Longhu Mountain & Yingtan
The ancestral home of Zhengyi Taoism, where bamboo rafts drift down the Luxi River past Danxia peaks and cliff tombs, the Celestial Master's Mansion and ancient Shangqing Town carry a thousand years of history, and Guifeng in Yiyang makes an easy side trip.
Longhu Mountain lies in Yingtan, in northeastern Jiangxi Province; most of the scenic area falls within Guixi City and the Longhu Mountain Scenic Area, about 20 km from downtown Yingtan. It is the ancestral seat of the Zhengyi school of Taoism, where generations of Celestial Masters of the Zhang family have carried on the tradition for nearly 2,000 years. It is also a classic example of Danxia landform: in 2010 it was inscribed as a World Natural Heritage Site as part of “China Danxia,” and it is also a UNESCO Global Geopark and a national AAAAA-rated tourist attraction (China's top tier). A visit falls into three parts: in the north, the visitor center and Elephant Trunk Hill, good for hiking among Danxia formations; in the middle, the Luxi River, where bamboo rafts pass Xianshui Rock, the Mosquito-Free Village and the cliff tombs before landing at Zhengyi Temple, with a demonstration of how the hanging coffins were hoisted into place; and in the east, ancient Shangqing Town, home to the Mansion of the Celestial Master, the ruins of Great Shangqing Palace and an old riverside street. If you have time, head to Guifeng (Turtle Peak) in Yiyang, 50 km away. The best seasons are Mar–May and Sep–Nov; summer is hot but the rafts are cool, and rafting may be suspended when the river rises in the rainy season. Yingtan North Station is on the Shanghai–Kunming high-speed line, with direct trains from Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanchang and Fuzhou; the scenic area is about 30 minutes by car from the station, and eco-shuttles run inside it. Most visitors spend 1–2 days, staying in Longhushan Town or Shangqing Town. Local specialties include Celestial Master chestnut braised chicken, Shangqing tofu and lamp-wick cake (dengxin gao).
Top sights
- Luxi River Bamboo Rafting – Ride a bamboo raft down the Luxi River, with red Danxia peaks and cliff-tomb clusters drifting past on both banks. It is the classic way to…
- Xianshuiyan Cliff Tombs & Hanging Coffin Show – Scenic peaks along the Luxi River, including the “Ten Impossible Peaks” (Shibude), and 2,600-year-old cliff tombs of the ancient Yue people…
- Celestial Master's Mansion – The residence and offices of successive Celestial Masters (Zhang Tianshi), the ancestral seat of the Zhengyi school of Daoism, with a vast…
- Shangqing Ancient Town – A thousand-year-old Taoist town on the Luxi River, with stilt houses, a historic quay and old pharmacies, next to the Heavenly Master's Pal…
- Dashangqing Palace Ruins – Once known as the "First Taoist Palace in the Land," with archaeological remains of the temple foundations and the Hall of Subduing Demons…
- Zhengyi Temple – The place where Zhang Daoling refined elixirs and attained enlightenment, the birthplace of Longhushan Taoism, located near the bamboo raft…
- Elephant Trunk Hill (Longhushan) – A natural stone arch in red sandstone cliffs that looks like an elephant drinking with its trunk. Trails link the geological landscapes, ma…
- Wuwen Village – A village on the Luxi River said to have no mosquitoes in summer. Bamboo rafts pass by, and you can go ashore to enjoy the countryside.
- Guifeng (Turtle Peaks) – Danxia peaks in Yiyang County shaped like a giant turtle. Together with Longhushan, it forms part of the "China Danxia" UNESCO World Herita…