Kongtong Mountain

National Key Scenic Area And Daoist Holy Mountain In Gansu, Traditionally The First Of The Daoist Mountains And The Seat Of The Kongtong Martial Arts School · Pingliang, Gansu

Kongtong is where, according to the oldest stories China tells about itself, the Yellow Emperor climbed to ask the hermit Guangchengzi how to govern and how to live - which makes this, by tradition, the first Daoist mountain, older in legend than any of the famous five. It rises out of the Gansu loess above Pingliang to just over two thousand one hundred metres, red rock cut by gullies, forested on its flanks, with more than forty temple halls and pavilions clinging to its ridges and a walled summit compound called the Emperor's City. Two things surprise visitors. The first is the Ladder to Heaven, a stone stairway so steep that it is effectively a climb rather than a walk, with chains to haul on and a warning not to look back. The second is that Kongtong gave its name to one of the classical schools of Chinese martial arts, and you may well find people training on the flagstones at dawn.

Kongtong District, Pingliang, Pingliang, Gansu, China

Open daily year round, generally around 7:00-18:00 in summer and 8:00-17:00 in winter, with the cableway keeping shorter hours than the gate and stopping well before closing. Internal shuttle to the cable station is a separate charge. SECTIONS INCLUDING THE LADDER TO HEAVEN CLOSE IN ICE, SNOW AND HEAVY RAIN, which affects most of December to March - check before travelling. Guesthouses on the mountain allow an overnight stay for sunrise, which is the best reason to come.

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