Mount Laojun

Mount Laojun is acclaimed as 'the unparalleled holy land under heaven, the foremost immortal mountain in the world.' Originally named Jingshi Mountain, it is located about three kilometers southeast of the county town of Luanchuan in Luoyang, an ancient capital of thirteen dynasties. It is the main peak of the Funiu Mountain Range, with the Jade Emperor Summit reaching an altitude of 2217 meters. The mountain has over two thousand years of cultural history and is the longest historical mountain range in Taoism. During the Spring and Autumn period, Laozi, recognized as the founder of Taoism, retreated here to cultivate, making it the 'source of Taoism' and 'ancestral court.' The Northern Wei Dynasty began to build the Temple of Laojun on it to commemorate him. In the eleventh year of the Zhenguan era (637 AD), Emperor Taizong of Tang renovated the Iron Top Temple of Jingshi Mountain and named it 'Mount Laojun,' making it a sacred place for the mainstream Quanzhen sect of Taoism. In the thirty-first year of the Wanli era (1603 AD), Emperor Shenzong of Ming decreed Mount Laojun as a 'famous mountain under heaven,' and allocated funds to build temples, making it the only mountain range in Chinese history to be honored as a 'famous mountain under heaven' by imperial decree.