Mount Qingcheng - Famous Taoist Mountain in China

Jianfu Palace

Located at the left side of the Arch of Front Moutain (the entrance of Front Mountain), Jianfu Palace was built 730. At present, the palace has three halls and there is a 394 words couplet on the pillar in the hall, and the couplet is the third longest couplet in China. The architecture style of Jianfu Palace is kind of antique. It looks ordinary from outside; however, you’ll be surprised when entering in. Red lanterns hang all over the palace; they look even brighter under the contrast of the green trees in and around the palace.

Tianshi Celestial Cave

Tianshi Celestial Cave is one of the major Taoist temples in Mount Qingcheng, and the Qingcheng Taoism Association is located here. First built in Sui Dynasty (518 ~ 619), Tianshi Celestial Cave is surrounded by mountains in three directions. Legend says that Zhang Daoling, the founder of Taoism, had cultivated himself here. Till now, the temple still worships the sculpture of Zhang Daoling. There is a 1000-year-old ginkgo tree in the temple, which, according to the legend, was planted by Zhang Daoling himself. The ginkgo tree is most beautiful in autumn and it’s a must-see when you visit Tianshi Celestial Cave.

Shangqing Palace

Shangqing Palace is located at 500m to the summit of Mount Qingcheng. First built in Jin Dynasty (265 ~ 420), and the existing palace was rebuilt and restored in Qing Dynasty (1644 ~ 1912). Now, the palace has Laojun Hall, Sanqing Hall, Wenwu Hall and many ancient architectures and antiques. Keep climbing up from the stone steps in the back of the palace, there is a pavilion named “Sun-view Pavilion”, and the scenery here is more magnificent and beautiful. If you are tired from the hike, this is the good place to rest, and you can taste the delicious vegetarian food here.

Back Mountain

Comparing with the Front Mountain, Back Mountain is more primitive. The whole Back Mountain Scenic Spot starts from Tai’an Ancient Town, where provide restaurants and hostels for tourists. The attractions here are mainly waterfalls, caves, primitive forest, etc. which are charming as the attractions in Front Mountain. Most attractions are concentrated in Feiquan Valley and Wulong Valley. The whole journey in the Back Mountain is about 20 kilometers, and there is two cableways in the scenic spot, which can save half of the walking distance and tourists can still appreciate most of the sceneries. For mountain-hiking lovers, you won’t regret to visit here. If you want to walk the entire journey, then, you must get up early for you’ll need one day in normal situation.

Get to Mount Qingcheng

By Private Car: For visitors who want to save energy and efforts on planning Mount Qingcheng tour, you are highly recommended to travel with us China Discovery. We China Discovery based in Chengdu, Sichuan have many professional experts with rich knowledge of whole Sichuan and will help you plan and arrange the most comfortable and convenient way to get to Mount Qingcheng and around. Our licensed driver can pick you up anywhere at anytime, our English-speaking guide will accompany your whole trip. Please feel free to contact us if you need any help!

By Flight: Mount Qingcheng has no airport, and the closest airport to it is Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport. After arriving at the airport, travelers can take direct bus from the airport to Dujiangyan City (about 70km) and then transfer to public vehicles to Mount Qingcheng.

By Train: from Chengdu, travelers can take bullet train of ChengGuan Line to Mount Qingcheng. ChengGuan Line starts from Chengdu North Railway Station and ends at Mount Qingcheng, and it’s about 30 minutes to one hour ride. At present, this is the most convenient way to get there. After getting off the train, you can take bus 101a to get to the Front Mountain, and travelers can take mini bus to get the Rear Mountain. The ticket for the train is tight during holidays and weekends, so book the ticket in advance.

>> Learn more about Chengdu to Qingchengshan Train Schedules

By Bus: from Chengdu, tourists can also take direct bus from Chadianzi Bus Station to Mount Qingcheng. The departure time is from 8:00 to 10:00. If you can’t catch the direct bus, then you can take bus to Dujiangyan from Chadianzi Bus Station first, then after arriving Dujiangyan Bus Station, transfer bus 101 to get to the mountain.

>> Learn more about How to Get to Mount Qingcheng from Dujiangyan

Get Around in Mount Qingcheng

Cableway

Front Mountain: Buyun Cableway is the only cableway in Front Mountain, and it runs between Yuecheng Lake and Viewing All-round Temple. One way ticket is ¥35/person and round-trip ticket is ¥60/person.

Back Mountain: there are two cableways in Back Mountain. Baiyun Cableway runs from Youyicun Village to Baiyun Temple, and one way (about 30 minutes) ticket is ¥45/person and round-trip ticket is ¥70/person. Jinli(about 15 minutes) Cableway runs through the Feiquan Valley, from Feiquanfang to Shisuntang, and one way ticket is ¥30/person and round-trip ticket is ¥55/person.

