SITE
The palaces and temples on Mt. Wudang were all built into the actual mountain face, adhering to the topography of the land, which dictated the scale of the buildings, the spaces between them and their layout. Palaces appear on the tops of peaks, in the middle of ravines, on the edges of cliffs and nestled within rock faces.

Apart from its unique architecture, Wudang is renown for its wealth of cultural relics. Throughout its history, but most especially during the Ming Dynasty, Wudang was the recipient of numerous religious gifts. Feudal rulers and Taoist devotees provided funds for the moulding of thousands of statues of gods and the crafting of thousands of musical instruments made of gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, jade, pearl and stone.

The first temples on Mount Wudang were constructed during the Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907). By that time Taoism had become a state religion, coexisting with both Buddhism and Confucianism as one of the three great religions of China. Taoism is essentially a reinterpretation of an ancient tradition of nature worship and divination. Taoists believe that the Dao (or Tao, meaning "way" or "path") is the origin of all creation and the force behind all the changes in the natural world. Simplicity, harmony, peace and retreat into nature are some of the basic principles of Taoism.

Taoist culture has existed on Mt. Wudang since the East Han Dynasty (AD 25-220). The movement began with a few early Taoists settling on the mountain in order to practice their worship of nature. As time passed, more Taoists converged on the mountain, making Mt. Wudang a Taoist holy place in central China. During the Zhenguan period (AD 627-647) in the Tang Dynasty Emperor Taizong constructed the Wunong (Five Dragons) Temple, the purpose of which was to spread Taoism on the mountain. The temple structure is one of the ways of expressing Taoist culture in physical form. A temple provides a container for the integration of the various elements of Taoism. Mt. Wudang remained a sacred Taoist site for several hundred years. The buildings were enlarged during the Song and Yuan Dynasties, but many of the buildings from this period were destroyed during warfare and battles at the end of the Yuan Dynasty when the Mongols invaded China.

The greatest period of development was during the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1644). In AD 1413 Emperor Yongle (AD 1403-1424) sent more than 200,000 soldiers and labourers to transform Mt. Wudang into the largest Taoist complex in the world. It took thirteen years to complete construction, which included nine palaces, seventy-two temples and halls, thirty-six nunneries, thirty-nine bridges, twelve platforms and countless stone steps winding their way along the entire mountain. The floor space of all of these complexes came to over one million square metres, although now, with the destruction of many buildings the floor space totals 50,000 square metres.

In 1994 the ancient building complex in the Wudang mountains was inscribed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

ARCHITECTURE
The ancient structures built onto the Wudang Mountains were designed to conform to the shape of the mountain range and ultimately reflect the Taoist belief in nature and spontaneity.

The Palace of Supreme Harmony (Taihe Palace), perched on the top of Tianzhu Peak, consists of the Golden Hall and the Bronze Hall. The palace was built in AD 1416 during the reign of Emperor Yongle in the Ming Dynasty. It measures 5.54 meters high, 4.4 metres long and 3.15 metres wide. Resting upon a granite base, the entire structure was made of gilded copper coated with gold. Inside the palace many bronze sculptures embellished with gold were discovered, one of which represents the Taoist deity Zhen Wu.

Yuxu Palace was built in AD 1413, the eleventh year of Emperor Yongle's reign, and was rebuilt in AD 1512. It was originally one of the largest buildings in Wudang with its 2,000 rooms, until it was destroyed in AD 1745. The remains of the palace include four pavilions housing stone tablets positioned upon stone tortoises, each of which weighs over several hundred tonnes.

The Nanyan Palace is located in one of the most beautiful areas on the mountain range. The palace is actually a complex of wood buildings clinging to the side of a mountain. Built in AD 1413, much of the original complex has collapsed or been destroyed, and what remains seems to be held to the rock face as if by magic.

The most famous palace on the mountain range is the Zixiao Palace (The Purple Cloud Palace), which was constructed in AD 1413. Originally the complex contained a number of palaces, verandas, dining halls and pavilions. Zixiao Palace is the largest of the palaces on Mt. Wudang. It presently contains 29 buildings arranged on a five-tier terrace covering 6,854 square metres.

Other important palaces and temples include the Fuzhen Temple (Revelation Temple) also built during the Ming Dynasty and extended at the end of the 17th century. The Qiongtai Temple (the Marble Tower Temple) is located 10 kilometres southeast of the Tianzhu Peak. The complex is composed of the upper temple, the middle temple and the lower temple. Much of the complex was destroyed in AD 1856, but some restorations have since been conducted.

The Five Dragon Palace is the oldest of the palaces on the Wudang mountain range, having been constructed during the Tang Dynasty between AD 627-649 at the foot of the Lingying Mountain Peak. In AD 1412 the complex was expanded and a number of buildings were added, such as the Imperial Hall, the Gate of the Palace, the Veranda Wings, the Jade Statue Hall and others. In 1930 a fire destroyed much of the palace.

Finally, the Xuanyue Archway stands at the foot of Mt. Wudang. It was built in AD 1552 and reaches a height of 20 metres and a width of 13 metres. The structure contains four pillars and three entrances and boasts five arches, all with exquisite carvings.

LOCATION
Mt. Wudang, also known as Mt. Taihe (Supreme Harmony), is located in the Junxian district in the northwestern part of Hubei Province and stretches out for more than 400 kilometres. There are 72 peaks in the area, as well as 36 sheer cliffs and overhanging rocks, 24 ravines and 11 caverns. The highest peak in the range is the Tianzhu Peak, locally known as the Pillar to the Heavens, which rises to an elevation of 1,612 metres. Other features include numerous clear pools, fountains, platforms and wells, making Mt. Wudang and the surrounding areas an extremely popular tourist destination, both for their cultural and historical value, and their natural beauty.

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