Sacred mountain · Hunan
Mount Heng (Southern)
衡山
The Southern Peak of the Five Great Mountains, sacred to Daoists and Buddhists alike
Mount Heng in central Hunan is the Southern Peak (南岳, Nányuè) of the Five Great Mountains of China, a long ridge of granite peaks that culminates in Zhurong Peak at 1,300 metres. Buddhist monasteries and Daoist temples have shared it since the early centuries CE, and the Grand Temple of the Southern Peak at its foot is the largest temple complex in southern China.
- Five Great Mountains (Southern Peak)
- National scenic area · 1982
- National nature reserve
Key facts
- Highest point
- Zhurong Feng, 1,300 m
- Status
- Southern Peak of the Five Great Mountains
- Traditions
- Buddhism and Daoism
- National scenic area
- 1982
- Location
- Nanyue district, Hengyang, Hunan
Overview
The Southern Peak is one of the five mountains that Chinese emperors venerated as pillars of the realm, one at each cardinal point and one at the centre. Unlike the bare granite of Mount Hua, Heng is green: its ridge runs north–south for many kilometres above the Xiang river, thickly wooded and often in cloud, which earned it the saying that “Heng is the most beautiful of the Five Peaks” (南岳独秀).
Tradition counts seventy-two peaks, from Huiyan Feng near Hengyang in the south to Yuelu Shan at Changsha in the north. The mountain is also known as the Mountain of Longevity (寿岳, Shòuyuè); the birthday wish “may your years be as long as the Southern Mountain” (寿比南山) is often linked with it, and elderly pilgrims climb it to pray for long life.
How the landscape formed
Heng is a granite massif intruded into older sedimentary rocks during the Mesozoic and exposed by uplift and erosion. Granite weathers here into rounded domes and boulders under a deep red soil, and the ridge is well watered, with streams and small falls in the valleys on both flanks. Because it rises well above the surrounding lowland of the Xiang valley, it draws cloud and rime, and in winter the summit trees are often coated with ice.
Highlights
Zhurong Peak
祝融峰
The 1,300-metre summit, named after the god of fire, crowned by the stone Zhurong Hall.
Grand Temple of the Southern Peak
南岳大庙
The state temple of the mountain at its foot, laid out like a palace with nine courtyards and Buddhist and Daoist shrines on its flanks.
Sutra Repository Hall
藏经殿
A temple in old forest below the summit ridge, often named the most beautiful spot on the mountain.
Fangguang Temple
方广寺
A secluded monastery in a deep valley among eight surrounding peaks, likened to lotus petals.
Water Curtain Cave
水帘洞
A waterfall on the eastern foot of the mountain, counted a Daoist grotto-heaven.
Martyrs' Shrine
忠烈祠
A wartime memorial to the Chinese soldiers who died in the War of Resistance against Japan.
Plants and wildlife
Heng carries subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest on its lower slopes and mixed forest and bamboo higher up, protected for centuries around its temples. It is one of the better-preserved forested mountains of central China and a national nature reserve.
Plants
Chinese fir
杉木
Cunninghamia lanceolata, planted and wild, a dominant tree of the mid-slopes.
Rhododendrons
杜鹃
Flower on the upper ridge in April and May.
Cloud-and-mist tea
云雾茶
Green tea grown in the mountain's cool, misty valleys.
Wildlife
Silver pheasant
白鹇
A shy pheasant of the forest floor on the quieter slopes.
Culture and legend
The Southern Peak was a place of state sacrifice from early imperial times. Daoists count it among their grotto-heavens and blessed lands, and the Lady Wei Huacun, founder of the Shangqing school, is said to have practised here. Buddhism flourished from the sixth century: the Tiantai patriarch Huisi taught on Heng, and in the Tang dynasty it became a cradle of Chan. Nanyue Huairang taught Mazu Daoyi here, and Shitou Xiqian lived at Nantai Temple; the lineages that descend from them include the Linji and Caodong schools, later Rinzai and Sōtō in Japan. Neo-Confucian scholars, among them Zhu Xi, also visited the mountain.
五岳祭秩皆三公，四方环镇嵩当中。Wǔ yuè jì zhì jiē sān gōng, sìfāng huán zhèn Sōng dāng zhōng.
“The Five Peaks are honoured with sacrifices of the highest rank; four guard the quarters, and Song stands at the centre.”
— Han Yu, “Visiting the Temple of Mount Heng, then Staying at the Mountain Monastery” (谒衡岳庙遂宿岳寺题门楼), 805
Mirror-Polishing Terrace
磨镜台
Where, in the Chan story, Huairang polished a tile before the meditating Mazu to show that sitting alone does not make a Buddha.
Nantai Temple
南台寺
Monastery associated with Shitou Xiqian, revered as an ancestral temple by the Sōtō school of Japan.
Fuyan Temple
福严寺
One of the oldest monasteries on the mountain, founded by Huisi in the sixth century.
Zhusheng Temple
祝圣寺
A large Buddhist monastery in the town of Nanyue, near the Grand Temple.
Huangting Temple
黄庭观
A Daoist temple linked to Wei Huacun and the Shangqing tradition.
History
Han dynasty
State sacrifices to the Southern Peak
Heng is established in the ritual system of the Five Great Mountains.
6th century
Huisi settles on the mountain
The teacher of the Tiantai founder Zhiyi makes Heng a Buddhist centre.
8th century
Huairang and Shitou Xiqian teach on Heng
The mountain becomes a source of the major Chan lineages.
1882
Grand Temple rebuilt
The present main buildings of the Grand Temple of the Southern Peak date from the late Qing reconstruction.
1938–1943
Martyrs' Shrine built
Commemorates soldiers of the War of Resistance against Japan.
1982
National scenic area
Listed among the first national key scenic areas of China.
Through the seasons
Spring
Misty and green, with rhododendrons on the ridge; a busy pilgrimage season.
Summer
A cool retreat above the hot Xiang valley, with frequent showers and cloud.
Autumn
The clearest season for views from Zhurong Peak; the pilgrimage around the eighth lunar month draws large crowds.
Winter
Rime and snow coat the summit trees, and the upper roads may close in icy weather.
Routes and ways in
Pilgrim path from the Grand Temple
From the town of Nanyue a stepped path and road climb past Zhusheng, Nantai and Banshan Pavilion to the summit, a full day's walk up.
Buses and cable car
Sightseeing buses climb the mountain road to Banshan Pavilion and beyond, and a cable car shortens the final ascent towards the summit.
Summit ridge walk
From Nantianmen along the ridge to Zhurong Peak and down to the Sutra Repository Hall, a half-day of rolling ridge walking.
Practical notes
- The temples are active places of worship; pilgrims burn incense and many climb at night to reach the summit for sunrise. Dress modestly and follow temple rules on photography.
- Crowds peak at festivals and on the traditional pilgrimage days in autumn; weekdays are quieter.
- Fog and rain are common on the summit, where it is markedly cooler than in the town; carry a warm layer.
- The town of Nanyue lies at the foot of the mountain; Hengshan West station on the high-speed line and Hengyang are the usual gateways.
Cities to start from
- Hengyang衡阳Historic city · Cultural centre · Scenic areaWild Goose City beneath Nanyue, the Southern Mountain
- Xiangtan湘潭Historic city · Industrial centreRiver market town, home of Qi Baishi and of Shaoshan
- Changsha长沙Capital · Historic city · Cultural centreStar City on the Xiang, from Mawangdui to Yuelu Academy
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Hengyang Municipal People's Government — Hengyang Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism — Hunan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Hunan Provincial People's Government — Hunan Provincial People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
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