Wudang Mountain Museum

Wudang Mountain Museum

The Wudang Museum is located in the Cultural Square of the Wudang Mountain Special District, Danjiangkou City, Hubei Province. It opened to the public on April 23, 2008. The museum was constructed starting in 2005 with a total investment of 18 million yuan. Covering a total area of 5,820 square meters, including an exhibition area of 4,418.7 square meters spread over three floors, it houses eight exhibition halls: Wudang Architecture, Immortal Mountains and Celebrities, Wudang Taoism, Taoist Statues, Wudang Temple Music, Martial Arts and Health Preservation, and Wudang Folk Customs. The museum displays nearly 420 sets of premium cultural relics, including imperial treasures and items bestowed by emperors. Among them, the gold dragon, jade bi, and mountain tally from the reign of Emperor Jianwen of the Ming Dynasty are particularly precious and are being exhibited for the first time. The heaviest exhibit is the over one-ton bronze statue of Zhang Sanfeng, while the lightest is a gold dragon weighing just 16 grams. In addition, the museum has a collection of nearly 2,000 cultural relics, 70% of which are classified as national first-class relics. The exhibition design incorporates modern high-tech elements such as sound, light, and electricity, showcasing the profound richness of Wudang culture from multiple perspectives using artifacts collected from various periods.

Walking up the stone steps and entering the museum’s foyer, you’ll find six statues of the Six Jia Star Gods positioned on both sides, resembling a classical military parade or as if they are lined up by order of the True Warrior to welcome visitors from all directions to Wudang. The imagery of the Six Jia Star Gods is derived from daily life, with lifelike shapes and varied expressions, almost indistinguishable from real people. These are national-level artworks cast by order of the Ming emperor and the Ministry of Works.

Stepping into the architectural art exhibition hall on the second floor, you’ll be greeted by ancient buildings that blend Eastern and Western styles.

Ancient Chinese architecture is world-renowned for its timber-framed mortise-and-tenon structures, while Western ancient architecture is profoundly influenced by brick-and-stone construction. However, the architecture of Wudang Mountain is a masterpiece that combines both, integrating Chinese and Western elements.

A few meters ahead, a set of roof components made entirely of glazed pieces includes square rafters, round rafters, flat tiles, and drip tiles. The glaze colors are predominantly blue-green, creating a bright and cheerful tone—these are key components used in constructing small-scale glazed pavilions. There is also a set of ridge ornaments from ancient building roofs, along with the mythical creatures behind the immortals: dragons, phoenixes, lions, qilins, heavenly horses, sea horses, and xiezhi.

Further along, there is a copper-cast miniature model of the entire Wudang Mountain landscape, crafted using the art of scaled-down dioramas. The Golden Hall is placed at the top, while the natural and cultural architectural landscapes of Wudang Mountain are miniaturized. In the middle and lower sections are sculptures of five dragons and figures, symbolizing the Five Dragons holding up the sacred ascent. The overall composition is simple and refined, blending legend, reality, and artistic imagination into one. It is a unique and precious artifact in the Wudang Mountain collection.

In addition to various types of glazed architectural components, the museum also displays a rich array of vivid architectural relics: the Yuji Pavilion, large stone carvings, bracket arms with varying numbers of tiers, rare wooden carved brackets, and inscribed brick components from Zhoufu Temple. Particularly notable is a Ming Dynasty iron pillar inscribed with text, signifying the comprehensive variety and rich styles of ancient Wudang Mountain architectural materials.

Before the depiction of the Wudang Mountain architectural complex as a flying dragon, when the stunning image of a majestic soaring dragon unfolds before you, you can’t help but marvel at the exceptional craftsmanship of the ancient artisans. If the Golden Summit is seen as the dragon’s head, the section from Yuzhen Palace to Taihe Palace as the dragon’s body, and Xuanyue Gate to Jingle Palace as the dragon’s tail, then the Five Dragons Temples, Renwei Temple to Five Dragons Palace, and the Prince’s Bridge form the right claw, while Eight Immortals Temple and the Upper, Middle, and Lower Temples form the left claw—creating a grand architectural complex in the shape of a dragon with clear hierarchy, varied heights, well-balanced layout, and winding complexity.

Another attraction is a lifelike group of wax figures depicting the major renovation of Wudang. Against a backdrop of rolling mountains, solemn officials holding imperial edicts are depicted, while the bustling construction site teems with hardworking artisans—expressions of worry, faint smiles at the corners of mouths… The scene is vivid and realistic, with ever-changing lighting and shadows. Visitors to this area will surely be awed by the majestic momentum of the 300,000 soldiers, civilians, and artisans involved.

Address: East side of the Cultural Square, Wudang Mountain Special District, Shiyan City

Type: Museum

Recommended visiting time: 1–2 hours

Phone: 0719-5667386

Official website: http://www.wudangmuseum.com/

Opening hours:

Tuesday–Sunday: 9:00–11:00, 13:00–17:00. Closed on Tuesdays.

Ticket information:

Free admission.

Zhang Sanfeng (1247 or 1264–1458), the founder of the Wudang Sect, claimed to be the fifth son of Zhang Anzhong. He was born on the 18th day of the sixth month in the year of Guiyou during the Yuan Dynasty. His given name was Junshi, and his courtesy name was Quanyi (though some say it was Junbao). His alias was Baohé Róngrěn. He was of Han ethnicity and from Liaodong. A scholar and Taoist priest from Wudang Mountain during the late Yuan and early Ming periods, he was skilled in calligraphy, painting, poetry, and lyrics. Another account states he was from Shaowu, Fujian, with the name Zichong (also called Yuanshi), and took the alias Sanfeng. He was born in 1247 in Kànxià Village, Hépíng Town, present-day Shaowu City, Fujian Province, and his date of death is unknown. Zhang Sanfeng is the founding patriarch of the Wudang Sect, and Ming Ying... More details about Zhang Sanfeng++

Further reading:

· China's National Second-Class Museum