TheSacred Mountains of China are divided into several groups. TheFive Great Mountains (simplified Chinese:五岳;traditional Chinese:五嶽;pinyin:Wǔyuè) refers to five of the most renowned mountains in Chinese history,[1] which have been the subjects of imperial pilgrimage by emperors throughout ages. They are associated with thesupreme God of Heaven and thefive main cosmic deities oftraditional Chinese religion. The group associated withBuddhism is referred to as theFour Sacred Mountains of Buddhism (四大佛教名山;Sì dà fójiào míngshān), and the group associated withTaoism is referred to as theFour Sacred Mountains of Taoism (四大道教名山;Sì dà dàojiào míngshān).
The sacred mountains have all been important destinations for pilgrimage, the Chinese term for pilgrimage (朝圣;朝聖;cháoshèng) being a shortened version of an expression which means "paying respect to a holy mountain" (朝拜圣山;朝拜聖山;cháobài shèng shān).
TheFive Great orSacred Mountains are arranged according to the fivecardinal directions of Chinesegeomancy, which includes the center as a direction. The grouping of the five mountains appeared during theWarring States period (475–221 BC),[3] and the termWuyue ("Five Summits") was made popular during the reign of theWu Emperor of theHan dynasty (140–87 BC).[1] InChinese traditional religion they have cosmological and theological significance as the representation, on the physical plane of earth, of the ordered world emanating from the God of Heaven (Shangdi orTian), inscribing the Chinese territory as an altar (壇,tán), equivalent to the Indo-Buddhistmandala.
The five mountains are among the best-known natural landmarks in Chinese history and, since the early periods in Chinese history, they have been the ritual sites ofimperial worship andsacrifice.[4] In Chinese legend, thefirst sovereigns and emperors of China went on excursions or formed processions to the summits of the Five Great Mountains. Every visit took place at the same time of the year. The excursions were hunting trips and ended in ritual offerings to the reigning god.
Historical emperors, starting with theFirst Emperor of theQin, formalized these expeditions and incorporated them into state ritual. With every new dynasty, the new emperor hurried to the Five Great Mountains in order to lay claim to his newly acquired domains. Despite unavoidable interruptions, this imperial custom was preserved until the end of the last dynasty, when, after the fall of theQing dynasty in 1911,Yuan Shikai had himself crowned as emperor at theTemple of Heaven inBeijing. But just to be safe, he also made an offer to the god of the northernMount Heng.
In the 2000sformal sacrifices both inConfucian andTaoist styles have been resumed. The Five Great Mountains have become places of pilgrimage where hundreds of pilgrims gather in temples and caves. Although the Five Great Mountains are not traditionally canonized as having any exclusive religious affiliations, many of them have a strong Taoist presence,[4] thus the five mountains are also grouped by some as part of the "Sacred Taoist Mountains".[5] There are also various Buddhist temples and Confucian academies built on these mountains.
Alternatively, these mountains are sometimes referred to by the respective directions: the "Northern Great Mountain" (北岳;北嶽;Běi Yuè), "Southern Great Mountain" (南岳;南嶽;Nán Yuè), "Eastern Great Mountain" (东岳;東嶽;Dōng Yuè), "Western Great Mountain" (西岳;西嶽;Xī Yuè), and "Central Great Mountain" (中岳;中嶽;Zhōng Yuè).
