South of the Five Great Mountains
Hengshan — The Mountain of Life
If one seeks a Chinese mountain that holds both a sense of the sacred and the warmth of everyday life, Hengshan (Nanyue) is a singular answer. It does not command awe like Mount Tai with its “Supreme of the Five Peaks,” nor dazzle with razor-edged cliffs like Mount Hua. Instead, with the lively grace of “Nanyue flies,” it stretches 72 verdant folds beside the Xiang River. Temples’ incense, moss on old stone steps, and generations of pilgrims together write a brief history of Eastern civilization—about the length of life and the height of spirit.
Why “Nanyue”? — Stars and a Civilizational Compass
To understand Hengshan, begin with two Chinese characters: 寿 (longevity) and 南 (south). “Southern Mountain” has long signified long life in Chinese culture. As the Southern Peak among the Five Great Mountains, Hengshan has been honored as the Longevity Peak; its 72 summits symbolize life’s unending vitality.
This is more than a blessing—it reflects an ancient cosmic view rooted in stellar veneration. As early as the pre-Qin period, the sky was mapped into the Twenty-Eight Mansions, each paired with earthly mountains and rivers. Hengshan corresponds to Zhen in the Vermilion Bird of the South. In Records of the Grand Historian · Treatise on the Celestial Offices (Shiji · Tianguan Shu), a small adjunct star in Zhen is called “Changsha,” said to govern human longevity; hence the idiom “May your years be as many as the Southern Mountain.”
In the traditional Five Elements, the south is associated with fire—growth, light, and continuity—naturally linked to longevity and prosperity. Thus Hengshan is not only the Southern Peak in geography; it also stands as a cultural “field of vital energy,” drawing rulers to offer sacrifices and inspiring poets to praise the Longevity Peak.
The “Hengshan Model”: A Thousand-Year Buddhist–Daoist Symbiosis
Original mountain worship is Hengshan’s spiritual soil; upon it bloomed an extraordinary coexistence of Buddhism and Daoism. Unlike many sacred mountains where the two traditions competed, here they live like long-time friends—sharing ridgelines and listening to each other’s bells, while keeping distinct practices and identities. More than 200 temples and monasteries still stand. The Southern Chan lineage of Buddhism took root here, and the Shangqing current of Daoism once flourished; Confucian academies also dotted the slopes. The result is a rare, living ecology of “you in me, and me in you.”
1) Everyday coexistence — one mountain, two wisdoms
- Shared space: The same peak may host both a temple and a Daoist shrine—for example, Zhuru Peak has Zhuru Hall (Daoist) and a Guanyin Pavilion (Buddhist). A stairway may be paved by monks, while the nearby pavilion was rebuilt by Daoist priests.
- Mutual complementarity: Daoist inner-alchemy breathing helps monks prepare body and mind for meditation; Chan Buddhism’s “seeing one’s true nature” informs Daoist contemplation. Pilgrims often honor both—offering longevity prayers at the Longevity Altar in the Nanyue Grand Temple, copying sutras at Cangjing Hall, and visiting Huangting Monastery to seek blessings for children.
2) Daoist “Grotto-Heaven”: alchemy and well-being
Hengshan is revered as the Third Minor Grotto-Heaven in Daoism. Since the Eastern Han, adepts such as Ge Hong and Sima Chengzhen practiced here. Beyond legend, a practical body-mind discipline endures—breath, posture, and mountain “vital air” harmonized for health.
Hands-on heritage: Morning Daoyin & Taiji at Huangting Monastery or Zizhulin Monastery with a lineage teacher. Movements seem simple; the key is “guiding qi with form.”
3) Buddhist Southern Chan: sudden insight in everyday life
On Grinding-Mirror Terrace, Master Huairang famously awakened Mazu Daoyi with the “polishing a brick into a mirror” koan, establishing the Southern Chan approach to sudden awakening that later influenced Japan and Korea. At Cangjing Hall and Fuyan Temple, the tradition of “farming and Chan” lives on—scripture at dawn, work in the fields, then seated meditation.
Hands-on heritage: Zen & Tea as One at Fuyan Temple (seasonal): pick, pan-fire, and roll cloud-mist tea, then taste under old trees as the abbot explains how tea and Chan mirror each other.
