Tianlong Mountain National Forest Park

Tianlong Mountain National Forest Park

Tianlong Mountain National Forest Park is a national-level forest park.

Tianlong Mountain National Forest Park, located within the territory of Taiyuan City, was established in 1992 with a total area of 26,766.9 hectares. The park features dense vegetation, with a total of 213 plant species from 169 genera and 66 families, as well as 197 animal species from 55 families. The forest coverage rate reaches 70%. The Tianlong Shengshou Temple was built in the first year of the Northern Qi Dynasty, and the area houses 25 grottoes of varying sizes, with over 500 stone Buddha statues, along with 1,144 reliefs and murals, encompassing works from nearly five centuries including the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Eastern Wei, Northern Qi, Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties periods.

The Tianlong Grottoes may not rival Yungang in fame, but their sculptures are finer. Pirates looted the Buddha heads, leaving none intact in Cave 21.

The cliffs challenge the eye and limb, while stunted pines twist like dragons and phoenixes in the wind. Restoring relics is a modern task—remember the sight of visitors here today.

Tianlong Mountain, also known as Fangshan, is an offshoot of the Lüliang Mountain Range. Located 36 kilometers southwest of Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, it stands at an elevation of 1,700 meters. Tianlong Mountain is world-renowned primarily for its Buddhist grottoes, totaling 25 in number. Though modest in count, they span nearly five centuries, including works from the Eastern Wei, Northern Qi, Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties periods, making it one of China’s top ten famous grottoes.

Tianlong Mountain features undulating peaks and murmuring springs. It is cool and serene in summer, with icefalls and snow-dusted pines in winter, while its pines and cypresses remain evergreen all year round. Birds and beasts thrive in the mountains. The climate is refreshing and elegantly pristine. From its heights, the entire city of Taiyuan unfolds beneath your gaze.

Tianlong Mountain Scenic Area, at an elevation of 1,700 meters, boasts rolling peaks and verdant ancient pines and cypresses, and is a provincial-level key cultural relic protection site. Historically, it served as the summer retreat palace of Emperor Gao Huan of the Northern Qi Dynasty. The temple complex includes structures such as the Mahavira Hall, meditation courtyard, Nine-Lotus Cave, bell tower, and Medicine Scripture Hall. Most famed are the Buddhist grotto statues of Tianlong Mountain and the Taoist grottoes—the Longshan Grottoes. The climate of the Longshan Scenic Area is similar to that of the nearby Jin Temple (located 10 kilometers northwest of the Jin Temple scenic area), with significant daily temperature variations, occasional dry and windy conditions, yet an elegant environment and cool weather. This scenic area, developed in recent years by Taiyuan City, offers exceptional sightseeing and touring value. The roads from the urban area to the scenic spot are wide and flat, providing great convenience. A variety of other services (mainly dining) are convenient and affordable, catering well to visitors’ needs.

Tourism Resources

Entering the park and following the road westward leads you to Tianlong Mountain National Forest Park

The pine forest grows denser, the slope below steep and rugged with a vast sea of woods, while the slope above is gently inclined, with rolling pine waves stretching endlessly in all directions. Walking amidst them feels like entering a fairyland. As you pass through—still lingering on the sound of the pine waves—your view suddenly opens up to reveal the summit of Tianlong Mountain. This mountaintop platform spans nearly 200 acres, covered with emerald-green wild grass that resembles a carpet spread across the land. At the summit of myriad peaks, a majestic and steep peak rises abruptly to the north, while sheer cliffs and the Great Buddha Grottoes lie hidden to the south. Looking down, the ancient Shengshou Temple is nestled within the forest, and in the distance, “Dingfeng Duzhi” (The Solitary Peak Stands Alone) and “Liuzhi Qishi” (Liu Zhi’s Banner Stone) stand on the southern hills. Truly, the platform is crowned overhead, encircled by pines, presenting a captivating scene.

On the shady slope of Xianglu Peak in the southern part of Tianlong Mountain, there is a natural forest of Masson pines. The trees take on a myriad of shapes, creating a spectacular sight—some as if reaching down to scoop the moon, others bowing in reverence to the Buddha, some like eagles soaring through the sky, and others like two dragons in combat. Gathered together, they resemble dragons each possessing unique skills, forming a truly magnificent spectacle. A poem praises: “Alone in the misty woods, no laughter is heard; competing in beauty are the verdant pines.”

Tianlong Mountain is divided into two peaks: the eastern peak called “Xiandang Mountain” and the western peak named “Dafo Mountain.” The two peaks face each other, each with its own distinctive charm. The fault-line cliffs are clearly layered, resembling a naturally formed ink painting. On the steep mountainsides of the eastern and western peaks, grottoes of varying sizes and heights are distributed, which from afar look like carved windows of jeweled towers and pavilions. The Tianlong Mountain grottoes include works from nearly five centuries, including the Eastern Wei and Northern Qi of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, as well as the Sui, Tang, and Five Dynasties periods. There are over 500 identifiable damaged stone Buddha statues of various sizes, along with 1,144 reliefs, caisson ceilings, and murals.

Travel Guide

Food

Located at the intersection of Fudong Street in Taiyuan City, the Food Street is a great place to sample local snacks. This several-hundred-meter-long street is lined with classic Chinese-style antique buildings, filled with various restaurants and taverns, including dumpling shops, liangpi (cold noodle) stores, and shaomai (steamed dumpling) shops. In the snack forest on Mishijie Street, you’ll find steaming varieties of nourishing porridge, neatly arranged roujiamo (Chinese hamburger) and meat-filled pastries in willow and rattan baskets, tempting your appetite. In the morning, at Qingheyuan Restaurant on Qiaotou Street, you can try the authentic “Tounao” (a traditional breakfast dish).

Accommodation

Tianlong Mountain Villa was completed in July 1993. The villa covers an area of 3,000 square meters, with a construction area of 800 square meters. It has more than ten guest rooms. Auxiliary facilities such as a conference hall, restaurant, and game room are all available. Staying at the villa, you greet the morning sun and enjoy mountain views in the evening. Drinking the holy water of Longquan regularly is said to cure ailments and refresh the spirit.

Transportation

Take bus 308 (formerly route 8) from the train station to the Jin Temple, then transfer to a tourist minibus to Tianlong Mountain, which will take you directly to the mountaintop. Typically, you can fully enjoy the scenery within a few hours. If you wish to continue experiencing the morning dew and evening breezes, you can stay at Tianlong Mountain Villa.

Jinci Town: A town under the jurisdiction of Taiyuan City’s Nansha District. Established as the Jinci Commune in 1958 and upgraded to a town in 1984. Located in the southwestern part of the district, it is 10.8 kilometers from the district government. Covering an area of 74.4 square kilometers with a population of 27,000, it administers 29 village committees including Jinci, Suocun, Dongyuan, Changxiang, Nanda Temple, Beida Temple, Huata, Chiqiao, Xizhen, Yangjia Village, Xiaozhan, Xiaozhan Ying, Wangguo, Nanzhang Village, Xinzhuang, Dongzhuang, Dongzhuang Ying, Wanhuabao, Sanjia Village, Yezhuang, Niujia Kou, Qingyang River, Yaotou, Xiashi, Wujiayu, Sanquantou, Wupo, Mingma, and Xinjian Village. Crops include wheat, corn... More detailed information about Jinci Town ++