Mount Heng (Hengshan, Northern Peak)北岳恒山
- Type
- Daoist Sacred Mountains
- Location
- China · Shanxi · Hunyuan, Datong · South of Hunyuan County town; the main peak, Tianfeng Ridge, rises to 2,016.1 meters
- Coordinates
- 39.671, 113.73 Map ↗
- School
- Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) Daoism, Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) Daoism
- First built
- Sacrificial rites already existed in the Han dynasty · Sacrifice to the Northern Peak moved from Quyang, Hebei, to Hunyuan in the Ming–Qing transition; fifth of the Thirty-six Lesser Grotto-Heavens, the "Zongxuan Grotto-Heaven"
- Heritage status
- Xuankong Temple (Hanging Temple): Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (1982)Architectural Complex of Mount Heng (Hengshan, Northern Peak): Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level (2013)National Scenic Area (1982)
Overview
Mount Heng is the Northern Peak, anciently called Changshan or Xuanyue. From the Han to the Ming, sacrifices to the Northern Peak were mostly performed at Beiyue Temple in Quyang, Hebei; in the 17th year of the Shunzhi era of the Qing (1660), the sacrifice was formally transferred to Mount Heng at Hunyuan, Shanxi. Daoist tradition on Mount Heng is of long standing; Zhang Guolao is said to have withdrawn here to cultivate, and the mountain preserves sites such as Guolao Ridge and Feishi Grotto. The mountain's principal temples include Beiyue Temple (Zhenyuan Hall, built during the Hongzhi era of the Ming), Huixian Mansion, Chunyang Palace, Jiutian Palace, Qingong (Sleeping Hall), and Baiyun Hall, most of them built along the cliffs on either side of Ciyaokou. The Hanging Temple (Xuankong Si) on the western cliff of Jinlong Gorge, first built in the late Northern Wei, enshrines Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism together in its "Hall of the Three Teachings," a rare example of cliffside architecture. Mount Heng is listed as the fifth of the Daoist Thirty-six Lesser Grotto-Heavens, the "Zongxuan Grotto-Heaven."
Highlights
- Beiyue Temple, Mount Heng
- Hall of the Three Teachings, Hanging Temple
- Huixian Mansion
- Guolao Ridge
- Feishi Grotto