Kongtong Mountain

Kongtong Mountain Highlights: Must-See Features and Attractions

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Kongtong Mountain has a long history and rich cultural connotations. It is the holy place where the ancestor of humanities, Xuanyuan Huangdi, climbed the mountain and asked questions. According to legend, Emperor Xuanyuan visited the western frontier after his achievements and personally visited Kongtong Mountain to ask Guangchengzi, who lived in seclusion in Kongtong Mountain, for advice on how to govern the country and maintain health. Kongtong became famous forever.

Kongtong is the cradle of religion where the three religions unite and respect and prosper together. According to Taoist classics, the predecessor of Laozi, the founder of Taoism, was Guangchengzi who practiced in Kongtong, and Guangchengzi was the teacher of the Yellow Emperor. Therefore, Kongtong Mountain is known as "the first Taoist mountain in the world." In addition, Buddhism and Confucianism have made great progress in Kongtong Mountain.

Kongtong Mountain is the birthplace of the Kongtong School, the five major martial arts schools in China. Kongtong martial arts is one of the five major martial arts schools along with Shaolin, Wudang, Emei and Kunlun. Kongtong martial arts is closely connected with Taoist culture. It is mysterious and strange, with unique characteristics. It is a wonder of Chinese martial arts.

Kongtong Mountain belongs to the Danxia landform in high-altitude areas, which has extremely high scientific research value and extremely beautiful natural scenery. The ancients commented that "Kongtong's mountains and rivers are the best in Guansai", and another commented that "it has the majesty of the mountains in the north and the beauty of the mountains in the south."

Kongtong Mountain is one of the country's first batch of 5A-level tourist attractions, a national geological park, one of the "50 Places Worth Visiting for Foreigners in China", and one of the first batch of "Chinese Tourism Culture Demonstration Sites". It is a natural kingdom of animals and plants, with various species of animals and plants. There are more than 1,300 species, and the forest coverage rate reaches more than 90%.

