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Songshan, located 85km
southwest of Zhengzhou
and 70km northwest of Luoyang,
is one of the five sacred mountains (Shan) in China with Taishan to its east,
Huashan to its west, Hengshan to its south and another Hengshan (a homonym with a
different first character) to its north. The mountain is therefore known as the middle
sacred mountain. Stretching for over 60km from the east to the west, it also serves as the
watershed between the Yellow River and Huai River. This mountain range has many peaks, but is most famed for the Shaoshi
Peak and the Taishi Peak. These two are said to be the two wives
of a legendary emperor Dayu, known as the man who successfully stopped a nation-wide
flood. The peaks here are all heavily vegetated, and frequently are shrouded in dense,
swirling mists. The highest peak, the Junji Peak, is only 1494 meters
above sea-level, which makes climbing here easy, and the mountain is fairly unique in
China for not having a set path to follow. Located in the very heart of China, the mountain is close to Luoyang, the city that
served as a capital of nine different dynasties. Since most feudal emperors were either
Buddhist or Taoist believers, they frequently paid visits here to offer sacrifice to their
ancestors, helping develop these two religions fully. This influence has left the area
with some of the best religious sites in China, most obviously the impressive Shaolin Monastery and the grand Zhongyue Temple. The mountain should take up at least two days of your time, since many of the sights
are a little scattered about. Luckily this is an ideal place to stroll, both culture and
scenery are here in big supply. |
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