Sunday, September 2, 2012

Tao-Escapism X Archi-Stunnism: WuDang Mountains 武當山

WuDang Mountains

home of Taoism monasteries

72 peaks

36 rocky cliffs

24 streams

11 caves

WuDang Mountains 武當山 01WuDang Mountains 武當山 02

 

 

Tianzhu Peak 天柱峰 is

the highest point in the range at 1,612m

WuDang Mountains 武當山 Tianzhu Peak 天柱峰 03WuDang Mountains 武當山 Tianzhu Peak 天柱峰 02WuDang Mountains 武當山 Tianzhu Peak 天柱峰

 

Also called “Golden Top”,

there is a golden temple 金殿 on

the top of the mountain –

the ultimate destination for Taoist pilgrims

WuDang Mountains 武當山 Golden Top 金頂

 

there used to be over 20000 building setups

some were flooded, some were destructed by war

currently the Mountains are left with

53 heritage buildings and 9 ruins

7,400 cultural relics

WuDang Mountains 武當山 South Cliff Palace 南巖宮WuDang Mountains 武當山 Xuanyue Gate 玄岳門WuDang Mountains 武當山 YuXu Palace 玉虛宮WuDang Mountains 武當山 磨針井WuDang Mountains 武當山 Prince Slope 太子坡WuDang Mountains 武當山 Xiao Yao Valley a.k.a. Monkey Valley 逍遙谷WuDang Mountains 武當山 Lao-zi Cave 老君洞WuDang Mountains 武當山 瓊臺中觀

 

Buildings of Heritage @ WuDang Mountains / Pt 1

古建筑群 @ 武當山

 

Five Dragon Palace @ WuDang Mountains / Pt 1

五龍宮 @ 武當山

 

Five Dragon Palace @ WuDang Mountains / Pt 2

五龍宮 @ 武當山

 

Grand Purple Cloud Palace @ WuDang Mountains / Pt 1

紫霄宮 @ 武當山

 

Grand Purple Cloud Palace @ WuDang Mountains / Pt 2

紫霄宮 @ 武當山

 

South Cliff Palace @ WuDang Mountains / Pt 1

南巖宮 @ 武當山

 

South Cliff Palace @ WuDang Mountains / Pt 2

南巖宮 @ 武當山

 

Prince Slope @ WuDang Mountains / Pt 1

太子坡。复真觀  @ 武當山

 

Prince Slope @ WuDang Mountains / Pt 2

太子坡。复真觀 @ 武當山

 

p.s

I am starting to learn these destinations by heart

inspired by one of the documentaries on CCTV

on top of the mesmerizing scenery

it was winter and

the breathtaking architecture

the Daoshi 道士, the priest of Taoism

speak stunning English

 

if time allows

the foundation of Taosim

nope…

of course not because of

the TaiChi movie by Eddie Peng 

in the previous post

 

alright, seriously

it is so sad that

I have been putting an equal sign between Taoism

and deities, temples, and ritual ceremonies

beyond that,

I practically know nothing

 

because one day

I shall make it here

and before departure

I must make sure that

I have done my homework well

definitely not all blur

definitely for the mere purpose of

photos for Facebook

 

mental preparation

how about physically?

it is surely no joke to conquer mountains

especially in the winter, right?