Wugong Mountain Scenic Area is located at the junction of Pingxiang City, Ji'an City, and Yichun City in Jiangxi Province, with its main scenic area in Luxi County, Pingxiang City. It is a national 5A-level tourist attraction, a national geopark, and a national forest park. The total area of the scenic area is approximately 970 square kilometers, with the core scenic area covering 160 square kilometers. The main peak, Baihe Peak (Golden Summit), stands at an altitude of 1918.3 meters, making it the third highest peak in Jiangxi Province. Wugong Mountain is characterized by its "grasslands in the clouds and paradise for outdoor activities". It boasts 100,000 mu of alpine meadows, the highest and largest alpine meadow landscape at the same latitude. It also features natural wonders such as waterfalls, sea of clouds, sunrises, and Buddha's light, as well as cultural landscapes like ancient altars and temples. It is a comprehensive scenic area integrating sightseeing, outdoor hiking, leisure vacations, and popular science research.
History and Culture
The historical culture of Wugong Mountain can be traced back to ancient times. According to historical records, Emperor Yan Shennong is said to have collected herbs and made elixirs here in ancient times, leaving behind the legend of "Shennong's Herb Garden". After the Han Dynasty, Taoism flourished here, and Wugong Mountain became a famous Taoist mountain, listed as one of the "72 Blessed Lands". It is said that Taoist celebrities such as Ge Xuan and Ge Hong practiced here.
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, Buddhism was introduced to Wugong Mountain, and temples such as Jinding Temple and Jiyun Temple were built one after another, forming a cultural pattern where Buddhism and Taoism coexisted. Among them, the ancient altar group at the Golden Summit is the most representative cultural relic of Wugong Mountain. Composed of four altars - Gexian Altar, Wangxian Altar, Chongying Altar, and Qiushi Altar, it was first built during the Three Kingdoms period, and the existing buildings were rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty. It is the most complete and oldest ancient altar group preserved in the Jiangnan region, with important value for studying ancient sacrificial culture.
After the Song Dynasty, the religious culture of Wugong Mountain further developed, attracting numerous literati who left a large number of poems and songs. Xu Xiake, a geographer of the Ming Dynasty, once traveled to Wugong Mountain and recorded its scenery and culture in detail in his "Travel Diary of Jiangyou". In modern times, Wugong Mountain became part of the revolutionary base area, where the Red Army carried out guerrilla warfare, leaving many red relics. Today, the Taoist culture, Buddhist culture, sacrificial culture, and red culture of Wugong Mountain intermingle, forming a rich historical and cultural connotation.
Main Attractions
Golden Summit (Baihe Peak)
The Golden Summit is the main peak of Wugong Mountain, at an altitude of 1918.3 meters, and is the core scenic area of the scenic spot. The top is flat and has a large area of alpine meadows, with green grass in summer, golden in autumn, and snow-covered in winter, presenting different landscapes in four seasons. The Golden Summit area is distributed with cultural buildings such as ancient altar groups, Jinding Temple, and Baihe View. Among them, the ancient altar group has a history of more than 1700 years and is the core carrier of the sacrificial culture of Wugong Mountain. Climbing to the Golden Summit, you can enjoy wonders such as sea of clouds, sunrise, and Buddha's light. Especially at sunrise, the sun shines on the meadows and sea of clouds, which is extremely magnificent and a must-visit check-in point for tourists.
Fayunjie
Fayunjie is located in the middle of Wugong Mountain, at an altitude of about 1628 meters. It gets its name because it is surrounded by clouds and mist all year round, with clouds gushing out from the valleys. The alpine meadow here covers an area of about 20,000 mu, with gentle terrain, making it a classic route for hikers. The sea of clouds at Fayunjie is particularly famous. In the early morning, the clouds flow between the valleys, and the meadows, windmills, and sea of clouds set off each other, like a fairyland. There are multiple viewing platforms and rest stops in the area, where tourists can camp and watch the starry sky, enjoying the fun of outdoor camping.
Desperate Slope
Desperate Slope is an extremely challenging section in the hiking route of Wugong Mountain, located between the Golden Summit and Fayunjie. It has an altitude drop of about 300 meters and a length of about 2 kilometers, with a steep slope, and some sections are close to 70 degrees. It is named "Desperate Slope" because its steepness makes many hikers daunting. However, the scenery along the way is extremely magnificent, with rolling meadows and strange peaks on both sides, often surrounded by sea of clouds. After climbing to the top, you can overlook the mountains, with a great sense of accomplishment, making it a symbolic section to test physical strength and perseverance.
