Wulei Mountain

Wulei Mountain

Wulei Mountain is one of the first key religious sites designated in Hunan Province and a core scenic area along the eastern tourism route of Zhangjiajie. It is located east of Cili County, approximately 20 kilometers from the Cili East exit of the Changde–Zhangjiajie Expressway. Bordered by Shimen to the north, Linli to the east, and Taoyuan to the south, it serves as a vital gateway to Zhangjiajie from the east.

Wulei Mountain is a deeply Taoist religious tourism area that combines worship, sightseeing, leisure, vacation, adventure, and fitness. Originally named Leiyue (Thunder Mountain), it stands at an elevation of 1,000 meters. Its main peak, Jinding (Golden Summit), branches out into several ridges radiating outward, resembling the cosmic pillars described in *Huainanzi·Tianwen Xun*, hence it was also called Dawei Mountain (Great Pillar Mountain). Later, due to miraculous phenomena such as "thunder sweeping the temple halls, bells ringing on their own, and dust cleansing itself," the mountain earned the name Wulei Mountain (Five Thunder Mountain).

Wulei Mountain is ancient, serene, mysterious, and majestic, divided into four distinctive sightseeing areas: the Jinding Ancestral Mountain Taoist Cultural Tourism Area, the Ciji Pagoda International Summer Resort, the Xingzi Mountain and Chaqi Mountain Taiji Cultural Tourism Area, and the Sanwang Laopeng Natural Landscape Adventure Tourism Area.

Jinding is the highest peak of Wulei Mountain. Legend has it that it was built by Master Zhang Dui in a dream commissioned by the Ancestral Master, with contributions from Huayang Mountain and Rongding Prince. The golden hall is designed in an ancient sedan-roof style, covered with purple copper glazed tiles, adorned with animal-head eaves, and constructed with stone slabs. Surrounded by cliffs on three sides and accessible via a winding stone staircase on the fourth, it exudes grandeur, solemnity, and serenity. Inside the hall is a statue of the True Martial Ancestral Master, cast from nine-fired copper, weighing over 2,000 jin (approximately 1 metric ton), embedded firmly in the stump of a camphor tree. It was created by Rongding Prince of Liyang Prefecture. Flanking the statue are the Golden Boy, Jade Girl, and the Four Heavenly Ministers, all imposing and majestic. Originally, there were two incense burners and a stone pillar inscribed with Zhang Dui’s words, “Among the famous mountains of southern Chu, this one ranks first.” The hall is shrouded in incense smoke and resonates with bell chimes, serving as the main venue for Taoist rituals and pilgrimages. Despite its perilous location, Jinding boasts four wonders: First, situated high at the border of Changde, Liyang, and the Hunan–Hubei region, on clear days, the golden hall shines like a brilliant jewel, with the distant city of Lixian County in Changde clearly visible—yet this view is obscured from higher elevations. Second, the prayer platform is less than ten square meters, yet no matter how many worshippers gather, they never jostle, as if alone. Third, before the third day of the third lunar month each year, thunderstorms inevitably occur, followed by clear skies the next day—a sign, locals say, of the Ancestral Master’s arrival. Fourth, though Jinding is the mountain’s highest point, a spring atop it never runs dry, even in prolonged droughts. Legend has it that in the late Shunzhi era of the Qing Dynasty, Li Zicheng, the self-styled "Chuang King," visited Wulei Mountain disguised as a monk. Falling ill, he drank from the spring and recovered, naming it the “Golden Peak Divine Spring.”

Jinding gleams like gold and jade, graceful as a phoenix. Standing atop it and looking around, hundreds of peaks, large and small, resemble birds craning their necks, encircling the golden summit as if bowing in worship—a sight known as the “Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix.” When clouds drift or mist veils the peaks, the “birds” appear ready to take flight; when thick clouds fill the valleys, the countless summits resemble birds floating on waves—an indescribably marvelous sight.

Wulei Mountain is not only a summer retreat and tourist destination but also a sacred Taoist site, renowned as the “Finest Scenic Wonder of Southern Chu.” As the saying goes, “Northern Wudang, Southern Wulei”—the two are like brothers, both widely celebrated. With its abundance of Taoist temples, it has been honored by *The Finest of Three Xiangs* as Hunan’s largest Taoist cultural complex. Historical records indicate that Taoism on Wulei Mountain “began in the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Ming Dynasty.” Legend says that the crown prince of the Western Kingdom of Pure Joy once chose this site, building stone chambers for ascetic practice and eventually “attaining enlightenment and ascending to immortality”—this was the famed True Martial Emperor. Later, during the Tang Dynasty, Li Jing was drawn to the mountain and established crude Taoist shrines. In the late Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Dui, a Hanlin academician and imperial historian, resigned from office and retreated to Tianmen Mountain and Wulei Mountain. He expanded the temples here, promoted Taoist culture, and personally inscribed the phrase “Among the famous mountains of southern Chu, this one ranks first.” From then on, Wulei Mountain gained widespread fame, with its temples “spanning hundreds of miles, visible to all counties.” Upon hearing of this, Emperor Shenzong of the Ming Dynasty bestowed upon Wulei Mountain the title “Cave Heaven and Blessed Land.” Taoist followers spanned 18 counties across southwestern Hubei and northwestern Hunan. The annual lunar festivals of “March 3” and “August 15” are pilgrimage days, with the saying, “Whether you come or not, 108,000 pilgrims will.” By the Wanli era of the Ming Dynasty, Rongding Prince of Changde and Huayang Prince of Liyang Prefecture undertook large-scale expansions and renovations, constructing over 5,000 square meters of architecture, including 36 palaces and 72 halls. Built with stone walls and iron tiles, the structures were arranged along the mountain ridges and valleys, stretching 15 li (approximately 7.5 kilometers). Secluded, perilous, profound, and uniquely mystical, they gained renown across China.

Address: Southern Cili County, Zhangjiajie City

Tel: 0744-3257988, 0744-3257888

Opening Hours:

7:00-16:00

Transportation

Self-Drive Route: Only 25 kilometers from Cili County.

Ticket Price:

63 RMB (48 RMB for admission, 15 RMB for a one-way sightseeing bus)