Sacred Taoist Land, Majestic Wudang — One-Day Tour of Wudang Mountain
Wudang Mountain is a famous Taoist mountain. This time I went to Hubei specially to visit it. I booked a hotel near the scenic area in advance, and the surrounding hotels generally provide pick-up and drop-off service to the scenic area. I entered the scenic area at 8:00 a.m. and took a sightseeing bus directly to Qiongtai. To save time, we planned to take the cable car to and from the Golden Summit. We bought round-trip tickets at the Qiongtai cable car station and then took the cable car up.
After getting off the cable car, you are not directly at the Golden Summit. When there aren't many people, you still need to walk uphill for about half an hour. This section of the path is very narrow. If there are many people, you may have to queue for a long time, so we tried to arrive at the scenic area early to avoid long lines.
The main building on the Golden Summit is a golden hall, entirely cast in bronze with a gilded surface, making it look resplendent and magnificent. On the side of the golden hall, near the roof, there is a gold brick, and many tourists take photos there.
After leaving the Golden Summit, we went to the bus stop and took a sightseeing bus to Prince Slope. At Prince Slope, there is a Taoist temple. To enter, you first need to walk up a tree-lined slope, which may be the origin of the name Prince Slope.
The main attractions at Prince Slope are the Nine-Bend Yellow River Wall, where two red walls flank a winding stone path, and the "One Pillar Twelve Beams" in the Five Cloud Pavilion of the temple, a marvel of ancient wooden architecture.
When leaving Prince Slope, we spotted a wild monkey by the roadside. It sat motionless on a pile of stones, probably full and resting.
From Prince Slope, we took the bus to the next attraction, Purple Heaven Palace. Both Purple Heaven Palace and the Golden Summit require separate admission, which can be combined with the entrance ticket or purchased on-site. Staff at both spots check tickets or ID cards. Purple Heaven Palace is more magnificent than Prince Slope and is well-preserved.
The last attraction was Southern Cliff Palace. It took about 20 minutes by bus from Purple Heaven Palace. However, the drop-off point is still quite a distance from Southern Cliff Palace, involving a lot of climbing up and down, which is tiring, especially on a hot day. On the way, you pass through the Southern Heaven Gate, where you first need to climb a long flight of steps. But there is a path to the left of the Southern Heaven Gate that bypasses the steps, allowing those who want to save energy to take the left path.
Southern Cliff Palace is also a Taoist temple of considerable size. Besides the main hall, a key highlight is the Dragon Head Incense located behind the main hall. In the superstitious past, many people risked their lives to light incense at the Dragon Head Incense as a sign of devotion. Now it is closed off, and visitors can only look from a distance without approaching.
After visiting Southern Cliff Palace, we took the bus back to the visitor center at the foot of the mountain. We left the scenic area at 2:30 p.m., having spent a total of six and a half hours, which was relatively fast. It was not a holiday, so there weren't many people. The biggest challenge was the heat, with sweat pouring like rain. Because it was so hot, we just glanced at some places. It would be a better experience to visit in a cooler season.
