Dragon Head Incense Burner

Dragon Head Incense Burner

A carved dragon stone beam located beside the sheer cliff outside the "Tianyi Zhenqing Wanshou Palace Stone Hall" on the southern cliffs of Mount Wudang. The stone beam extends 2.9 meters out over the cliff, is about 30 centimeters wide, and features a coiled dragon carving. At the tip of the dragon’s head sits an incense burner, thus earning it the title "The World’s Number One Incense Burner — Dragon Head Incense Burner."

Opposite the Dragon Head Incense Burner are the ruins of the Libao Platform and the Fengyue Shuangqing Pavilion. The Dragon Head Incense Burner is surrounded by a towering peak that rises abruptly, with sheer cliffs thousands of feet high stabbing straight into the sky, giving it a powerful sense of soaring motion. The natural scenery here is spectacular, and the site also features the Dressing Platform and the Ascension Platform. In front of the Ascension Platform, there juts out a rock called the Heart-Testing Stone, beneath which the cliff drops a thousand feet. Legend has it that Emperor Zhenwu lived in Mount Wudang for 42 years, attained enlightenment, and ascended to heaven. He once dressed and changed clothes here, hence it is also called the "Dressing Platform."

The Dragon Head Incense Burner is a masterpiece created by ancient artisans using various techniques such as round carving, openwork carving, and relief carving. The two integrated dragons are sculpted in one fluid form, their postures majestic as they gaze upward, appearing ready to devour a fiery ball and take flight, leaving onlookers in awe. The two dragons suspended mid-air on the cliffs are said to be the divine steeds of the Xuanwu Emperor, whom he often rode while patrolling. Also known as the Dragon Head Stone, it was built in 1314 (the first year of the Yuan Dynasty's Yanyou era). In the past, some pilgrims, in an effort to demonstrate their devotion, risked their lives to burn incense on the Dragon Head Incense Burner, resulting in countless deaths from falls. In 1673 (the 12th year of the Qing Dynasty's Kangxi reign), the burning of incense on the Dragon Head Incense Burner was officially banned, and a fenced gate was installed and locked. Visitors leaning over the railing today may feel as if they are standing in a celestial palace.

Precisely because of the mystery and significance of the Dragon Head Incense Burner, devout followers, in an effort to show their piety, would risk walking along the boundary between life and death to burn "Dragon Head Incense" during their pilgrimage to Mount Wudang. With a sheer drop of thousands of feet below, those who burned the incense had to kneel and crawl along the narrow body of the dragon to reach its head to light the incense, then kneel back the way they came. A slight misstep could result in being dashed to pieces. Without doubt, since its construction in the Ming Dynasty, countless people have fallen to their deaths from the Dragon Head Incense Burner, the scenes of which were utterly tragic.

Address: Wudang Mountain Scenic Area, Shiyan City

Type: Historical Architecture

Recommended Visiting Time: 0.5 hours

Ticket Information:

No separate ticket required. Included in the scenic area ticket.

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