"The Sanqing Mountain is the hometown of clouds, a gallery of pine trees and fantastic rocks, and is a great, natural Chinese painting," said Qin Mu, a famous Chinese prose writer after viewing the magnificent and enchanting scenery of the mountain.

The mountain combines the imposing view of Taishan Mountain, the steep of Huashan Mountain, the curling clouds of Hengshan Mountain, the waterfall of Lushan Mountain, and the serenity of the Emei Mountain.

It is no wonder that in ancient times people believed the mountain was inhabited by immortals.

Situated in Shangrao in east China's Jiangxi Province, the Sanqing Mountain is a national key scenic and historic interest area, a national 4A scenic resort, a national geopark, one of the first batch of the national natural heritage sites, as well as a national patriotism education base, and a national model scenic area.

But it does not rest on its laurels. It is in the process of applying for the titles of World Natural Heritage and World Geopark.

As the mountain's unique granite landscape has increasingly captured worldwide attention, its administration committee is going to organize the First International Symposium on Granite Geology and Landforms from July 24-28 this year.

Enchanting beauty

The region where the Sanqing Mountain is located saw frequent and violent orogenic movements in geological history, which explains why the mountain can reach the clouds.

The long periods of erosion and the effect of gravity collapse has also contributed to the wonderful view of towering cliffs and deep, secluded valleys.

The Sanqing Mountain has 64 fantastic peaks and 382 grotesque rocks.

The highest peak of the mountain range is the Yujing Peak standing at 1,816.9 metres above sea level. To the north of the Yujing Peak are two peaks standing parallel - the Yuxu Peak with an altitude of 1,776 metres above sea level and and the 1,752-metre-high Yuhua Peak. The three peaks tower into the sky like three immortals sitting in a line with hovering clouds around their shoulders.

The mountain is also known for its ancient pine trees of various gestures. The plants there belong to 157 families, 500 genera, and 1,088 species. The rhododendron flowers dotted over the hills and slopes in late spring and early summer have been a magnet for tourists from both home and abroad.

The marvellous spectacle of the sea of clouds provokes an image of a wonderland. Furthermore, many spectacular meteorological sights often occur on the mountain, adding to its mystery.

Taoist culture

Ever since Ge Hong, a former senior official of Jin Dynasty (265-420), left his office and came to the Sanqing Mountain to make pills of immortality as a Taoist practice, the mountain gradually became a holy place for those of past dynasties that believed in Taoism.

Especially in the Tang (618-907) and Song dynasties (960-1279), when Taoism was revered as a state religion, the construction of Taoist buildings on the Sanqing Mountain entered an unprecedented period of growth.

During the past 1,600 years, a large number of ancient Taoist buildings and cultural relics have been well preserved on the mountain. The ancient building complex has a carefully planned pattern.

In addition to its natural landscape and Taoist buildings, the Sanqing Mountain also boasts a high-altitude plank road over 4,000 metres long.

In the past, there were only mountain paths blazed by axmen, herb diggers and Taoists. It was extremely difficult for tourists to climb to the top of the mountain.

To ensure tourists fully enjoy the enchanting sight of the mountain, the administration committee of the mountain invested more than 20 million yuan (US$2.5 million) in 2002 to build a plank road along the face of the cliffs.

(China Daily July 21, 2006)