highest peak being 1600 meters above sea level. Surrounded by countless peaks and densely covered by tall ancient trees, Qingcheng Mountain is known as the most secluded mountain in China. The main cultural relics include Jianfu Temple, Tianshi Cave and Shangqing Temple. It is one of the cradles of Chinese Taoism. Xhasng Daoling, the founder of Taoism, had preached his doctrines here and left behind numerous stories and relics. Taoists regard the mountain as the "Fifth Dwelling of Immortals".
Mt. Qingcheng is located at the Dujiangyan scenery spot of Chengdu, Sichuan Province. It is a famous mountain in Taoism. Surrounded by countless peaks and densely covered by ancient trees with branches reaching towards the sky, the mountain was named "Mt. Qingcheng" (Green Town in Chinese). The mountain consists of two parts - the anterior Mt. Qingcheng and the posterior Mt. Qingcheng. The anterior mountain is famous for its beautiful scenery and numerous cultural and historic sites, while the posterior mountain is noted for its paradisiacal scenery, which is primitive and brilliant, gorgeous and mysterious.
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Among its famous scenic sites are the Shangqing Palace, the
Jianfu Palace, and the Tianshi Cave. The Jianfu Palace stands against the cliff
under the Zhangren Peak with an extraordinary bearing. The palace was built in
the Tang Dynasty and repaired several times in the successive dynasties. Now,
only two halls and three compounds are preserved. On the left side of the Jianfu
Palace lies the princess of Mingqing mansion site. Visitors venturing one
kilometer to the west can find the "the natural pictures". When
looking at the rocks standing erect with the clouds and mist thickly wreathing,
visitors often fancy that they are in the pictures.
Two kilometers towards the north lies the Tianshi Cave, which is the major
temple of Mt. Qingcheng. According to a legend, Zhang Daolin was here for
preaching in the Eastern Han Dynasty. In the Three Kings Palace, the main hall
of the Tianshi Cave, stone inscriptions of three kings of the Tang Dynasty were
laid. The palace contains wood and stone tablets of past dynasties. The most
famous include the Tang Xuanzong's imperial decree and Yuefei's handwriting of
Zhuge Liang's famous piece Chu Shi Biao.
After exiting the Tianshi Cave, visitors may cross over the Fangning Bridge to
reach the Zhushi Palace. Following the visit to the Zhushi Palace, an unceasing
walk straight north will lead the visitors to Chaoyang Cave. Exiting the
Chaoyang Cave, climbers will be able to see the Shangqing Palace, which is
situated on a high platform. The Shangqing Palace was first built in the Jin
Dynasty and the extant temple was built during the reign of Tongzhi in the Qing
Dynasty. There are stone inscriptions in the palace such as "the fifth
famous mountain under the sun", " the first peak in Mt. Qingcheng"
and so on. With an annual average temperature of 15 centigrade, Mt. Qingcheng
falls under the humid subtropical monsoon climate. It is reputed as "Dong
Tian Fu Di" (which means wonderful mountain and happy place), "the
fairyland on earth".
Sources and links:
Other World Heritage Sites in China (on this site). Inactive links are not described on stamps. Please refer to the UNESCO-listing, section China for further information about the individual properties.
Revised 20 jun 2007 |
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