San Qing Mountain is a renowned Taoist Mountain located 50 miles north from Yushan, Jiangxi Province of the China with an outstanding scenery. San Qing literally mean ‘three distincts’ in Mandarin as the San Qing Mountatin is made up of three main summits: the “Yujing Mountain”, “Yushui Mountain” and “Yuhua Mountain”.

A Chinese phrase “Three steep peaks, like the Three Pure Ones sit the summits”  explains why it was named San Qing. Amongst the three hills, the Yujing hill (1817 meters above sea level) is the highest.

Sanqing Mountain, although not very well-known to many people today, was regarded as a sacred place for Taoists in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), when Taoism was at its peak of development. The mountain remained very popular among people seeking immortality until the 18th century, when Emperor Qianlong began to prefer Buddhism to Taoism.

Sanqing Mountain’s fame as a Taoist resort has faded, but its natural beauty remains. Stay on the mountain for a day, and you will understand why ancient Taoist master Ge Hong (284-364) made pills of immortality here more than 1,700 years ago. With beautiful clouds, mist and strange-shaped pine trees, Sanqing Mountain is a fairyland far from the city life.

The mountain is in mist for about 200 days each year. On misty days, dense fog envelops the mountain which makes you think you are wandering in the clouds. Once in a while, wind blows away the mist, and a stiff, imposing peaks may suddenly appear right in front of you.

About 80 percent of Sanqing Mountain is covered by primeval forests. More than 2,500 kinds of plants found here, of which some can be used to make traditional Chinese medicine.

Pine trees on Sanqing Mountain are as beautiful as those on Huangshan Mountain in Anhui Province, where they are regarded as the most beautiful in China. Many pine trees on the mountain are more than 100 years old. Many years of exposure to wind, sunshine and rain have twisted their branches, wrinkled their trunks, which has given them more strength and charm.

In 1995, a cable car was built to take tourists up to about 1,600 meters high. From 1,600 meters to the peak, a concrete path was built along the rock cliff. Walking on the path is an exciting experience. On one side the cliffs rise straight high above you, while on the other side a deep valley falls down directly below you.