Reflections | The sacred mountains of China: revered by kings and commoners alike
The Five Great Mountains of China – from the notoriously difficult Huashan to Mount Song of Shaolin Temple fame – have been inspiring artists, poets and writers for several millennia
Steeped in myth and history, Japan’s Mount Fuji is probably one of the country’s most famous landmarks. In China, the Five Great Mountains (Wuyue), which correspond to the four cardinal points plus one in the centre, are the most revered.
Identified before China reached its present size, the five mountains are clustered within the historical cultural heartland of the North China Plain and Yellow River valley.
Located in Shandong province, Mount Tai – the Eastern Mountain (Dongyue) – is regarded as the holiest of the five. According to legend, following the death of Pangu, the creator of the universe, his head transfigured into Mount Tai. As the east is traditionally regarded as the prime cardinal point, and the direction associated with genesis and rebirth, Mount Tai was where several Chinese emperors travelled to offer their prayers to heaven for the well-being of their realm.
Shaanxi province is home to the cradle of Chinese civilisation, Mount Hua – the Western Mountain (Xiyue) – the tallest of the five and notoriously difficult to climb. One way up is via the 13th-century Chang Kong Cliff Road. With some parts of the wooden walkway measuring only a foot wide and bereft of any railings, many hikers have fallen to their deaths.
Philosopher and revolutionary Zhang Taiyan (1869-1936) believed that the fledgling Chinese tribes took “Hua” from Mount Hua as their endonym, giving rise to the archaic “Huaxia” and the more recent “Zhonghua”, both of which refer to the Chinese nation.