Battery Car

There are battery car in the scenic are, and they run two sections: from the Arch of Mount Qingcheng to Tai’an Temple (located in Tai’an Ancient Town), and from Tai’an Temple to Wulong Valley. The tickets for them are both ¥5/person. The road from Tai’an Temple to Wulong Valley is long and the scenery along the road is normal. So it’s advised to take battery car in this section if you want to save some energy.

Mount Qingcheng Hiking - Best Way to Explore

Mount Qingcheng is also the closest and greatest mountain for hiking. There are two popular hiking routes, the hottest Front Mountain cultural hiking routes and a natural Back Mountain scenery explore routes.

Front Moutain Hiking is the hottest among tourists with more than 15 historical Taoist sites along the hiking path. Once you entrance the gate you can take the cableway to go up for only 5 minutes then hike about 1 hour to the summit or all on foot takes about 3-4 hours. Along your way down you will explore some of the most significant palaces of Mount Qingcheng, the down hiking would take about 2 hours.

Back Mountain Hiking is perfect for nature lovers. Hiking starts from Taian Ancient Town, there are cable and hiking trails for you to choose. Most travelers would take the cableway to the middle of the mountain, walk to Youyicun Village and hike down to the entrance, it takes half a day. If you want a more challenging hiking experience, after get off the cableway you can continue your hiking to the top, which would take a whole day.

>> Learn More about Mount Qingcheng Hiking & the 2 Best Trekking Routes

Mount Qingcheng has a typical mountainous climate, and the annual average temperature is around 15℃, while the highest temperature in summer is about 30℃. Besides that, it has high air humidity. Summer is the best time to visit Mount Qingcheng. When people in the city center suffer from the summer heat, Mount Qingcheng still maintains a comfortable temperature and humid air. In summer, the whole mountain is covered with green trees, and streams, waterfalls, and lakes are rich in flow. This is the best time to appreciate the mountain and water scenery of Mount Qingcheng. In fact, the other three seasons are also beautiful. Spring is warm and fresh, autumn is a colorful world, and the snow scenery in winter is also stunning.

It’s suggested to wear light and comfortable clothes; quick dry clothes are the best. For girls, it’s better to wear trousers to protect your legs. It rains a lot in summer, so bring rain gear with you in summer. In the evening, the temperature may drop quite a lot comparing with the day temperature, so bring one more warm clothes. Roads near waterfalls are normally humid and slippery, so wear waterproof and antiskid shoes.

>> 1 Day Dujiangyan & Mount Qingcheng World Heritage Tour

Since almost all the Taoist Culture relics gather at Front Mountain of Mount Qingcheng, most visitors prefer Front Mountain than Back Mountain. And normally they spend half day around to explore the Front Mountain. During the rest of the day, they will visit the nearby magical Dujiangyan Irrigation System. To start the Dujiangyan & Mount Qingcheng day in a more time-saving and energy-saving way, you are suggested to travel Dujiangyan first and then make a transfer to Mount Qingcheng after your lunch.

>> 1 Day Dujiangyan & Mount Qingcheng World Heritage Tour

>> 1 Day Kungfu Panda Tour with Mount Qingcheng

For Big Panda Fans, Dujiangyan Panda Base in only 15 minutes’ car ride from Mount Qingcheng will give you a special chance to live with and even feed cuddly pandas up-close! Join in the full-day Panda Volunteer Program, and your panda dream will perfectly come true there!

>> 2 Days Panda Volunteer Tour with Dujiangyan Highlights

>> 3 Days Dujiangyan Tour with Panda Volunteer & Six Arts Experience

Before or after your Dujiangyan & Mount Qingcheng tour, you are highly suggested to spend 1~2 days more to soak the unique slow-paced lifestyle and savor mouth-watering delicacies in Chengdu. Adorable pandas living in the downtown area also await your greeting!

>> 3 Days Chengdu, Mount Qingcheng & Dujiangyan Tour

>> 4 Days Chengdu & Dujiangyan All Bests with Panda Volunteer Tour

Based in Chengdu, we China Discovery can provide you with the best travel experiences with reasonable price. Our experienced local drivers will escort you to Mount Qingcheng and surrounding areas from Chengdu and guarantee your safety along the trip.

The tour can be tailor-made according to your group size, time, physical condition, plan, interest, budget and every special need. If you have any other ideas about the trip or you have other places or cities wanted to visit such as Chongqing, Shanghai, Beijing or Xian, our experienced travel consultants are very glad to offer their help. Please feel free to contact us!