Mount Qiyun

Mount Qiyun

Mount Qiyun is a national scenic area, a national AAAA-level tourist attraction, a national forest park, a national geopark, a national nature reserve, and a patriotic education base.

Mount Qiyun is located 15 kilometers west of Xiuning County and 33 kilometers from Tunxi. Historically known as Baiyue, it was renamed Mount Qiyun during the Ming Dynasty’s Jiajing era because of a towering rock that “pierces the sky and stands level with the heavens.”

Spanning 110.4 square kilometers, Mount Qiyun boasts undulating peaks, steep cliffs, drifting clouds, flowing springs, sea of clouds, and Buddhist light—all creating a landscape of stunning seasonal beauty. The Thirty-Six Magnificent Peaks are all picture-perfect, while the Seventy-Two Bizarre Rocks each present a unique scene. The entire mountain is composed of sedimentary sandstone, which is red as cinnabar and shines like rosy clouds, making it a classic example of “Danxia landform.” With its extraordinary mountains, peculiar rocks, beautiful waters, and mysterious caves, the mountain has inspired famous scholars and writers throughout history, including Xu Xiake, Tang Yin, Hai Rui, and Qi Jiguang, who left behind poetic verses and calligraphy.

Mount Qiyun is ranked among China’s Four Sacred Mountains of Taoism, alongside Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi, Wudang Mountain in Hubei, and Heming Mountain in Sichuan. Taoism on Mount Qiyun began in the Tang Dynasty and has a history of over 1,200 years, with its influence extending across East China and Southeast Asian countries. The mountain now hosts 108 structures including palaces, temples, courtyards, altars, and pavilions, 27 Taoist temples, and 12 Taoist residences. There are thousands of Taoist paintings, cliff inscriptions, and stone tablets on Mount Qiyun—nearly every peak bears an inscription and every cave features carvings. Emperor Qianlong of the Qing Dynasty praised Mount Qiyun as “a peerless paradise under heaven, and the finest mountain in the south of the Yangtze.”

Mount Qiyun is now a national scenic area and a national forest park.

Also known as Baiyue, Mount Qiyun is situated in the Huizhou Basin at the foot of Huangshan Mountain, 33 kilometers west of Tunxi. The Anhui-Jiangxi Railway runs along the base of the mountain. It earned the name Qiyun (Cloud-Reaching) because of a rock that “pierces the sky and reaches the clouds.” It is a mountainous scenic area characterized by Taoist culture and Danxia landform. Historically renowned as “Huangshan and Baiyue—the Finest in the South,” it is a national key scenic spot. With an elevation of 585 meters, the mountain features 36 Magnificent Peaks, 72 Bizarre Rocks, 24 Flying Streams, along with rivers, lakes, springs, pools, and waterfalls that together paint a vivid picture of verdant mountains and clear waters in a strikingly rugged landscape. Baiyue is notable for its oddly shaped peaks, most of which are conical in form, resembling uniquely faced hills from a distance, each with its own distinctive style. Major attractions include the Cave Heaven and Blessed Land, True Immortal Cave Mansion, Yuehua Street, Taisu Palace, Xianglu Peak, Little Pot Heaven, Xuantian Taisu Palace, Yuxu Palace, Fang La Stronghold, Five Green Peaks, and Yunyan Lake. The mountain is scattered with inscribed tablets and stone carvings and is reputed as “the Finest Mountain in the South of the Yangtze.” Taoism was introduced here during the Tang Dynasty’s Qianyuan era (758–760 AD), flourished in the Ming Dynasty, and became one of China’s Four Sacred Taoist Mountains due to its thriving religious activity.

Address: Qiyunshan Town, west of Xiuning County, Huangshan City

Type: National Park · Geomorphology · Mountain · Taoist Temple

Rating: AAAA

Recommended Visit Duration: 1–2 days

Phone: 4000018686; 0559-7561699

Official Website: http://ahqys.vpiao.cn/Client3/Default

Opening Hours:

8:00-17:00

Ticket Information:

Gate price starts from 75 RMB.

Further Reading:

· Third Batch of National Key Scenic Areas