Wugong Mountain Waterfall Group
Wugong Mountain Waterfall Group is distributed in the middle and lower parts of the scenic area, with Longtan Waterfall, Jinhuzajiu Waterfall, and Yinhe Waterfall being the most famous. Longtan Waterfall has a drop of about 40 meters, with water pouring down from the cliff, hitting the rocks to form a deep pool, and the pool water is clear to the bottom, surrounded by lush forests; Jinhuzajiu Waterfall is named because the water flow is scattered like a wine pot pouring wine, with a drop of about 30 meters, and is magnificent when the water volume is abundant in the rainy season; Yinhe Waterfall is famous for being as slender as the Milky Way hanging upside down, with a drop of about 50 meters, and is one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Wugong Mountain. The waterfall group area has humid air and a high content of negative ions, making it a good place for leisure and summer resort.
Yangshimu
Yangshimu is located in the north of Wugong Mountain, facing the Golden Summit across the valley, at an altitude of about 1670 meters. It is named because the mountain is shaped like a sheep and a lion. It is mainly composed of granite peak forest landforms, with pictographic peaks such as Shisun Peak, Riyue Peak, and Guanggong Mian, with strange shapes and vivid images. The area has a high vegetation coverage rate, with an average temperature of only 23℃ in summer, making it a summer resort. The sea of clouds and sunrise at Yangshimu are not inferior to those at the Golden Summit, and there are relatively few tourists, suitable for tourists who pursue tranquility.
Food
Wugong Mountain Bacon
Wugong Mountain Bacon is a local specialty, made from pork belly of local pigs in the mountains, through pickling and smoking. Local villagers use traditional techniques, smoking with pine and cypress branches, so that the bacon has a unique smoky flavor, with tight meat quality, fat but not greasy. Bacon can be stir-fried or steamed. Common methods include stir-fried bacon with winter bamboo shoots and steamed glutinous rice with bacon. It can be tasted in farmhouses and restaurants around the scenic area, with a price of about 40-60 yuan per serving, and is a must-choice dish for tourists to experience local flavors.
Pingxiang Spicy Snacks
Pingxiang Spicy Snacks are highly representative flavors around Wugong Mountain, featuring spicy, numbing, fresh, and fragrant. Common ones include spicy fish, spicy tofu, and spicy duck head. These snacks are made from local chili peppers and various spices through pickling and brining, with a rich taste and strong spiciness, fully reflecting the "heavy spiciness" characteristic of Ganxi cuisine. In Pingxiang urban area and the towns at the foot of Wugong Mountain, there are many time-honored spicy snack shops with affordable prices, such as spicy fish for about 25 yuan per serving, which is a must-try for tourists who like spicy food.
Amy Fruit
Amy Fruit is a traditional folk snack in Jiangxi, especially common in spring in Wugong Mountain area. It is made by mashing young leaves of wormwood into mud, mixing with glutinous rice flour to make a wrapper, wrapping fillings such as dried bamboo shoots, shredded radish, and bacon, and steaming them for consumption. Amy Fruit is green in color, emitting the fragrance of wormwood, with a soft and glutinous taste, both nutritious and delicious, priced at about 3-5 yuan each, and can be bought in breakfast shops and farm restaurants around the scenic area.
Scenic Area and Surrounding Catering
There are catering points in areas such as the Golden Summit and Fayunjie in Wugong Mountain Scenic Area, providing simple meals, stir-fried dishes, noodle soup, etc., with an average consumption of about 30-50 yuan per person; the Wugong Mountain town and farmhouses at the foot of the mountain mainly serve Gan cuisine. In addition to the above specialty dishes, there are also braised native chicken, dried bamboo shoots with pork, alpine vegetables, etc. The ingredients are mostly locally sourced, fresh and natural, with an average consumption of about 50-80 yuan per person. Some farmhouses also provide self-service barbecue and farm banquets, suitable for group tourists.
Tickets
The ticket price is 70 yuan per person.
You can search for the official WeChat public account "武功山景区" to get the latest updates or buy tickets online.
Opening Hours
The opening hours are 8:00-17:30 daily (April 1 - October 31) and 8:00-17:00 daily (November 1 - March 31 of the next year). The cable car operating hours are the same as the scenic area opening hours, and ticket sales stop one hour before closing. It is recommended that tourists arrange their climbing time reasonably to avoid staying on the mountain at night.
Tour Routes
One-Day Tour Route (Leisure Sightseeing)
Starting from Wugong Mountain Visitor Center, take a sightseeing bus to Shigu Temple (about 10 minutes), transfer to Zhong'an Cable Car to go up the mountain (about 10 minutes) to Zhong'an Scenic Area; walk to attractions such as Ziji Palace and Huiyin Valley (about 1 hour); then take the Golden Summit Cable Car to the Golden Summit (about 5 minutes), visit the Golden Summit and ancient altar group, and enjoy the sea of clouds or sunrise (about 2 hours); when going down the mountain, you can choose to walk to Zhong'an (about 2 hours), then take the cable car or sightseeing bus back to the visitor center. The whole journey takes about 6-7 hours, suitable for tourists with average physical strength.
