Mt. Hengshan: Sacred Buddhist Mountain

Mt. Hengshan, also known as Southern Heights Mountain (Nanyue shan), is located about 120km south of Changsha. It is one of the five sacred Buddhist mountains in China, although much of the mountain is also dedicated to Taoist belief. The mountain extends for 80 kilometers and there are a total of 72 peaks in all, the highest of which, the Wishing for Harmony Peak (Zhurong feng), rises to 1,298 meters above sea level. This is a pretty area, that is sometimes a little too popular, although filled with enough charming Buddhist and Taoist temples, some dating back over 1000 years, and pretty scenery to make it worth your while.

At the foot of the mountain stands the biggest temple in southern China, the Grand Southern Heights Temple (Nanyue damiao), which covers an area of 100,000 square meters and which is the largest group of ancient buildings in Hunan Province. The original temple is said to have dated back at least as far as the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), although it was destroyed by fire at various stages. The present temple dates back to the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911 AD) and is based on Beijing's Imperial Palace. There are nine courtyards here, with the main hall as a highlight, at 22 meters high and supported by 72 stone pillars in tribute to the mountain's peaks. The temple, glazed in red and yellow, is linked with many other buildings and is a grand palace complex.

The area to arrive in for an ascent of the mountain is not the town of Hengshan, but a village nearby known as Nanyue. After finding accommodation (see below), you can visit the above temple and then set off into the heights (the entrance fee includes a crude, but useful, map), for a days walk that is enlivening and fun. The temples on the mountain are mostly austerely charming and small, meaning that an ascent to the top, including visiting numerous temples, and a return to the village, should not take more than around 10hrs (i.e. a long day). The most interesting of the temples here is at the peak, the Wishing for Harmony Palace (Zhurong gong), that is good for its mystical appearance, often through the mist, and the charm of its solid stone walls and iron roof. Other temples definitely worth a visit include the Wishing for the Emperor Temple (Zhusheng si), just out of the village, that was built for an unconsummated imperial visit by the Qing Emperor Kangxi, the Southern Terrace Temple (Nantai si), that was built during the Yuan Dynasty (1279-1368 AD) and is regarded as the origin of a Buddhist branch in Japan and the Fangguang Temple (Fangguang si), that is quiet and has some breathtaking views.

How to get there: There are early morning buses leaving the Changsha South Bus Station to Nanyue (around 5 hours). You can either take a minibus from Nanyue to Shangfeng Temple (Shangfeng si), or take the main road through Nanyue to the park gates behind the Nanyue Temple, hiking up to the hill. A cable car runs from near the Half Way Temple (Banshan si) to the top.Hotels: Hotels are springing up all the time, at the time of writing the best hotel was the Xiufeng Hotel (Xiufeng binguan, Tel:0734-5666111), near to the entrance of the village proper. It is worth walking around the village and checking out prices in the other hotels first.