Qionglai Tiantai Mountain

Qionglai Tiantai Mountain

Qionglai Tiantai Mountain is a national scenic area, a national AAAA-level tourist attraction, and a classic red tourism destination.

The Qionglai Tiantai Mountain Scenic Area is situated at the southwestern tip of Qionglai City, Sichuan Province, known as the "Hometown of Wenjun," and is part of the Qionglai Mountain Range. It lies 110 km from Chengdu and 45 km from Qionglai, covering an area of 192 square kilometers. Its main peak, Yuxiao Peak, has an elevation of 1,812 meters. Tiantai Mountain is a rare box-shaped synclinal mountain in China, with richly varied Danxia landforms. The mountain slopes from southwest to northeast forming a U-shape, and its terrain rises gradually from low to high, creating three terraces—hence the saying, "Tiantai, Tiantai, the platform to heaven."

Tiantai Mountain belongs to the Qionglai Mountain Range and is located in Qionglai City, one of the Four Great Ancient Cities of Bashu and known as the "Hometown of Wenjun." It lies 110 km from Chengdu and is said to have been named after Yu the Great set up an altar here to worship heaven while taming the floods in Shu. As a place where natural scenery and human history intertwine closely, Tiantai Mountain is famed for its "extraordinary mountains, peculiar rocks, beautiful waters, and serene forests." The scenic area enjoys a mild climate with abundant rainfall, an average annual temperature of 16°C, and a forest coverage rate of 94.4%. It is home to over 50 species of nationally protected rare animals, including giant pandas, red pandas, macaques, and giant salamanders, as well as more than 20 species of nationally protected rare plants such as dove trees, yews, and ginkgos. Tiantai Mountain has a long history and rich cultural heritage, with numerous temples and other religious sites. In the early period of the Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms, Zhuge Liang visited Linqiong to inspect the "army settlements" and the excavation of the "Fire Well," and rode a "wooden sedan chair" up the mountain to survey the area, leaving behind place names such as "Tianche Slope" and "Wangjun Summit." During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the traveling monk Puda Sheye wandered here and founded the Tiantai Buddhist Temple. In the Sui and Tang dynasties, religious influence spread widely. In the early Tang Dynasty, Yuan Tiangang, the magistrate of Huojing County, revered Taoism, making Taoist forces dominant on Tiantai Mountain. During the Five Dynasties period, a grand City God Temple was built on the mountain. In the Song dynasties, Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism coexisted on Tiantai Mountain, with the three competing for territory and constructing their own temples and gardens, resulting in over a hundred Daoist temples, Buddhist monasteries, and official buildings. Later, through wars and banditry, most ancient structures were destroyed. Today’s temples and Taoist shrines on Tiantai Mountain are recent reconstructions.

Transportation: From Chengdu’s Jincheng Bus Station, you can take a bus via the Chengwen-Qionglai Expressway and arrive in Qionglai in about 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can depart from Chengdu North Passenger Transport Center (Chengdu North Railway Station) or Shiyangchang Central Station, travel via Xincheng along the Xin-Qionglai Road to Qionglai, then take a bus from Qionglai Tourist Passenger Transport Center Station to Tiantai Mountain, which takes about 50 minutes. Chengdu’s Xinnanmen Bus Station offers direct tourist buses to Tiantai Mountain Scenic Area at 8:00 and 9:30 am daily. Mianyang, Ya’an, and Leshan have direct buses to Qionglai. After arriving in downtown Qionglai, transfer to a direct bus at Qionglai Passenger Transport Center to reach Tiantai Mountain. Self-driving tourists can take the Chengwen-Qionglai Expressway to Qionglai or the Chengya Expressway and switch to Qionglai in Xincheng. Within the city, there are Tiantai Mountain Tourism West Route (Huojing) and Tourism South Route (Pingle) connecting to the scenic area. Note: Due to the winding and narrow roads in the scenic area, for visitor safety, vehicles with more than 8 seats are prohibited from entering the mountain. Visitors can take the scenic area’s sightseeing buses up the mountain.

Special Notes

1. From May 2016 to May 2017, the scenic area was closed for forest conservation and was not open to the public.

Scenic Spot Location

Tiantai Mountain Scenic Area, Qionglai City, Chengdu, Sichuan Province

Transportation: Qionglai Tiantai Mountain is 120 km from downtown Chengdu, with a journey of about 1 hour. Visitors can choose different routes based on their travel schedule. Chengdu–Tiantai Mountain: Chengdu Xinnanmen Bus Station offers direct tourist buses to Tiantai Mountain Scenic Area at 8:00 and 9:30 am daily. The travel time is about 1 hour. Chengdu–Qionglai–Tiantai Mountain: Visitors can take a bus from Chengdu’s Jincheng Bus Station via the Chengwen-Qionglai Expressway and arrive in Qionglai in about 30 minutes, then take a bus from Qionglai Tourist Passenger Transport Center Station to Tiantai Mountain in about 50 minutes. Alternatively, you can depart from Chengdu North Passenger Transport Center (Chengdu North Railway Station) or Shiyangchang Central Station, travel via Xincheng along the Xin-Qionglai Road to Qionglai, then take a bus from Qionglai Tourist Passenger Transport Center Station to Tiantai Mountain.

Ticket

Peak season: 50 RMB; Off-season: 20 RMB

Scenic Spot Location

Zuojia Slope, Gaowo Town, Qionglai City, Chengdu, Sichuan Province

Further Reading:

· Fifth Batch of National Key Scenic Areas