Mount Qingcheng was the birthplace of Taoism, which is celebrated in a series of ancient temples. 
Qingcheng Mountain, originally called Old Man Mountain, is a famous mountain of Taoism. Located to the southwest of Dujiangyan City, Sichuan Province, it covers an area of some 100 kilometers, the highest peak being 1600 meters above sea level. Surrounded by countless peaks and densely covered by tall ancient trees, Qingcheng Mountain is known as the most secluded mountain in China. The main cultural relics include Jianfu Temple, Tianshi Cave and Shangqing Temple. It is one of the cradles of Chinese Taoism. Xhasng Daoling, the founder of Taoism, had preached his doctrines here and left behind numerous stories and relics. Taoists regard the mountain as the "Fifth Dwelling of Immortals".
Mt. Qingcheng is located at the Dujiangyan scenery spot of Chengdu, Sichuan Province. It is a famous mountain in Taoism. Surrounded by countless peaks and densely covered by ancient trees with branches reaching towards the sky, the mountain was named "Mt. Qingcheng" (Green Town in Chinese). The mountain consists of two parts - the anterior Mt. Qingcheng and the posterior Mt. Qingcheng. The anterior mountain is famous for its beautiful scenery and numerous cultural and historic sites, while the posterior mountain is noted for its paradisiacal scenery, which is primitive and brilliant, gorgeous and mysterious.
Among its famous scenic sites are the Shangqing Palace, the Jianfu Palace, and the Tianshi Cave. The Jianfu Palace stands against the cliff under the Zhangren Peak with an extraordinary bearing. The palace was built in the Tang Dynasty and repaired several times in the successive dynasties. Now, only two halls and three compounds are preserved. On the left side of the Jianfu Palace lies the princess of Mingqing mansion site. Visitors venturing one kilometer to the west can find the "the natural pictures". When looking at the rocks standing erect with the clouds and mist thickly wreathing, visitors often fancy that they are in the pictures.
Two kilometers towards the north lies the Tianshi Cave, which is the major temple of Mt. Qingcheng. According to a legend, Zhang Daolin was here for preaching in the Eastern Han Dynasty. In the Three Kings Palace, the main hall of the Tianshi Cave, stone inscriptions of three kings of the Tang Dynasty were laid. The palace contains wood and stone tablets of past dynasties. The most famous include the Tang Xuanzong's imperial decree and Yuefei's handwriting of Zhuge Liang's famous piece Chu Shi Biao.
After exiting the Tianshi Cave, visitors may cross over the Fangning Bridge to reach the Zhushi Palace. Following the visit to the Zhushi Palace, an unceasing walk straight north will lead the visitors to Chaoyang Cave. Exiting the Chaoyang Cave, climbers will be able to see the Shangqing Palace, which is situated on a high platform. The Shangqing Palace was first built in the Jin Dynasty and the extant temple was built during the reign of Tongzhi in the Qing Dynasty. There are stone inscriptions in the palace such as "the fifth famous mountain under the sun", " the first peak in Mt. Qingcheng" and so on. With an annual average temperature of 15 centigrade, Mt. Qingcheng falls under the humid subtropical monsoon climate. It is reputed as "Dong Tian Fu Di" (which means wonderful mountain and happy place), "the fairyland on earth".
