Laoye Mountain

Laoye Mountain

Laoye Mountain is a national AAAA-level tourist attraction.

Laoye Mountain, also known as Yuanshuo Mountain or Beiwudang Mountain, is located 30 kilometers from Xining City. It earned the name Laoye Mountain because the summit is crowned with Taiyuan Palace (also known as Guan Yu Temple), which houses a statue of the deity Guan Yu. The mountain is situated by the Sumulian River (also called Beichuan River) in Qiaotou Town, Datong County, 35 kilometers north of Xining. With its summit at an altitude of 2,928 meters and a relative height difference of nearly 500 meters, it is one of the most majestic and scenically stunning peaks near Xining.

Since ancient times, Laoye Mountain has been famed for its “lush pines, winding stone steps, meandering streams, and picturesque scenery.” When passing by, if you look up, you will see red cliffs and verdant rock faces shrouded in mist and clouds; verdant pines and mixed trees striving upwards along the rugged mountain paths resembling sheep intestines. The scenery changes with the seasons yet remains fresh all year round: in spring, mountain mists linger; in summer, lush trees flourish; in autumn, red leaves blaze like fire; in winter, the landscape is draped in silvery white. The mountain is primarily composed of limestone, and over time, erosion and weathering have formed peculiar peaks, caves, and canyons—especially on the southern slope, where the steep cliffs and jagged rocks make the climb to the summit a truly “Huashan-level” experience.

The vegetation on Laoye Mountain is lush and diverse, with over a hundred plant species, mainly including spruce, willow, poplar, tamarisk, and various shrubs. In midsummer, the mountainside is covered with dense greenery that blocks out the sun, and wildflowers such as roses, peonies, tree peonies, potentilla, and various other blossoms compete in fragrance. The scenery in late autumn can rival that of Beijing’s Fragrant Hills. Over twenty species of wild animals inhabit the forests and grasslands, including wildcats, red foxes, squirrels, marmots, lynxes, voles, woolly rabbits, sand partridges, pheasants, snowcocks, blue eared pheasants, and rock pigeons, with birds being the most numerous.

The beauty of Laoye Mountain lies in its verdant peaks, elegant temples, shaded woods, and fragrant blossoms. Originally, the mountain was home to ancient structures such as the Medicine King Temple, Jade Emperor Palace, Hundred Character Palace, Chai Family Hall, Boundless Hall, Doumu Palace, and Taiyuan Palace, as well as natural formations like Tiger Cave, Stone Pillar, and Fire-Burned Terrace—all of which were destroyed by the late 1950s. Today, pavilions, towers, and temples have been rebuilt, and efforts are underway to restore some of the historic architecture.

The Medicine King Temple on the mountain offers a view through its windows of rocky landscapes, distant forests and peaks, cold greens and deep blues, all in varied forms. A short walk of a dozen steps south from the Medicine King Temple leads to the Jade Emperor Palace, which houses a statue of the Jade Emperor. The courtyard is spacious, and beside the temple gate corridor stand two carved black tigers, fierce and vivid. Further uphill is the Hundred Sons Palace, featuring a statue of the Goddess of Fertility, with clay figurines lining the walls and a large candle, as thick as a teacup, burning in front. Women visiting the site eagerly burn incense, draw divination sticks, or tie clay figures, showing deep reverence. A short walk north from the Hundred Sons Palace and a climb over jagged rocks brings you to the Bodhisattva Hall. Though small, the hall is situated high, making it a favorite resting spot for visitors. Continuing through the woods, you’ll reach the Chai Family Hall, which is considered the premier sacred site in the northwest of Shanxi Province. The grand hall features intricately painted and sculpted three-dimensional Buddhist murals inside its arched doorways, appearing lifelike as they seem to ride the clouds. The inner courtyard holds a towering black-robed statue of the Boundless deity, over ten feet tall. Exiting the temple and heading northeast along the path leads to the Boundless Hall, once a place of thriving incense worship, with spacious rooms, but it was destroyed by fire in the early years of the Republic of China. Continuing eastward along the path and passing the Jade Emperor Palace, you’ll see an ancient pagoda standing tall, reaching three zhang in height. To the south of the pagoda lies a mountain bay with a cave, overlooking a bottomless abyss. Two pine logs are fixed above the cave—this is the Taiyuan Palace, also called Laoye Temple, housing a statue of Guan Yu, with Zhou Cang standing by his side, sword in hand. The walls on both sides depict scenes from Guan Yu’s legendary life, such as “Crossing Five Passes” and “Attending a Meeting Alone with a Single Sword,” among others.

