Mount Fanjing, or Fanjingshan, is the highest peak of the Wuling Mountains in north-eastern Guizhou, rising to 2,570 metres at Phoenix Peak. A Buddhist mountain dedicated to Maitreya and a refuge for relict species such as the Guizhou snub-nosed monkey, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2018 and has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1986.
- UNESCO World Heritage (natural) · 2018
- UNESCO biosphere reserve · 1986
- National nature reserve
Key facts
Overview
Fanjingshan rises like an island above the hills of north-eastern Guizhou, where the Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau steps down to the hills of Hunan. Its steep slopes are covered in subtropical forest that has survived largely intact, and its upper ridges bear strange pillars of layered rock, most famously the Mushroom Stone and the twin-topped Red Clouds Golden Summit.
The mountain has been a Buddhist pilgrimage site since at least the Ming dynasty, when it was recognised as the bodhimanda of Maitreya, the Buddha of the future. Its natural value lies in its isolation: surrounded by lowland karst, it preserves an ancient flora and fauna, including the endangered Guizhou snub-nosed monkey, found nowhere else.
How the landscape formed
Unlike the limestone karst of most of Guizhou, Fanjingshan is built of ancient metamorphic rocks — slates, phyllites and metasandstones of the Neoproterozoic — which form a dome uplifted above the surrounding limestone. Weathering of these layered rocks along joints has produced towers and pillars such as the Mushroom Stone and the Golden Summit. Because the mountain rises abruptly from the lowlands and catches moisture, it is often in cloud and receives heavy rainfall.
Highlights
Red Clouds Golden Summit
红云金顶
A rock tower split at the top into two peaks joined by a bridge, each with a small temple, one to Shakyamuni and one to Maitreya.
Mushroom Stone
蘑菇石
A pillar of stacked rock layers wider at the top than at the base, the emblem of the mountain.
Phoenix Peak
凤凰山
The highest summit at 2,570 metres, in the protected core of the reserve.
Ten Thousand Scrolls
万卷书
A cliff of thin, horizontal rock layers resembling a stack of books.
Cheng'en Temple
承恩寺
A temple on the summit ridge, rebuilt on the site of the Ming temple.
Nine Dragon Pools
九龙池
A series of small pools on the high ridge.
Plants and wildlife
Fanjingshan is one of the most important conservation areas in south-central China, a subtropical island mountain that holds thousands of plant species and many animals, among them numerous endemics. It is the only home of the Guizhou snub-nosed monkey and of the Fanjingshan fir, both adapted to its high, cool forests.
Plants
Fanjingshan fir
梵净山冷杉
Abies fanjingshanensis, an endemic fir with only a small population on the upper slopes.
Dove tree
珙桐
A relict tree of the mixed forest at middle altitudes.
Beech forest
水青冈
Fanjingshan holds one of the largest primeval beech forests in subtropical Asia.
Wildlife
Guizhou snub-nosed monkey
黔金丝猴
Rhinopithecus brelichi, a grey snub-nosed monkey found only on this mountain; one of the rarest primates in the world.
Chinese giant salamander
大鲵
The world's largest amphibian lives in the mountain streams.
Temminck's tragopan
红腹角雉
A crimson pheasant of the high forests.
Culture and legend
Buddhist temples were founded on Fanjingshan by the Ming dynasty, and in the late Ming, with imperial support in the Wanli era, it became established as the bodhimanda of Maitreya. Pilgrim trails with thousands of steps climbed to the Golden Summit, and several great temples stood around its base. Many were destroyed in the Qing and in the twentieth century and have since been rebuilt. The Tujia, Miao and Dong peoples of the surrounding counties hold the mountain in reverence, and the name — Fanjing, “Brahma's purity” — reflects its Buddhist identity.
Maitreya
弥勒
The Buddha of the future, to whom the mountain is dedicated.
Huguo Temple
护国寺
One of the historical temples around the mountain, rebuilt in recent decades.
Buddhist Culture Park
梵净山佛教文化苑
A modern temple complex at the foot of the mountain.
History
Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Recognised as Maitreya's mountain
Temples were built around the mountain and on the summit, and pilgrimage flourished.
1978
Nature reserve established
The forests of the mountain were placed under protection.
1986
UNESCO biosphere reserve
Among the first Chinese reserves in the World Network of Biosphere Reserves; the same year it became a national nature reserve.
2018
UNESCO World Heritage
Inscribed as a natural site for its relict flora and endemic species.
Through the seasons
Spring
Rhododendrons flower on the ridges in May; mist and rain are frequent.
Summer
Cool on the summit compared with the lowlands, but rainy and often in cloud.
Autumn
Clear days and autumn colour in the beech forests; the best time for views of the sea of clouds.
Winter
Snow and rime ice on the summit ridge; access may be restricted in bad weather.
Routes and ways in
Cable car and summit ridge
A cable car from the eastern side climbs to the ridge below the summit, from where steps lead to the Mushroom Stone, Cheng'en Temple and the base of the Golden Summit.
Red Clouds Golden Summit
A steep, exposed climb with chains and narrow steps to the top of the rock tower; closed in bad weather.
Pilgrim steps
Old stone stairways with thousands of steps climb the mountain from the foot; a full day's hard walk for fit walkers.
Practical notes
- Daily visitor numbers are limited; reserving in advance is usual in busy periods.
- The summit is much colder than the valleys and often in fog; bring warm and waterproof layers.
- The climb to the Golden Summit is steep and exposed and not suitable for those with a fear of heights.
- Tongren, the nearest city, has an airport and high-speed rail; Guiyang is the provincial gateway.
Cities to start from
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Fanjingshan — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Fanjingshan — Man and the Biosphere Programme — UNESCO (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Guizhou Provincial People's Government — Guizhou Provincial People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
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