According to Chinese mythology, the Five Great Mountains originated from the body ofPangu, the first being and the creator of the world. Because of its eastern location, Mount Tai is associated with the rising sun which signifies birth and renewal. Due to this interpretation, it is often regarded as the most sacred of the mountains. In accordance with its special position, Mount Tai has been considered to have been formed out of Pangu's head. Mount Heng in Hunan from his right arm, Mount Heng in Shanxi from his left arm, Mount Song from his belly, and Mount Hua from his feet.[6][7]
In ancient times mountains were places of authority and fear, ruled by dark forces and faithfully worshipped. One reason for such worship was the value of the mountains to human existence as a spring of welfare and fertility, as the birthplace of rivers, as a place where herbs and medicinal plants grew and as a source of materials to build houses and tools. A basic element of Taoist thought was, and still is, an intuitive feeling of connectedness with nature. As early as the fourth century, the Taoists presented the high priests with the 180 precepts of Lord Lao for how to live a good and honest life. Twenty of these precepts focused explicitly on the conservation of nature, while many other precepts were indirectly aimed at preventing the destruction of nature. Respect for nature has been a key component ofTaoism from the very outset and, in its own right, explains why the Five Great Mountains are considered sacred. In addition, Taoists consider mountains as a means of communication between heaven and earth and as the place where immortality can be found. The sanctity of the Five Great Mountains is the reason why even today these mountains still host an exceptional diversity of plants, trees and animal species.[citation needed]
"Grand" or "Exalted Mountain" (泰山)Shandong, 1,545 m (5,069 ft)36°15′N117°06′E / 36.250°N 117.100°E /36.250; 117.100This mountain is associated withFeng Shan and by extension theMandate of Heaven and life or death, being the most important of all the mountains
"Splendid Mountain" (华山;華山),Shaanxi, 2,154 m (7,067 ft)34°29′N110°05′E / 34.483°N 110.083°E /34.483; 110.083
"Balancing" or "Balanced Mountain" (衡山),Hunan, 1,290 m (4,230 ft)27°15′17″N112°39′21″E / 27.254798°N 112.655743°E /27.254798; 112.655743
"Permanent Mountain" (恒山;恆山), Shanxi, 2,017 m (6,617 ft)39°40′26″N113°44′08″E / 39.67389°N 113.73556°E /39.67389; 113.73556
In the course of history, there had been more than one location with the designation for Mount Heng, the North Great Mountain.
The Great Northern Mountain was designated on the original Mount Heng with the main peak known as Mount Damao (大茂山) today, located at the intersection of present-dayFuping County,Laiyuan County andTang County in Hebei province.
Mount Heng was renamed Mount Chang (常山) to avoid the taboo of sharing the same personal name asEmperor Wen of Han. The appellations Heng and Chang were used extensively in the past to name various districts in the region, such as Changshan Prefecture (常山郡), Hengshan Prefecture (恒山郡), and Hengzhou (恒州).
While it was customary of the ethnic Han emperors to order rites to be performed regularly to honour the Five Great Mountains, the location of the original Mount Heng meant that for much of the eras of fragmentation, the region was either under non-Han rulers or a contested area. The shrines built to perform the rites were neglected and damaged from time and natural disasters. The decline was especially acute after the overthrow of the Yuan dynasty when the local population fell sharply after the wars.
This created opportunities for Ming dynasty officials who were natives ofShanxi to spread rumours that the spirit of Mount Heng had abandoned the original location and settled on Xuanwu Mountain inHunyuan County inShanxi. Between the reigns ofEmperor Hongzhi andEmperor Wanli, they kept petitioning the emperors to declare the change and decree for the rites for the Northern Great Mountain to be shifted there. In 1586, Emperor Wanli opted a compromise by re-designating the Xuanwu Mountain as Mount Heng, but ordered the relevant rites to continue to be performed in the historicBeiyue Temple.
The movement for the change persisted after the demise of the Ming dynasty and rise of the Qing. Finally,Emperor Shunzhi consented to have the rites to be moved to Shanxi as well.
"Lofty Mountain" (嵩山), Henan, 1,494 m (4,902 ft)34°29′5″N112°57′37″E / 34.48472°N 112.96028°E /34.48472; 112.96028
InChinese Buddhism, the Four "Sacred Mountains of China" are:[8][9][10][11]
"Five-Platform Mountain" (五台山), Shanxi, 3,058 m (10,033 ft),39°04′45″N113°33′53″E / 39.07917°N 113.56472°E /39.07917; 113.56472
Wutai is the home of theBodhisattva of wisdom,Manjusri orWenshu (文殊) in Chinese.
"High and Lofty Mountain" (峨嵋山),Sichuan, 3,099 m (10,167 ft)
The patronbodhisattva of Emei isSamantabhadra, known inChinese as Puxian (普贤菩萨).
