Wudang Mountains travel guide
武当山
Everyone is familiar with Wudang martial arts, which have long been woven into legends and folk traditions. Jin Yong, in particular, popularised the saying “the Shaolin in the north,…
9 places · In the guidebook: pages 2049–2057
Wudang Mountains, Hubei Province · AI illustration for China Trip
Quick itinerary
Wudang Mountains in 2 days
- Day 1
- Yuxu Palace→
- Mozhen Well→
- Taizipo→
- Xiaoyao Valley→
- Zixiao Palace→
- Wuya Ridge (overnight)
- Day 2
- Wuya Ridge→
- South Heaven Gate→
- Nanyan Palace→
- Xuandi Hall→
- Liangyi Hall→
- Baibu Ladder→
- Chaotian Palace→
- Golden Summit
The feel of the place
- Wudang Martial Arts
- Everyone is familiar with Wudang martial arts, which have long been woven into legends and folk traditions. Jin Yong, in particular, popularised the saying “the Shaolin in the north, the Wudang in the south.” Who can forget Zhang Sanfeng, the centenarian founder of the Wudang school in *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Sabre*, whose otherworldly bearing and every move brought all the sects to submission?
- Daoist Sacred Mountain
- Wudang Mountain has remained the national centre of Daoism. It is praised as “the four great famous mountains all bow in homage, the five directional immortal peaks all face its palace.” It became a model for the construction of Daoist sacred mountains, and the temple architecture and overall layout of Qiyun Mountain in Anhui and Kongtong Mountain in Gansu clearly show traces of imitation of Wudang.
Avoid Heavy Rain
If you are caught in heavy rain on Wudang Mountain, take shelter. Heavy rain and thunderstorms often occur together: heavy rain can trigger mudslides, and thunderstorms can produce ground lightning that may injure people.
Preparation and Enquiries
Climate and Best Time to Visit
Wudang Mountain has a pronounced vertical climate, with temperatures dropping as altitude rises. The mountain is divided into three climate zones. The upper zone, from Chaotian Palace to the Golden Summit, lies at 1,200–1,600 m with an annual average temperature of 8.5°C. The middle zone, from Zixiao Palace to Chaotian Palace, lies at 750–1,200 m with an annual average of 12°C. The lower zone, below 750 m around Taizi Slope and Wudangshan Town, has an annual average of 15.9°C. The mountain can be visited in spring, summer and autumn, and summer is an excellent escape from the heat.
Things to see
Dawn Clearing over Heavenly Pillar · Tides of Land and Sea
Yuxu Palace
1 hour · Free
Yuxu Palace, full name “Xuantian Yuxu Palace,” is one of the largest palaces in the Wudang Mountains complex. Yuxu Palace was built in 1413. Surviving structures and ruins include two brick palace walls, two stele pavilions standing face to face on terraces before the gate, and the ruins of the East, West, and North Heavenly Gates outside the palace. Though only remnants of buildings and ruins, they retain a strong power to move, and are well worth seeing.
Wudang Mountain Scenic Area
Ticket A ¥264 (Golden Summit + Zixiao Palace + admission + shuttle); Ticket B ¥243 (Golden Summit + admission + shuttle); Ticket C ¥216 (admission + shuttle)
Taihe Palace
Separated from the Golden Hall by a single wall, Taihe Palace sits atop Tianzhu Peak, the highest peak of Wudang Mountain. It is the supreme sacred realm of Wudang and the necessary route to the Golden Hall. Only after visiting Taihe Palace can you truly say you have been to Wudang. Historically the palace was vast, but today only the main hall, the worship hall, the bell and drum towers, the Bronze Hall, and the Zhuanyun Hall survive.
1–2 hours
Taizipo
Laid out according to the story of Prince Zhenwu cultivating immortality in the *Zhenwu Scripture*, Taizipo was built in 1412 and is one of the larger building complexes on Wudang Mountain. The gate lintel bears the inscription “Taizipo” (Prince's Slope). Past the gate, a cloud wall about 500 m long is built along the mountainside, winding and undulating with the terrain. The highest point is the Prince Hall, which houses a statue of Zhenwu as a child. In front of the hall is a viewing gallery, the perfect vantage point for the Golden Summit. Amid the clouds, you can savour the sense of “people returning from the heavens.”
1–2 hours
Nanyan Palace
Nanyan's peaks are steep and strange, with lush green forests that rise toward the clouds and drop to deep gorges. It is a place of endless scenery on dangerous heights, and it is widely considered the most beautiful of the 36 cliffs of Wudang Mountain.
1–2 hours
Zixiao Palace
Built in 1413, this palace is one of the best-preserved temple complexes on Wudang Mountain. Zixiao Palace serves as the office of the Wudang Taoist Association, and each year on the third day of the third lunar month and the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, it hosts celebrations and Daoist rituals.
1–2 hours
Golden Hall
Built in 1416, the Golden Hall is one of the largest existing bronze hall structures with gilded surfaces in China. Commonly known as the “Golden Summit,” the entire building is assembled from gilded bronze components. During heavy rain, when thunder and lightning strike, glowing balls of light roll around the hall, yet the thunderbolts never damage it. This phenomenon is known as “Fire Tempering the Hall.”
1 hour
Qiongtai Temple
The Three Qiongtai Temples are White Jade Turtle Terrace, Purple Peak Qiongtai, and Jade Music Xiao Terrace. Twenty-four Daoist courtyards lie between them, connected by pavilions and bridges, which gives rise to the saying that when you walk between the three temples, “you cannot see the sky when you go out, and your shoes stay dry in the rain.”
1 hour
Getting there & around
Getting There
By Air
Shiyan Wudang Mountain Airport opened in 2016. It is about 15 km from Shiyan city centre and about 25 km from the Wudang Mountain scenic area.
By Rail
From Wuhan, take a train to Wudangshan Railway Station (Liuliping) and get off there. Trains also run from Wudangshan Station to major cities including Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Chongqing, Chengdu, Xi'an and Zhengzhou.
By Road
Most travellers change buses in Shiyan. An expressway runs from Shiyan to Wudangshan Town, about 30 km or half an hour's drive. Buses run from Wudang Mountain to Shiyan every 10 minutes, and to Xiangyang every half hour. There are also long-distance services from Wudang Mountain to major cities across China.
Eat & drink
The Wudang Mountains area is known mainly for Hubei cuisine, with a specialty in wild vegetables and skilled preparation of mountain game birds. Vegetarian dishes combine the essence of both Buddhist and Daoist cooking and emphasise natural flavours.
In summer, Wudangshan Town has many street stalls serving local specialties. The crayfish is particularly good, and cold pot fish is also famous. Prices are reasonable.
Taihe Palace serves vegetarian banquets, ¥200–300 per table
Wudang Mountain's “Taoist Vegetarian Cuisine”
- ¥
- Zixiao Palace vegetarian meals: banquet, ¥200 per table; open-seating water-course meal, ¥20 per person.
Where to stay
If you want to stay on the mountain, you can go straight to Crow Ridge (Wuya Ling), which has plenty of accommodation. However, guesthouses in Wudang Mountain Town at the foot of the mountain are much cheaper and offer much better facilities.
Wudang Mountain Hotel
Wudang Mountain Hotel- Address:
- No. 33 Yongle Road, Wudang Mountain Special Tourism Economic Zone
- Phone:
- 0719-5665548
Tianlu Resort
Tianlu Resort- Address:
- 100 meters east of Zixiao Palace, Wudang Mountain
- Phone:
- 0719-5689999
Day trips & beyond
Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), pp. 2049–2057. Translated from the Chinese edition; names and prices follow the guidebook. · Plain text version