PLACE GUIDE

Tianzhu Mountain 天柱山

Tianzhu Shan

Tianzhu’s main peak rises like a stone pillar above granite ridges, boulder passages and forest.

Pale granite peaks and wooded slopes of Tianzhu Mountain, Anhui. Photographed on 2 January 2010.
Pale granite peaks and wooded slopes of Tianzhu Mountain, Anhui. Photographed on 2 January 2010. · JtWang · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo adjustments

Proportionally resized and converted to WebP without cropping, retouching or changing the photographed subject.

Explore the region

Anhui · 安徽省 →Anqing · 安庆市 →

About Tianzhu Mountain

Mystery Valley gives the rocks an enclosed scale, with gaps and cave-like passages beneath fallen blocks. Higher paths open towards the main peak and surrounding ridges, while Liandan Lake adds a quieter basin within the mountain. Select an open circuit around these features; their presence on the same mountain does not make every combination suitable for a short or easy walk.

The mountain takes its name from its main peak, which resembles a pillar propping up the sky. In the Spring and Autumn period the area was the fief of the state of Wan, giving the mountain the name Wan Shan (皖山) and the source of Anhui's abbreviation 'Wan' (皖). In 106 BC Emperor Wu of Han moved the Nanyue (南岳) sacrificial rites here from Heng Shan and made it a secondary Nanyue peak, a status later revoked under the Sui dynasty.

The mountain stands where the southern foot of the Dabie Mountains meets the middle and lower Yangtze plain, containing one of China's largest ultra-high-pressure metamorphic belts, with a distinctive granite landscape of unusual peaks, rocks, secluded caves and canyons. The scenic area covers 333 square kilometres, with a core zone of 82.46 square kilometres, and forest cover there reaches 97 percent.

Both Buddhism and Daoism treat the mountain as sacred ground: it ranks as the fourteenth of the Daoist system's thirty-six grotto-heavens, and Shangu Temple (山谷寺), now Sanzu Temple (三祖寺), flourished there during the Southern Liang and is now a National Key Temple (全国重点寺庙). The area was named among the first National Key Scenic Areas (国家级重点风景名胜区), rated a national 5A tourist attraction (国家5A级旅游景区) in 2011, and admitted as a UNESCO Global Geopark that year.

What to look for

  • Mystery Valley’s maze of boulders and sheltered rock passages.
  • Views towards Tianzhu Peak and the mountain basin of Liandan Lake.

Background & history

Tianzhu Mountain or Mount Tianzhu (Chinese: 天柱山; pinyin: Tiānzhù Shān; lit. 'Heaven pillar mount') is a mountain in Anhui, China. Tianzhu Mountain is also called Mount Wan (Chinese: 皖山; pinyin: Wǎn Shān), from which the provincial abbreviation for Anhui (Wan) derives. Ancient names of the mountain include Mount Huo (霍山), Mount Heng (衡山) (not to be confused with Mount Heng in Hunan Province), and Taiyue (太岳). The mountain is located in Qianshan County, Anqing. Tianzhu Mountain has 45 peaks over 1000 meters above sea level. Its highest point has an elevation of 1,760 meters (5,774 ft). There are two paths to reach the top, from the east and from the west; the western path is the easier one.

Excerpt from Wikipedia: Mount Tianzhu · Wikipedia contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0. Selected introductory sentences; formatting simplified. Background information, not current visitor-service advice.

Location & getting there

Getting to Tianzhu Mountain

Use the Chazhuang visitor centre on the Tianzhu Mountain approach in Qianshan, then arrange the scenic transfer serving your selected trail or cableway. Confirm the ascent and descent together before leaving the visitor area.

General visit reminders

Allow room for the terrain and weather when choosing your route. Check the operator’s current trail, shuttle and cableway notices where applicable, and confirm the return connection before setting out. A broad landscape pin does not identify every trailhead or access point.

Combine your visit

A suggested sequence linking the specific features of this visit.

  1. Mystery Valley

    Explore the enclosed passages formed between large granite blocks.

  2. Tianzhu Peak viewing section

    See the pillar-like main peak from the designated mountain route.

  3. Liandan Lake

    Add the lake basin if included in the chosen circuit.

This order is editorial. Confirm access and any transfers between stops; it does not establish a walking route, same-day connection or common admission ticket.

AI illustration: AI illustration: weathered granite grains; general detail, not an actual photograph.
AI illustration · AI 示意图（景观类型参考，非实拍） · 花岗岩颗粒与风化裂隙 — A general visiting detail, not an exact view of this place.
Mountains & forests · 山岳／森林 →

Find Tianzhu Mountain

天柱山 · 安徽省安庆市潜山市天柱山路27号茶庄游客中心

Amap · 高德地图Approximate pin · 近似位置Apple Maps · 苹果地图

The pin marks the area, not the entrance.

More places nearby

Approximate straight-line distances between map pins, not travel distances.

Tongcheng Confucian Temple 桐城文庙

59 km away

Tongcheng’s Confucian temple preserves the orderly sequence of an institution combining ritual and education. A pool and ceremonial bridge lead towards Dacheng Hall, with side ranges enclosing the courtyards. Minglun Hall…

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Yingjiang Temple 迎江寺

62 km away

Yingjiang Temple’s halls and Zhenfeng Pagoda mark Anqing’s Yangtze waterfront. The seven-storey, octagonal pagoda is the clearest external landmark, with projecting eaves breaking up its brick-and-wood form. Inside the temple…

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Tiantangzhai 天堂寨

79 km away

Tiantangzhai straddles the Dabie Mountains’ divide between the Huai and Yangtze drainage systems. On the Anhui side, waterfalls and forested valleys provide a clear focus: Jiuying Waterfall is one named stop in the cascade area…

View guide →

Sources & visit information

The sources below support the place-specific description and arrival information. Suggested combinations are editorial planning ideas; confirm current opening, entry arrangements and transport services for your date.

Visitor information adapted and edited from Wikipedia contributors, “天柱山” · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 90907051.

Background paragraphs translated and condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "天柱山", Chinese Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 90907051.

Background paragraphs condensed from Wikipedia contributors, "Mount Tianzhu", English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0. Source revision 1369585207.

China Revealed · Editorially updated 2026-10-07