Exiting the temple, you’ll arrive at the Three Buddhas Hall. Descend the steps eastward along the mountain to reach the Thunder Ancestor Hall. Southeast of the Thunder Ancestor Hall is the Doumu Palace. Exiting the Doumu Palace and heading northwest, you’ll pass a narrow mountain path and find a grass hut built inside a rocky cave, enshrining the God of Literature. Further west along the path leads to the Three Officials Temple. Backed by a large mountain and facing a steep cliff, the temple enjoys a secluded location and boasts magnificent architecture, making it the foremost sacred site in the southwest of Yuanshuo Mountain. Among the northwest mountain ridges lies the famous “Tiger Cave.” Above it are jagged, bizarre cliffs and rocks, while below are layered dense forests and rocky terraces. In terms of rugged terrain, this spot is the most precipitous; in terms of scenery, it is the most serene. Legend says a tiger once ruled here, but it left after a wandering monk took residence. During the Ming Dynasty, Yu Anqi named it “Merciful Hidden Place.” To the north stands a huge rock about two zhang high, inscribed during the Qing Dynasty’s Qianlong era by Long Ying, an official of Xining Prefecture, with the name “Sea Hidden.” Later, statues were added and the site gradually expanded. In the past, people who wished for children would flock here in droves during summer and autumn. Inside the cave sits a white-eyed tiger statue, dappled and as large as an ox, lying to the left. In the center is the statue of the Goddess of Fertility, with a small gap to the left where worshippers leave money or items as vows. On the right side of the cave is a small doorway, just wide enough for one person. Those praying for children first enter to burn incense and make a wish, then grope inside the cave. Finding a shoe or sock is seen as an omen of having a child; the following year, a new pair is returned as a fulfilled vow. Finding nothing means no child is to come. Descending from the Tiger Cave, there is a perilous path resembling a heavenly ladder, covered in moss and wet soil, flanked by deep forests and dangerous ravines, including many seemingly bottomless pits—too treacherous for most to tread. Halfway up the northwest slope lies a relatively open area called “Fire-Burned Terrace,” where a Buddhist temple once stood. It was burned down during the chaos in the early years of the Yongzheng reign of the Qing Dynasty. Though long abandoned, the ruins remain, hence the name.

Every year during the sixth month of the lunar calendar, the traditional Flower Festival and Mountain Worship Festival are held concurrently, along with trade fairs and song and dance performances. People from across the county, as well as from Xining, Huzhu, Huangzhong, and other areas—across various ethnic groups—come with their families to visit. In earlier times, the mass “Mountain Worship Festival” was even more spectacular. Nowadays, with the rise of tourism, visitor numbers to Laoye Mountain continue to grow. When spring arrives and flowers bloom, visitors of all ethnicities flock in. By summer, when the verse “lofty empty pavilions dwell with rosy clouds, deep pines in June bring no heat” rings true, the crowds grow even denser. From morning till night, vehicles and people stream endlessly along the road to Laoye Mountain, bustling with activity. The mountain is covered in lush trees, green grass, and blooming wildflowers; men and women, dressed in colorful attire, resemble clusters of blossoms, singing and filling the valley with echoes.

Location: Northern part of Datong County, 30 kilometers from Xining City. Travel Guide: Admission fee is 10 yuan.