Lingyun Mountain 凌云山

About Lingyun Mountain

The area's surrounding peaks form landforms popularly likened to the 'Four Sacred Beasts' of traditional fengshui geomancy, which the source reports experts and scholars call a living specimen of Chinese fengshui geography; the natural peaks of Baishan and Mayanshan also form two 'sleeping Buddha' formations, 2 km and 1.5 km long.

Since the Han and Tang dynasties, Taoist structures built on Lingyun Mountain have included Xuantian Guan, Laojun Ge, Sanqing Dian, Zhenwu Gong, Yuanjun Dian, Zushi Dian and Cihang Dian, while the adjoining Baishan holds Buddhist halls including the Mahavira Hall, Jinguang Dian, Huaguang Dian and Guanyin Dian. Historically, the Taoist masters Yuan Tiangang, Li Chunfeng and Zhang Sanfeng are said to have practiced in the mountain's Taoist temples, and the Tang-dynasty Chan master Wuxiang and his disciple Keyou are said to have practiced and died at Baishan Temple, around which more than 20 cliff tombs and relic pagodas survive today.

The scenic area is organized into three zones — the Lingyun Mountain Taoist Culture Tour Zone, the Baishan Buddhist Culture Tour Zone, and the Tushan Confucian Culture Tour Zone — and between 2006 and 2009 was rated a national AAAA tourist area, a national forest park, a provincial geological park, and a provincial cultural-industry demonstration base.

What to look for

• the Taoist halls on Lingyun Mountain, including Sanqing Dian and Zhenwu Gong
• the Buddhist halls on adjoining Baishan, including the Mahavira Hall and Guanyin Dian
• the natural 'sleeping Buddha' formations of Baishan and Mayanshan
• the more than 20 cliff tombs and relic pagodas around Baishan Temple

Location & getting there

Getting to Lingyun Mountain

Check weather, trail access and the last return service. A mountain or forest area is not one entrance, and a map’s central pin may be far from the trailhead.

• Search for 凌云山 with 南充市 and 高坪区.