Two-Day Tour Route (In-depth Hiking)
Day 1: Visitor Center → Shigu Temple → Zhong'an Cable Car → Zhong'an Scenic Area → hike to Fayunjie (about 3 hours), visit sections such as Haohan Slope and Desperate Slope along the way, and camp at Fayunjie (watch the sunset and starry sky); Day 2: After watching the sunrise at Fayunjie, hike to the Golden Summit (about 3 hours), visit the Golden Summit area, then take the cable car or walk down the mountain. The total hiking distance is about 25 kilometers, suitable for tourists with certain outdoor experience, allowing them to fully experience the alpine meadows and hiking fun.
Transportation
- High-speed rail/train: Take the high-speed rail to Pingxiang North Station, and after exiting the station, you can take the scenic area direct bus to Wugong Mountain Visitor Center, with a journey of about 1 hour, a fare of 27 yuan per person, departure time from 8:00-18:00, once an hour; take an ordinary train to Pingxiang Station, after exiting the station, transfer to a bus or taxi to Pingxiang Bus Station, then take a bus to Wugong Mountain (about once every 40 minutes, fare 18 yuan per person), with a journey of about 1.5 hours.
- Self-driving: Starting from Nanchang, take Shanghai-Kunming Expressway to Pingxiang Exit, then drive along Pingwan Highway for about 40 kilometers to Wugong Mountain Visitor Center, with a total journey of about 3 hours; starting from Changsha, take Shanghai-Kunming Expressway to Pingxiang Exit, with a journey of about 2 hours. The charging standard for the scenic area parking lot is 10 yuan/day for small cars and 20 yuan/day for large cars.
- Bus: Take the Wugong Mountain Tourism Special Line in Pingxiang urban area (Pingxiang Bus Station → Wugong Mountain Visitor Center), with a fare of 18 yuan per person, operating time from 6:30-17:30, once every 30-40 minutes.
Must-Visit Attractions
- Golden Summit (Baihe Peak): The main peak of Wugong Mountain, at an altitude of 1918.3 meters, with ancient altar groups and beautiful sunrise and sea of clouds. It is a landmark attraction of the scenic area, allowing you to fully feel the grandeur of the "grasslands in the clouds".
- Desperate Slope: A classic hiking section with a steep slope, combining challenges and beautiful scenery. After climbing to the top, you can overlook the rolling meadows and sea of clouds, suitable for outdoor enthusiasts.
- Fayunjie: Famous for its sea of clouds and large area of meadows, it is an excellent place for camping and stargazing. The mist-shrouded scenery in the early morning is like a fairyland.
Travel Suggestions
- Hiking enthusiasts are advised to visit in spring and autumn, when the weather is cool and the meadow scenery is the best. In summer, pay attention to sun protection and heatstroke prevention; in winter, some sections may be icy, so anti-slip preparations are needed.
- When hiking, you need to prepare comfortable hiking shoes, hardshell jackets, trekking poles, backpacks and other equipment. Carry enough drinking water and dry food (supplies on the mountain are more expensive), and you can prepare energy bars, chocolates, etc. to replenish your strength.
- If you plan to camp, you need to check the weather in advance, choose regular camping spots (such as Golden Summit, Fayunjie), rent or bring your own tent (rent is about 100-200 yuan per tent), and pay attention to keeping warm (the temperature difference at night in the mountain area is large).
- Tourists with limited physical strength can reasonably combine cable cars and walking, such as taking the Zhong'an Cable Car up the mountain and walking to the Golden Summit, which can save energy and enjoy the scenery along the way.
Notes
- The terrain of Wugong Mountain is complex. When hiking, you must follow the designated routes and do not enter undeveloped areas without permission to avoid getting lost or in danger. It is recommended to travel in groups.
- The weather in the mountain area is changeable. You need to check the weather forecast in advance and carry rain gear; thunderstorms may occur in summer, so avoid staying on the top of the mountain or in open areas to prevent lightning strikes.
- Take good care of the ecological environment, do not litter at will, do not pick plants or harm wild animals, and abide by the "Leave No Trace" principle.
- The signal in some sections on the mountain is weak. It is recommended to download offline maps in advance and keep in touch with fellow travelers; the scenic area has an emergency help phone, which can be dialed in case of emergency.
- The price of accommodation and catering in the scenic area is relatively high. You can prepare necessary items in advance according to your itinerary; when choosing farmhouses or homestays, confirm the price and service content in advance to avoid disputes.