The Brahma-Sound Ancient Path: a living corridor of memory
If Hengshan has a most “alive” heritage, it may be this stone path—worn smooth by centuries—meandering between Zhuru Peak and Cangjing Hall. Locals call it the Brahma-Sound Ancient Path. Every slab bears the polish of straw sandals; every riser carries the marks of water-carrying yokes; every bend has echoed with bells and chanting. It is a living fossil of Buddhist–Daoist exchange and a time-tunnel woven by folk devotion and craft.
Origins
Its prototype dates to the Tang, when Nanyue was a southern Buddhist hub and monasteries needed a stable route for people and supplies. In the Song, Daoists increasingly shared the path, gathering herbs on Zhuru Peak and copying scriptures below—footsteps overlapping along a shared spiritual corridor. The Ming–Qing era saw its heyday, with roadside towers, pavilions, and cliff inscriptions—some in Sanskrit mantra, some in Daoist talismanic script; scholars left poems, and unknown pilgrims scratched longevity symbols.
Why “Brahma-Sound”?
Here “Brahma-Sound” means a polyphony: the bronze bell (some cast in late Ming) carrying for miles, the Daoist hand-bell, porters’ work-songs matched to their steps, even the wind through ancient cypresses—“the mountain responding,” locals say.
Recommended: Night Walk on the Brahma-Sound Path (around the 1st/15th of the lunar month; advance booking). With handmade paper lanterns, walk in silence—hear only steps, wind in the leaves, and far-off chanting. Many say, “On such nights, you hear your own heart.”
The Four Wonders of Hengshan
Four signature sites capture Hengshan’s diversity of nature and culture—each with its own character of height, grace, depth, or marvel.
1) The Height of Zhuru Peak (祝融峰)
At about 1,300 m, Zhuru is Hengshan’s crown and the foremost of the Four Wonders. Named for the fire god Zhuru, the summit has long been a site of imperial rites. The stone-walled, iron-tiled Zhuru Hall (first built in the Sui) still stands firm. Behind it, Moon-Viewing Terrace is a classic lookout for sunrise and seas of clouds—especially breathtaking in autumn and winter.
2) The Grace of Cangjing Hall (藏经殿)
Nestled below Xianguang Peak, Cangjing Hall began in 568 CE and later received an imperial Buddhist canon, giving it its name “Hall of Scriptures.” Its charm lies in the blend of architecture with a rich botanical setting—ancient magnolias, a storied ginkgo nicknamed the “Money Tree,” paired branches symbolizing unity, and rare local species including camellias and rhododendrons. Springs and night-lights described in lore add to its quiet allure.
3) The Depth of Fangguang Temple (方广寺)
Founded in 503 CE under Lotus Peak, Fangguang Temple is famed for being deep—in mountains, in forests, in layout, and in lineage. Stone walls and iron tiles hide in a secluded gorge. A stream plunges into an unfathomable pool whose roar rumbles like a drum, then winds through a series of pools—Yellow Sand, White Sand, and the bottomless Black Sand—amid maples and cedars that blaze red and green in late autumn.
4) The Marvel of Water-Curtain Cave (水帘洞)
Below Zigai Peak, between Mist-Breath and Incense-Brazier peaks, a narrow gap lets a stream plunge into a high waterfall. The veiling torrent—like crystal beads—hangs inches from the rock face, a “water curtain” that wind cannot scatter. Nearby stand a Dragon Shrine and the Snow-Wave Pavilion. Ming statesman Zhang Juzheng praised it: “As if the Jade Sea heaves its froth; as if the Silver River pours down its blue…”
Hengshan Today — Living Heritage & Nature Therapy
- Heritage in your hands: learn Daoist Daoyin & Taiji breathing; join a monastery’s Zen & Tea session; try Hengshan bamboo paper making.
- Festivals: the Nanyue Temple Fair around the Mid-Autumn season brings dragon and lion dances, shadow puppetry, and a bustling market of crafts and snacks.
- Seasons of well-being: spring rhododendrons; cool summers (often near 20 °C in the hills); fiery autumn leaves; winter rime like glass.
Stand on Zhuru Peak and watch clouds roll like time; walk the old steps and hear pine winds with bells; sip cloud-mist tea from Zigai Peak and feel the mountain air soften your breath. Hengshan teaches that longevity is more than years—it is fullness of heart; and a great mountain is more than height—it is elevation of spirit.
