World Natural Heritage World Geopark The First National Forest Park of China
Mountain Hengshan, The South Great Mount, is one of the five great mountains in China. Located in Heangyang City, Hunan Province. The mountain has 72 peaks, stretching 400 km, with the lofty peaks, grand and magnificant temples.
Mountain Hengshan, The Great Mountain of the South, is known as one of the five great mountains in China. Located in Hengyang City, Hunan Province, the mountain has 72 peaks, stretching 400 km, along with, grand and magnificent temples. The highest peak, Zhurong peak, stands 1,300.2 meters above sea level. The mountain has been reputed as "The most elegant mountain among the five great mountains in China", "A sacred place of religious value","China's mountain of Long-Life" and "A mountain of high civilization" Hengshan is now a key site at the national level, being one of the first 5-A tourist resorts in China, and deemed noteworthy by China's natural reserves foundation, the Chinese Natural & Civilization Heritage. The mountain is visited by 3 million tourists annually.
The Mountain is the known as most elegant among the five mountains in China, featuring dense trees, flowing springs and waterfalls, together forming a beautiful landscape. The scenery can change dramatically with the seasons. Tourists can enjoy rare flowers in the spring, a sea of clouds in the summer, the beautiful sunrises in the fall, and snow-capped peaks in the winter.
Apart from its scenery, what marks the mountain as a popular tourist spot is its rich cultural background; with its numerous places of historic interest and scenic beauty, as well as a great number of Taoist and Buddhist temples. It is the only mountain in the world where monks of Buddhist and Taoist followings share the same mountain, as well as the same temples.
Mount Hengshan is also regarded as a source of long-life. The Scripture of Stars, found in the ancient text Chronicles of Sui Dynasty, describes the corresponding star of Mount Hengshan, the Great Mountain of the South, as a part Zhen, one of the Twenty-eight Constellations. Alongside the Changsha Star, Zhen is in charge of administrating human life. Due to its cosmological history, Mount Hengshan is known as the Mountain of Life. Also according to the explanation of the word "Mountain of Life" in the "Origin of Words", “The mountain of life' refers to-Mount Hengshan, The Great Mountain of the South”. This explains Mount Hengshan's alternate name, “China's Mountain of Long-Life”.
