|
 Huashan Mountain (lit. = Flower Mountain)
Mount Hua (Hua Shan 華山) is one of China's Five Sacred Taoist Mountains. It is located in Shaanxi Province in central China, about 100 kilometers east of Xian (Xi'an) City. The peaks are very steep and difficult to climb. The panoramic views are wondrous and mystical. It is not difficult to understand why many famous Taoist teachers came here to gain spiritual enlightenment. Xian City, where one typically begins the journey to holy Mt. Hua, is among China's most famous old cities, the former capital over many centuries, and home to a massive collection of terra cotta statues and artifacts that date back to China's Qin Dynasty (− 211-206). Huashan is in a very remote and quiet place, well suited for the study of Taoist Internal Alchemy.
The holy places atop Mt. Hua are of great importance in China's Taoist tradition. Many emperors of old China came here to pay their respects, including Tang-dynasty emperors Tang Gaozhu and Tang Taizhong. Princess Jinxian, the daughter of emperor Rui Zhong (Tang dynasty), once lived here to pursue her Taoist training. Another Tang-era emperor, Tang Xuanzhong, ordered the construction of the Immortal Woman Temple and Silver Cloud Monastery on Mt. Hua.
Famous Taoists like Zhong Liquan, Lu Yan, Liu Chao, Wang Chuyi, Hao Datong, and Tan Chuduan once lived here. Chen Tuan, one of the founders of Taoism, lived here almost 40 years and wrote many classic Taoist texts during his stay.
 |
Click any image below to start slideshow.
|
