Guashan Mountain

Guashan Mountain

Guashan Mountain is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Named for its shape resembling the Eight Trigrams, Guashan Mountain features eight towering peaks, undulating ridges, and ancient cypresses that reach to the sky. Located north of Jiaocheng County, it is a renowned tourist destination in Shanxi that combines natural scenery with ancient temples spanning a thousand years. It has been famous since the Tang Dynasty for its mountain shape reflecting the trigrams, lush ancient cypresses, majestic temples, and as a sacred site of Huayan Buddhism.

Guashan is beautiful. The mountain is beautiful, with its main peak, Taiji Peak, facing south from the north, radiating a divine aura; the water is beautiful, with the Wayao River to the west and the Ciyaoriver to the east outside the mountain, while within the mountain lie the Lingquan, Longquan, and Jiangshui springs, all exuding a refreshing atmosphere; the trees are beautiful—ancient writers once compared the cypresses of Guashan to the pines of Huangshan. Among the cypresses of Guashan, there are many notable ones, such as the Seven-Star Cypress, Dragon Claw Cypress, Tiger Head Cypress, Two-Immortal Cypress, and Hydrangea Cypress, each ancient, vigorous, and vividly alive, displaying a primitive vitality amid the lush greenery.

Nestled within the emerald cypress groves, the main structures of Guashan are scattered like stars—Tianning Temple, Goddess Temple, Guashan Academy, Zhu Gong Ancestral Hall, and more. Strolling through them will leave you enchanted. The ancient Huayan Buddhist temple Tianning Temple is the earliest and largest Buddhist monastery among the many temples on Guashan. It once housed over a hundred statues, including one of Sakyamuni, made from iron, wood, and clay—each a masterpiece of artistic craftsmanship by generations of working people. In addition, the ancient cypresses are one of Guashan’s great wonders. Upon closer inspection, these trees take on countless forms—the Tiger Head Cypress, Ox Head Cypress, Dragon Claw Cypress, and Hydrangea Cypress are strikingly lifelike, full of charm and wonder, leaving visitors in awe.