Mt. Hengshan, or Taiheng Mountain, is one of the Five Great Mountains of China, located only 62km away from Datong. Stretching 150km from east to west, this magnificent mountain is renowned for its towering figure, magnificent vigor and religious relics.
Mt. Taishan, located in the middle part of Shandong Province, and covers Tai’an city and Jinan city with the area of 426 square kilometers, it is often regarded the foremost of the five. Mt. Taishan especially renowned for its imperial worship culture, as it is the very place for emperors to hold grand ceremony of worship of heaven and earth. Mt. Taishan therefore, is the grand scared mountain and the very spiritual symbol of China.
As one of the Five Great Mountains of China, with a height of 1,300.2 m, Mt. Hengshan locates in Hunan Province, is famous for its superb natural scenery and brilliant religious culture, which earning it a place on the UNESCO World Natural and Cultural Heritage Site list. Because of the ideal climate conditions, Mt. Hengshan keeps green all year around，reputed as a "solitary beautiful mountain in southern China". It is also the religious centre of south China, the scared place of Taoism and the birth place of several Buddhism Schools.
Famous Mountains in China
When talking about the famous mountains in China, Chinese people usually refer to the Five Great Mountains and the Four Sacred Mountains of Buddhism. Most of them boast religious significance, of either Taoism or Buddhism; some have become the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Mt. Songshan Scenic Area is a World Cultural Heritage Site listed by UNESCO. Consists of grand Taishi Mountain and Shaoshi Mountain, Mt. Songshan is one of the cradles of profound China civilization, the political, cultural and economical centre in ancient time. Located in the northwest of Dengfeng County and reputed as the Central Sacred Mountain among the five, Mt. Songshan is one of the sacred Taoist mountains of China, and contains important Taoist temples such as the Zhongyue Temple; however the mountain also features a significant Buddhist presence. The most famous Shaolin Temple is located here.
It has been considered a sacred mountain since the Zhou Dynasty, since when, lots of legends and mythologies were rerings. Owning to its superb geographical advantage, it is also the important military fortification between remote northern plateau and fertilized middle plain of China.
Five Great Mountains ：
Mt. Taishan (East Great Mountain)
Mt. Hengshan of South China (South Great Mountain)
Mt. Huashan (West Great Mountain) Mt. Hengshan of North China (North Great Mountain) Mt. Songshan (Center Great Mountain)
Mt. Huashan is the highest one among the Five Great Mountains (2,154.9 m), which reputed for its majestic breath-taking crags, steep paths, beautiful sceneryprecipices, deep and narrow creeks, and profound Taoist culture, as it is said to be the most precipitous mountain in the world. Situated 100 km to the east of Xian, Mt. Huanshan is known as "The Number One Precipitous Mountain under Heaven". It has 5 main peaks, the east peak, which named “Chaoyang Peak”, is one of the 9 great places of China to see the sunrise.