"Nine Glories Mountain" (九华山;九華山),Anhui, 1,341 m (4,400 ft),30°28′56″N117°48′16″E / 30.48222°N 117.80444°E /30.48222; 117.80444
Many of the mountain's shrines and temples are dedicated toKsitigarbha (known in Chinese as Dìzàng,地藏, in Japanese asJizō), who is abodhisattva and protector of beings inhell realms.[12]
"Mount Potalaka (Sanskrit)" (普陀山), Zhejiang, 284 m (932 ft)30°00′35″N122°23′06″E / 30.00972°N 122.38500°E /30.00972; 122.38500
This mountain is considered thebodhimanda ofAvalokitesvara (Guan Yin), bodhisattva of compassion. It became a popular pilgrimage site and received imperial support in the Song dynasty.[13]
Mount Xuedou has been recently promoted as a fifth sacred mountain of Chinese Buddhism. This was first advocated by Changxing (1896-1939), an associate of the famous reformerTaixu.[15][14] Xuedou mountain is seen as the sacred place of bodhisattvaMaitreya.[8] It is located 8 kilometers north-west of Xikou Town,Fenghua City, Zhejiang. Mount Xuedou is home to the newly expanded Xuedou monastery, which was originally founded during theJin dynasty and is connected with the eccentric monk namedBudai, who is considered to have been an emanation ofMaitreya.[14]
Fanjingshan (梵净山;Fànjìngshān), part of theWuling Mountains inTongren,Guizhou, is another sacred mountain associated with Maitreya. It is also a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site.[16] Fanjing shan is also often claimed to be the fifth sacred mountain of Chinese Buddhism.[17]
Mount Lu is also an important sacred mountain in Chinese Buddhism, especially forPure Land Buddhism. It is the siteDonglin Temple, founded by the Pure Land patriarchHuiyuan.[18]
There are also sacred mountains inTibetan Buddhism, which are considered holy sites of Tibetan Buddhism.
Chan Buddhism developed the Five Mountains and Ten Temples System (五山十刹,wushan shicha) during the lateSouthern Song (1127–1279).[19]
The five mountains where the top Chan monasteries in the empire were located were:[20]
The Four Holy Mountains of Tibetan Buddhism, located inYunnan,Qinghai, and theTibet Autonomous Region, are:[21]
The "Four Sacred Mountains" of Taoism are:[9]
Literally "Military Wherewithal" (武当山;武當山); northwesternHubei. Main peak: 1,612 m (5,289 ft).32°40′0″N111°00′4″E / 32.66667°N 111.00111°E /32.66667; 111.00111.
It is the home to a complex ofTaoist temples and monasteries associated with the Lord of the North,Xuantian Shangdi. It is also renowned as being the place of origin forTai chi.
Literally "Dragon and Tiger" (龙虎山;龍虎山),Jiangxi. Main peak: 247.4 m (812 ft).28°06′48.999″N116°57′29.998″E / 28.11361083°N 116.95833278°E /28.11361083; 116.95833278
It is famous for being one of the birthplaces of Taoism and particularly important to theZhengyi Dao, with many Taoist temples built upon the mountainside.
Literally "Neat Clouds" (齐云山;齊雲山),Anhui. Main peak: 585 m (1,919 ft).29°48′29.9988″N118°01′56.9994″E / 29.808333000°N 118.032499833°E /29.808333000; 118.032499833
Literally "Misty Green City Wall" (青城山); (Nearby city: Dujiangyan,Sichuan. Main peak: 1,260 m (4,130 ft) (surveyed in 2007). In ancient Chinese history, Mount Qingcheng area was famous for being for "The most secluded place in China".30°58′35.73″N103°30′59.90″E / 30.9765917°N 103.5166389°E /30.9765917; 103.5166389.
The term "Three Mountains" (三山) has varied meanings.
The Three Sacred Mountains commonly refer to:[22]
The Three Famous Mountains are:
The Three Holy Mountain Peaks atYading,Daocheng County:
Sacred Buddhist sites especially evidence this kind of environment, such as Mount Wutai, Mount Jiuhua, Mount Putuo and Mount Emei. The four biggest Taoist mountains – Mount Longhu, Mount Qiyun, Mount Qingcheng and Mount Wudang – are also beautiful and tranquil.
The four sacred Buddhist mountains of China are believed to be the homes of Boddhisattvas (enlightened beings who have delayed their Nirvana to remain on earth and help others find enlightenment).
