Mount Heng (Nanyue)

Mount Heng, the "most graceful of the Five Great Mountains", is steeped in the prayer culture of the Grand Temple of Nanyue and Zhurong Peak, and has recently become a hot spot for young people burning incense and praying for luck.

Mount Heng (Nanyue) lies in Nanyue District of Hengyang, Hunan. The Southern Mountain of China's Five Great Mountains, it is hailed as the "most graceful of the Five", with 72 peaks stretching along the west bank of the Xiang River; the main peak, Zhurong Peak, rises to 1,300.2 m. Revered by both Buddhists and Taoists, the mountain has at its foot the Grand Temple of Nanyue, one of the largest ancient building complexes south of the Yangtze, where Buddhist and Taoist halls share a single temple. Its nickname, the "Mountain of Longevity", has made it a popular place to pray for blessings and long life — and, in recent years, for young people to burn incense and make wishes. A visit divides into Nanyue Old Town at the foot of the mountain (the Grand Temple, Zhusheng Temple and Hengshan Film and TV City area) and the central scenic area on the mountain (Zhonglie Shrine, Nantai Temple, Mojing Terrace, Nantianmen, Shangfeng Temple, Zhurong Peak, the Sutra Repository Hall and more). Best seasons: April–May for rhododendrons and mist, and October–November for red leaves and clear weather. From December to February the summit is often coated in rime and icicles — a major winter draw — though roads may be restricted in freezing conditions. Crowds are enormous from Chinese New Year to the Lantern Festival and during the pilgrimage season in the 7th and 8th lunar months. Getting there: Hengshan West Station on the Beijing–Guangzhou high-speed railway is about 15 km from Nanyue town, 30–40 minutes from Changsha South, with buses and shuttles from the station to Nanyue. Inside the scenic area you switch to eco-buses up the mountain (about 40 minutes to near Nantianmen), which can be combined with the cable car. Allow 1–2 days: on day one, see the Grand Temple and old town in the morning, then head up in the afternoon and stay on the summit; next day, watch the sunrise and sea of clouds from Zhurong Peak and sightsee on the way down. Note: the summit is about 6–8°C colder than the base, so dress warmly and take care on slippery ground in winter. On holidays queues for eco-buses and the cable car are long, so start early. Burn incense only at official temple incense points, and beware of fortune-telling and overpriced-incense touts along the mountain paths.

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