Wudangshan Mountain, located in the northwest of Hubei Province, covers an area of more than 30 square kilometers. It is now classified as a national park. Wudangshanhas 72 peaks with steep valleys and beautiful scenery . The main peak, Tianzhu Peak (HeavenColumn), is 1,612 meters above sea level.

Wudangshan is known as a sacred mountain of the Taoism. Famous Taoist masters in history used to reside here. It was as early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907) that people built the Five Dragon Temple. In the following dynasties, the buildings on the mountain were expanded. There are now 36 palace halls, which were built in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). These buildings are the largest existing Taoist complexes, in which various sculptures, scriptures and Taoist items are of high cultural and artistic value.

Zixiao Palace (Purple Sky Palace)

Zixiao Palace, located on Tianzhu Peak of Wudangshan Mountain, was built in the year of 1413. It is the best-preserved existing palace on the mountain. The main attractions in the palace are the Dragon and Tiger Hall, the Purple Sky Hall, the East Hall, the West Hall and the Prince Cliff.

Nanyan (South Rock Palace)

Nanyan is known as the most spectacular spot of the 36 scenic places in Wudangshan. It was as early as the Tang and Song Dynasty (618-1279) that Taoist priests practiced Taoism here and built Taoist temples for worshiping. Historical records show there were more than 600 buildings in Nanyan but most of them were destroyed in the late years of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). The Nanyan Palace, Taichang Temple, Thunder God Cave and Crow Temple are still standing.

Jindian (Golden Palace Hall)

On top of the Tianzhu Peak of Wudangshan is Jindian, meaning Golden Palace. The hall was built in 1416 and it is 5.54 meters in height, 4.4 meters in width and 3.15 meters in depth. The hall is a complete gilded bronze structure. After more than 500 years standing, the hall still glitters under the sun as new to become one of the wonders of Chinese ancient architecture.

In December 1994, the ancient architecture in Wudang Mountain was listed in the Chronology of Recognition of World Heritages in China.

(Source: travel10k.com)