# Maoshan Mountain (茅山)

Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province · East China, China · Guidebook rating: 4/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/maoshan-mountain
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** Peak season: ¥100, with sightseeing shuttle ¥35; off-season: ¥80, with sightseeing shuttle ¥25
- **Opening hours:** 07:30-17:00
- **Time needed:** 1 day
- **Address:** Maoshan Town, Jurong, Zhenjiang
- **Getting there:** Tourist shuttle buses depart from the Huangshan Passenger Transport Station (黄山客运公用站) in Zhenjiang, five departures daily. Direct long-distance buses to Maoshan also leave from Gate 12 at Changzhou Bus Station. From either Zhenjiang or Changzhou, take a bus to Jurong, then a local bus to Maoshan. Bus services are more frequent on this route.
- **Good for:** History & Culture, Architecture, Temples, Nature

## About Maoshan Mountain

The name “Maoshan Taoists” is known at home and abroad, with lineages passed down in Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and other countries, a rare feat in the history of Chinese Daoism. Setting aside the many famous Daoist priests who cultivated here and the calligraphy left by generations of scholars and poets, the chance to glimpse the sacred light on the summit of Maoshan, the “Heavenly Lantern” (天灯), is reason enough to visit.

## Tips from the guidebook

- 1. Gesture of worship: Maoshan is a famous Daoist mountain, and the gesture for paying respects to deities differs from that used at Buddhist sites. Generally, the left hand goes on top, with the right hand gripping the left thumb. Clasp both hands together, kneel, and bow with your hands raised to eyebrow level.
- 2. Touch the character 福: The Yuanfu Wanning Palace (元符万宁宫) has eight characters inscribed, four on each side, and one of them is 福 (fú, “blessing”). Be sure to touch it on your way down the mountain. It is said to bring good fortune home with you.
- 3. Best time to visit: From the 24th day of the 12th lunar month to the 18th day of the 3rd lunar month the following year, Maoshan hosts Daoist temple fairs with daily ritual activities. The 25th day of the 2nd lunar month, the 18th day of the 3rd lunar month and the 3rd day of the 10th lunar month are commemorative days, when large numbers of pilgrims come.
- 4. Fortune sticks: Temples offer fortune-stick drawing at ¥20 per stick. Interpretation is usually free, but if you draw the top-top lot (上上签), it is customary to give the interpreter a tip (喜钱).

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Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 1059. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
Site: China Trip (https://cnatrip.com) — independent China travel guide in 13 languages.