World Natural Heritage: Mount Sanqingshan (2)

Wang Jian, from the Xinzhou period of the Tang Dynasty (873—888), was appointed to the north of Mount Sanqingshan where he was attracted by the beautiful scenery and the comfortable environment. He moved his family to the area after he retired from the government. In the Song Dynasty, Wang Jian’s descendant Wang Lin helped build Taoist temples and the Mount Sanqingshan became a Taoist fairyland. In the Jingtai Period of the Ming Dynasty (1450-1456), Wang Hu, a descendant of Wang Lin, rebuilt Mount Sanqingshan and asked Taoist Zhan Biyun to help him with the construction.

Mount Sanqingshan Scenic Spot has abundant resources and many wonderful types of scenery. The layout of the landscape is dangerous in the east, odd in the west, unique in the south, and beautiful in the north. Qin Mu, a famous poet in China, praised Mount Sanqingshan as “the hometown of the clouds and mist and the gallery of the pines and stones,” and Zhu Chang, who is a famous scenic expert and professor at Tsinghua University said, “After visiting Mount Sanqingshan and Mount Huangshan and Taishan, the scenery of the former is surely better than the latter.” Famous people throughout history such as Wang Anshi, Zhu Xi and Su Dongpo have all left their mark on Mount Sanqingshan.