Qiyunshan Mountain Scenic Zone

 

Qiyunshan Mountain scenic zone is located in the west of Xiuning County of Anhui province, which is roughly 15 kilometers away from downtown of Xiuning county, and 33 kilometers away from Huangshan Mountain. Anhui-Jiangxi Railway goes across Qiyunshan Town. According to the record of Qiyunshanzhi, the peaks of Qiyunshan Mountain were densely and closely surrounded by the mist, fogs and clouds, and all was white, so it was also called Baiyue, which in English is the White Mountain.

Qiyunshan Mountain Scenic Zone is strongly featured of the cliff stone carvings, Taoist culture and Danxia landform. In 1981, it ranked to be the province-level protection site, and in 1993, it was named National Forest Garden by National Forestry Ministry and in 1994, it was listed into the nation-level important scenic zone. In 2001, it was rewarded to be the national geographic park. In 2005, it was permitted to be Four-A class scenic zone by the State Council of China. The total area of scenic area is 110 square kilometers. There are 36 unique peaks, 44 strange rocks, 18 deep caves, 16 pavilions or dais, 5 stone bridges, 33 temples, 537 stone carvings and stele inscriptions, 14 pools and ponds and so on.

Qiyunshan Mountain is one famous mountain as the cultivation site of Taoism. Taoism appeared in Qiyunshan Mountain in Tang dynasty. And it was flowering in Ming dynasty; it was called as the No.1 mountain of Taoism. It is one of Chinese four great Taoism Mountains. It is also called Small Wudangshan Mountain of Southeast China. The nationwide famous mountain attracts many famous people to be here such as Hai Rui who was the honest prime minister of Ming Dynasty, Zhu Xi who was the master of neo-Confucianism and traditional education, Xu Xiake who was the great travel expert of Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen who was the Chinese medicine expert, Wang Yangming who was the great philosopher of Ming Dynasty.