Mount Heng (Nanyue Hengshan) travel guide

Hengyang is an important railway transfer hub in southern China, and reaching Mount Heng requires changing trains in Hengyang, so it is also the key transfer point for visiting the mountain. In terms of transport, the train is convenient for visitors from every direction. You can alight at Hengyang, Hengshan or Zhuzhou railway stations, then change to a bus to reach Nanyue District (formerly Nanyue Town), and from there transfer to a bus up to Mount Heng.

Several major north–south trunk lines, including the Beijing–Guangzhou and Zhejiang–Jiangxi lines, meet at Hengyang, so the train is one of the more convenient ways to reach Mount Heng.

From Changsha South, you can also take a high-speed train to Hengshan West Station. The second-class seat fare is ¥64.5 and the journey takes 29 minutes.

From Changsha: Take the Changsha–Nanyue tourist bus from the railway station directly to the Nanyue scenic area. Alternatively, take a city bus from the railway station to Changsha South Long-Distance Bus Station, then board the Changsha–Nanyue tourist bus there. Fare: ¥46. Journey time: about 150 minutes.

From Hengyang: Take a city bus from the railway station square to the Central Bus Station and get off there. From here, take a tourist bus to the Nanyue scenic area. Fare: ¥15; journey time: 45–60 minutes. Chartered car: ¥100–150.

Visitors who arrive by train at Hengyang, Hengshan or Zhuzhou railway stations can change to a bus for Nanyue District. There is a road up the mountain, so from the foot of the mountain you can take a tourist shuttle or a tourist taxi to Banshan Pavilion or Mojing Terrace.

Hengshan West High-Speed Railway Station has a dedicated tourist line to Nanyue; the fare is ¥18. From the railway station to Nanyue on the tourist line, the fare is ¥10. From Nanyue Bus Station you can take Bus No. 3, which is free.

As a famous Buddhist mountain, Nanyue naturally specializes in vegetarian cuisine. The main ingredients of its vegetarian feasts include Xiang lotus, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and red and white radishes, all local mountain delicacies. Even without tasting the vegetarian dishes of Mount Heng, the names alone are remarkable: “One Fragrance,” “Twice Plum,” “Three-Fresh Soup,” “Four Seasons Clear,” “Five Lamps Gathering,” “Six Sons Lotus,” “Seven-Storey Tower,” “Eight Great Bowls,” “Nine As You Wish,” and “Ten Scenes.” The presentations are equally refined: “Auspicious as You Wish,” “Pure as Ice and Jade,” and “All Is Empty.”

The Nanyue district at the foot of the mountain is the main centre for food and lodging. Visitors can eat, rest and buy sightseeing maps here. There are also many hotels and guesthouses on the mountain. Nanyue Hotel at Mojing Terrace and Nanyue Mountain Villa halfway up the slopes are both good places to stay.

Cloud and Mist Tea is a specialty of Mount Heng. Nanyue yanjun mushrooms are another well-known local product: fresh mushrooms are fried until cooked, then stored in a jar with a little tea oil to make a mushroom oil, which is used in cooking to give dishes a delightful aroma. Gaipai porcelain is another Nanyue specialty worth considering as a souvenir.