Wudang Museum武当博物馆

Type

Museums

Location

China · Hubei · Danjiangkou, Shiyan · Within the Wudang Mountains Scenic Area; exact address and opening year not clearly recorded in public sources

School

Wudang Daoism, Quanzhen (Complete Perfection) Daoism

First built

No clear publicly recorded opening date · The Wudang Mountains were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 17 December 1994; fifty-three ancient buildings survive.

Heritage status

UNESCO World Heritage Site: Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains (1994)

Overview

The Wudang Museum, located in the Wudang Mountains Scenic Area in Hubei, is devoted to Wudang Daoism and the cult of Zhenwu. Since the Tang and Song, the Wudang Mountains have been a ritual center for Zhenwu (the Dark Emperor of Heaven); under the Yongle reign of the Ming, large-scale construction formed a vast architectural complex centered on the Golden Hall, Zixiao Palace, Nanyan Palace and Yuxu Palace — the pinnacle of imperial Daoist building projects in premodern China; fifty-three ancient buildings survive today, and the complex was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 17 December 1994. Buildings listed in successive batches as Major Historical and Cultural Sites Protected at the National Level include the Golden Hall (1961), Zixiao Palace (1982), the "Zhishi Xuanyue" stone memorial archway (1988), Nanyan Palace (1996) and the site of Yuxu Palace (2001). The museum displays the temple architecture of the Wudang Mountains across successive dynasties, ritual implements commissioned by the Ming imperial court, images of Zhenwu, gold dragons and jade tablets, and artifacts related to Wudang martial arts. The Wudang Mountains Taoist College was established in 2008. No clear public record has been found of the museum's founding year, exact address, coordinates or official website; these should be verified on site or with the managing authority. See the separate entry for the parent site, "Wudang Mountains," and the entries for its individual temples.

Highlights

• Devoted to Wudang Daoism and the cult of Zhenwu
• Ritual implements and images commissioned by the Ming imperial court
• The Wudang Mountains ancient architectural complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
• Opening year yet to be confirmed