Wudang: A Mountain of Peaceful Warriors

#chinatrip Wudangshan 武当山 is a mountain range in Hubei Province, located at a distance of over 1000 km from Beijing, which is located near the industrial city of Shiyan and about 120 km from Xiangfan City. The Wudangshan Mountains are a unique natural and cultural landmark of China and are famous for their grandiose architectural complex, the construction of which began in 1412 AD. There was also a Taoist university, which studied medicine, pharmacology, nutrition systems, meditation and martial arts. Many famous monks from different dynasties comprehended the Tao and gained the status of a "True man" in these mountains. More than 500 years later, in 1994, the ancient architectural complex in the Wudangshan Mountains was listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. The UNESCO World Heritage Committee report says that the architectural complex in the Wudangshan Mountains represents "an outstanding combination of typically Taoist architectural monuments with a unique natural landscape." The Wudangshan Mountains are just such a place. They are located on the territory of modern Hubei Province in Central China and occupy an area of 312 square kilometers. Back in the 2nd century AD, in the Wudangshan Mountains, people allegedly saw a swirling "magic steam" (life-giving energy "qi"). The mountains became a haven for those who wanted to become a Taoist monk or who fled the worldly bustle. The Taoist complex in the Wudangshan Mountains is an architectural embodiment of the idea of the unity of divine and imperial power. According to the legend of the transformation of mortal into an immortal celestial, all the buildings of the complex are divided into two parts: on the mountain slopes and peaks and at the foot of the mountains. The extant structures of the Taoist architectural complex in the Wudangshan Mountains include four temple complexes "Taihegong" ("Golden Palace" and "Zijincheng"), "Nanyangong", "Zixiaogong", and "Yuzhengong" (Palace of Meeting with the Truth"); two monasteries "Fuzhenguan" (Return to the Truth) and "Yuanheguan" (Primordial Harmony), and a large number of secondary buildings, a total of over 200 buildings.