Taoist Ruins of Mount Heming

Taoist Ruins of Mount Heming

The Taoist Ruins of Mount Heming is a cultural relic protection unit of Sichuan Province.

Mount Heming, the birthplace of Taoism in China, is a renowned Taoist mountain. It is located in Sanfeng Village, Heming Township, about 12 kilometers northwest of Dayi County in western Chengdu, Sichuan Province, belonging to the Minshan Mountain Range, with an elevation of over 1,000 meters. It lies north of Mount Qingcheng (approximately 30 km), south of Mount Emei (about 120 km), west of Mount Wuzhong (about 10 li), and reaches the western Sichuan Plain, about 70 kilometers from Chengdu. It got its name because the mountain resembles a crane, has stone cranes hidden within, and is home to wild cranes. It is one of the four famous mountains of ancient Shu in the south. Furthermore, Mount Heming also appears as the name of a sect in a video game.

It has long been an undisputed fact that Taoism in China originated on Mount Heming in Heming Township, Dayi County. Ancient Chinese historical documents, Taoist scriptures, and historical relics on Mount Heming all consistently indicate that this is the birthplace of Taoism in China.

The earliest structures on Mount Heming have long since vanished, and their names and histories are difficult to trace. Zhang Jingxian of the Ming Dynasty recorded in his "Account of the Reconstruction of the Altar Platform of the Heming Taoist Temple" that, "The founding of the temple cannot be verified, but during the Sui and Tang dynasties, there were old foundations, which were rebuilt by imperial decree during the Kaibao era of the Song Dynasty and the Zhizheng era of the Yuan Dynasty." The Jiajing era marked another glorious period in the development of Taoism on Mount Heming, when Emperor Shizong sent envoys five times to hold Grand Universal Salvation Rituals here. Zhang Jingxian documented the grandeur of the ritual held in the 25th year of Jiajing (1546): "Envoys were dispatched to five sacred sites (Mount Qiyun, Mount Sanmao, Mount Wangwu, Mount Wudang, and Mount Heming), where they joined local officials to conduct a Grand Universal Salvation Ritual on the birthday of the emperor, August 10, praying for eternal peace and national stability. Mount Heming was one of these sites. At that time, high-ranking officials from both the central and local governments, as well as district magistrates, all participated in the ceremony. To date, this ritual has been conducted five times." In the 27th year of Jiajing (1548), Empress Shen, in recognition of the successful prayers, sent the Taoist master Peng Ruiheng to bestow medicine and scriptures upon Mount Heming as an honor. In the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, with the rise of Quanzhen Taoism and the arrival of Master Chen Qingjue from Mount Wudang to reorganize religious affairs in Sichuan, Mount Heming, like many other Taoist temples in Shu, became part of the Longmen Sect’s DanTai BiDong School of Quanzhen Taoism, and continues to maintain its ordination traditions to this day.

According to local historical records, Mount Heming was once covered with temples and reached its peak with over a hundred structures, including the Taiqing Palace, Wenchang Palace, Sanguan Hall, Yingxian Pavilion, Cihang Hall, Sanqing Hall, and Yuhuang Tower. Until the mid-20th century, these buildings remained relatively intact, but unfortunately, they suffered severe damage during the Cultural Revolution. In 1987, religious activities resumed on Mount Heming, and structures such as the Yingxian Pavilion, Doumu Hall, Sansheng Hall, and living facilities for Taoists were gradually rebuilt. Today, Mount Heming is filled with incense smoke and shaded by ancient trees. At the foot of the mountain, a weathered stone tablet in the grass marks the site of the ancient temple. Devotees bustle up the steps alongside it to reach the various temples built along the mountainside, where they burn incense and pray for blessings.

Protected area: 10 meters beyond the site boundary.

Construction control zone: 40 meters beyond the protected area.