Qingcheng Back Mountain is located in Qingshan Town, Dujiangyan City, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province. It is an important part of the World Cultural Heritage Qingcheng Mountain-Dujiangyan and a national 5A-level tourist attraction. The scenic area covers an area of about 100 square kilometers, and the highest peak Laojun Pavilion is 1,260 meters above sea level. Qingcheng Back Mountain is famous for its quiet and beautiful natural scenery and profound Taoist culture, and is known as the "Most Serene Place in the World". The vegetation coverage rate in the scenic area is over 95%, with evergreen seasons, beautiful mountains and clear waters, crisscrossing streams, and flying waterfalls and springs can be seen everywhere. It is mainly composed of tourist areas such as Feiquan Gully, Wulong Gully, Baiyun Cave, and Tongtian Cave.
History and Culture
Qingcheng Mountain is one of the important birthplaces of Chinese Taoism, and Taoist culture has been inherited here for more than two thousand years. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Zhang Daoling, the founder of Taoism, once built a thatched cottage here to preach, leaving many Taoist relics and legends. The Taoist buildings of Qingcheng Back Mountain were first built in the Jin Dynasty, and after repairs and expansions in the Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties, they formed the current Taoist architectural complex represented by Jianfu Palace, Shangqing Palace, Tianshi Cave, and Patriarch Hall.
The Taoist culture of Qingcheng Mountain is rich in connotation, integrating Taoist philosophy, health preservation concepts, and martial arts culture. Taoist martial arts schools such as Qingcheng Tai Chi and Qingcheng Sword enjoy a high reputation at home and abroad, attracting many martial arts enthusiasts to come and learn and exchange. In addition, Qingcheng Mountain has preserved a large number of Taoist cultural relics and classics, such as the imperial edict stele of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty and the handwritten "Chu Shi Biao" by Yue Fei, which have extremely high historical and cultural value.
Main Attractions
Taian Ancient Town
Taian Ancient Town is the gateway to Qingcheng Back Mountain. It was built in the Tang Dynasty and has a history of more than 1,000 years. The ancient town is surrounded by mountains and water, with an antique flavor, preserving a large number of ancient buildings and street styles from the Ming and Qing dynasties. There are historical relics such as Taian Temple and Guanyin Pavilion in the town, as well as many characteristic snack shops and handicraft stores, which are good places for tourists to rest and shop.
Wulong Gully
Wulong Gully is one of the main tourist areas of Qingcheng Back Mountain, named because five streams converge in the gully. The gully is beautiful with green mountains and clear waters, and there are attractions such as Jinwa Wa Tuo, Longyin Gorge Plank Road, and Bailong Tushui. Jinwa Wa Tuo is the core attraction of Wulong Gully. The pool water is clear to the bottom, and the surrounding trees are shady, making it a good place for summer retreat.
Feiquan Gully
Feiquan Gully is famous for its flying waterfalls. There are many waterfalls in the gully, each with different shapes, among which "Baizhang Long Bridge" and "Tianqiao Wonder" are the most famous. Baizhang Long Bridge is a stone arch bridge spanning Feiquan Gully. The bridge is about 100 meters long and the bridge deck is about 3 meters wide, making it one of the landmark buildings of Qingcheng Back Mountain. The Tianqiao Wonder is a naturally formed stone arch bridge, about 30 meters high, with a span of about 20 meters. The bridge deck is flat, just like a bridge in the sky.
Baiyun Cave
Baiyun Cave is located among the Baiyun peaks of Qingcheng Back Mountain, and is a tourist area mainly featuring karst caves and cloud sea landscapes. The cave is full of wonders such as stalactites, stone pillars, and stone columns, with different shapes, just like a fairyland. Outside the cave, the clouds are churning, sometimes turbulent, sometimes calm as a mirror, giving people a mysterious feeling.
Food
Qingcheng Old Bacon
Qingcheng Old Bacon is a traditional famous dish of Qingcheng Mountain, made from high-quality local pork through pickling, smoking and other processes. The bacon is golden in color, rich in fragrance, and delicious in taste, and is one of the characteristic foods of Qingcheng Mountain.
Ginkgo Stewed Chicken
Ginkgo Stewed Chicken is another traditional famous dish of Qingcheng Mountain, made from local free-range chickens and ginkgo nuts through slow stewing. The chicken is tender, the ginkgo nuts are soft and waxy, and the soup is rich, with the effect of nourishing and beautifying.
Qingcheng Kuding Tea
Qingcheng Kuding Tea is one of the specialties of Qingcheng Mountain, made from high-quality local Kuding tea leaves through picking, frying and other processes. Kuding tea is green in color, quiet in aroma, bitter and sweet in taste, and has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, reducing fat and losing weight.
Tickets
The ticket price is 20 yuan per person.
You can search for the official WeChat public account "青城山都江堰" on WeChat to get the latest information or purchase tickets online.
Opening Hours
The opening hours are 08:00-17:00 (summer) and 08:30-17:00 (winter). The ticket sales time of the scenic area is 08:00-16:30 (summer) and 08:30-16:00 (winter). Subject to the actual opening hours of the scenic area.
Tour Route
Recommended one-day tour route: Taian Ancient Town → Wulong Gully → Jinwa Wa Tuo → Longyin Gorge Plank Road → Youyi Village → Baiyun Cableway → Baiyun Cave → Tianqiao Wonder → Feiquan Gully → Baizhang Long Bridge → Taian Ancient Town. This route covers the main attractions of Qingcheng Back Mountain, and the whole journey takes about 6-8 hours.
Transportation
- Bus: Take Metro Line 2 from Chengdu Xipu Station to Xipu Station, transfer to Chengdu-Dujiangyan Express Railway to Qingcheng Mountain Station, and then transfer to Bus No. 101 or 102 to Qingcheng Back Mountain Station.
- Self-driving: Start from Chengdu, pass through Chengdu-Dujiangyan Expressway and Dujiangyan-Wenchuan Expressway to Qingcheng Mountain Exit, and drive along Qingcheng Back Mountain Tourism Road to arrive.
- Chartered car: You can charter a car to Qingcheng Back Mountain in Chengdu urban area or near Qingcheng Mountain Scenic Area, and the cost is about 200-300 yuan per day.
Must-visit Attractions
- Taian Ancient Town: Experience the customs of Western Sichuan ancient town and feel the historical and cultural heritage.
- Wulong Gully: Admire the clear streams and waterfalls and walk on the Longyin Gorge Plank Road.
- Baiyun Cave: Explore the wonders of karst caves and enjoy the beautiful scenery of the cloud sea.
- Feiquan Gully: Feel the grandeur of flying waterfalls and walk on the Baizhang Long Bridge.
Tour Tips
- Wear comfortable shoes. The scenic area is mostly mountain roads, and walking is more laborious.
- Carry rain gear with you. The mountain weather is changeable and it is easy to rain.
- It is recommended to start early in the morning to avoid the peak flow of people in the scenic area.
- You can taste local food and buy special souvenirs in Taian Ancient Town.
- Those with poor physical strength can choose to take sightseeing cars and cableways to save physical strength.
Notes
- Smoking is prohibited in the scenic area. Pay attention to fire safety.
- Take care of the environment and do not litter.
- Abide by the regulations of the scenic area and do not enter the unopened area without permission.
- Pay attention to weather changes. In case of bad weather such as heavy rain and strong wind, return to the safe area in time.
- There are many monkeys in the scenic area. Do not feed food at will to avoid being scratched by monkeys.