Kongtong Mountain

Kongtong Mountain is located in Pingliang City, Gansu Province, and is a fortress for the ancient Silk Road to exit Guanzhong. The scenic area covers an area of 84 square kilometers, the main peak is 2123 meters above sea level, and the forest coverage rate is 95%. The solemn and elegant eight platforms, nine palaces, twelve courtyards, forty-two building groups, and seventy-two stone mansions and caves are magnificent and profound, combining the strange and beautiful natural landscape and the simple and exquisite cultural landscape. It has extremely high ornamental, cultural and scientific research value. It is said that Guangchengzi once practiced immortality on Kongtong Mountain. Guangchengzi is the predecessor of Laozi, and Laozi is the ancestor of Taoism, so it has the reputation of "the first mountain of Chinese Taoism". Scenic area guide map (Figure 2), there are mainly two ways to visit: 1. Take the scenic area car or cable car (South Gate) to the Central Platform (mid-mountain), first visit the surrounding attractions of the Central Platform, and then start climbing from the Central Platform, climbing and visiting until the end of Xiangshan (mountaintop), and then take the car directly from Xiangshan Return to Kongtong Ancient Town. Or just climb to the Imperial City, return to the Central Platform after visiting the Imperial City, and return to Kongtong Ancient Town by car or cable car from the Central Platform. 2. Take the scenic area car directly to Xiangshan (mountaintop), and then walk down, visit while going down the mountain, until the Central Platform (mid-mountain), then visit the surrounding attractions of the Central Platform, and finally return to Kongtong Ancient Town by car from the Central Platform. 3. Self-driving to the East Gate, take the scenic area car or walk to the Central Platform, and then visit in the same way as the first 4. There seems to be another boat route, I didn't go to study Xiangshan Temple (Xiangshan View) (Figure 3), it has been prosperous and declined several times after the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and was rebuilt in the 29th year of the Republic of China. Although Xiangshan Temple is called a "temple", it is presided over by a Taoist priest, which is also a unique religious phenomenon of Kongtong Mountain Imperial City (Figure 4), also known as Taihe Palace, was created in the Qian De period of the Song Dynasty, and was changed to worship Sakyamuni Buddha in the Yuan Dynasty, known as Chong Buddha Pavilion. During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, Han Wang, who was stationed in Pingliang, and his wife Guo donated money to expand again, becoming the main building of Taoism on Kongtong Mountain. The Imperial City covers an area of about 200 square meters. The architectural style is a palace on the palace, a palace in the palace, and a palace hidden behind the palace. It is built in imitation of Chinese palace architecture and is the most complete group of Ming Dynasty buildings preserved on Kongtong Mountain. Tianxian Palace (Figure 5), commonly known as Zisun Palace, is located on the left side of the Imperial City. It is a Siheyuan-style building. The south-facing one is Xuanyuan Hall, and the north-facing one is Zixiao Hall. Sanjiao Cave (Figure 6), the cave enshrines the founders of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Laozi is in the middle, and Sakyamuni and Confucius are on both sides. Sanjiao Cave was originally a Taoist place, and later evolved into a coexistence of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism. Lanyun Pavilion (Figure 7), here you can see the basic layout of the Wutai Scenic Area of Kongtong Mountain, and the flat land on the lower right is the Central Platform. With the Central Platform as the center, you can choose different directions to go to the other four platforms in the east, south, west, and north. Danqin Lake (Kongtong Reservoir) (Figure 8), located under the South Gate of Kongtong Mountain, a reservoir formed by building a dam on the Jing River. Shangtian Ladder (Figure 9), originated from the religious meaning of communication with heaven, was built in the Zhenguan period of the Tang Dynasty, and was presided over by Renzhi Zen Master, the founder of Kongtong Mountain. After renovation, the total number of steps is now 378. "One step is only one inch, the gate of heaven climbs the iron pillar; if you walk here, you can get on the road to heaven", this is also the only way to ascend the Imperial City. Yaowang Cave (Figure 10), was built in the Ming Dynasty and rebuilt in the Guangxu period of the Qing Dynasty. The cave is carved with the statue of "Sitting Tiger and Needle Dragon" by Yaosheng Sun Simiao. In the spring of 1993, two east-facing stone caves were newly excavated on the left and right sides, each with colored sculptures of Bian Que and Hua Tuo. Candle Peak (Figure 11), southeast of Yaowang Cave, a typical solitary peak, the peak is more than 50 meters high. Chaotianmen (Figure 12), is the main thoroughfare for communication with the top, it was built in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, it is a plaque-style building, called a day gate, with four great heavenly kings carved inside. Sanhuang Tower (Figure 13), was built in the third year of Xuantong in the Qing Dynasty, with colored sculptures of the three ancient emperors, the Emperor of Heaven, Shennong, and the Emperor of Man, Xuanyuan Huangdi. The four titles of Kongtong Mountain are listed on the front: National Key Scenic Spot, National First Batch 5A Tourist Scenic Spot, Kongtong Mountain National Geological Park, Taizong-Kongtong Mountain National Nature Reserve. Lingkong Tower (Figure 14), located in the tower courtyard of Kongtong Mountain, was built in the seventh year of Tian Sheng in the Northern Song Dynasty. The tower is an octagonal seven-story pavilion-style hollow brick tower, facing north and south, 32 meters high, with a circumference of 32 meters at the bottom. Its "Ancient Tower Supports Pine" is known as a great wonder of Kongtong Mountain. PS: 1. What I know about Kongtong comes from martial arts novels. It is said that in the famous work "Flying Swallow Shocking Dragon" published in 1958, there is a description of the Kongtong faction. I remember Yang Menghuan played by Er Dongsheng, but I don’t have any impression of Kongtong in this martial arts drama. The most impressive thing is Jin Yong's "The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber". As a tourist attraction, it is not as famous as Emei Wudang Shaolin. Despite this, its scenery is unexpected. There is a stone tablet inscribed by Jin Yong in the Kongtong Central Platform, but unfortunately the previous strategy was not fully done, and I regret missing it. 2. If you want to visit in depth, it is estimated that one day is not enough. We only visited some of the attractions in Xiangshan and Wutai Scenic Area, that is, the main line from Xiangshan to Central Platform, and did not go to the fork. 3. Those who are physically unfit are advised to follow our route, that is, first take the scenic area tour bus to Xiangshan, and then go down to the Central Platform, and take the scenic area tour bus back to the visitor center from the Central Platform. This way of touring is more comfortable, and it is basically downhill. 4. It is recommended to stay at the foot of the mountain the day before, and go up the mountain early the next day to avoid queuing for the car. When we left the scenic area, the roads on both sides were already full of self-driving cars. Although Kongtong is low-key, there are still many tourists.

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