Mount Longhu, the Dragon and Tiger Mountain, is a Danxia landscape of red sandstone cliffs along the Luxi River in Yingtan, eastern Jiangxi, and the ancestral seat of the Celestial Masters of Zhengyi Daoism. Its cliffs hold ancient hanging coffins, and it is part of the China Danxia World Heritage site (2010) and a UNESCO Global Geopark (2008).
- UNESCO World Heritage (natural) — China Danxia · 2010
- UNESCO Global Geopark · 2008
- National scenic area · 1982
Key facts
Overview
Longhushan is low — its hills are only a few hundred metres high — but it holds one of the most important places in Chinese religion. According to Daoist tradition, Zhang Daoling, founder of the Way of the Celestial Masters in the second century, refined an elixir here, and when it was complete a dragon and a tiger appeared, giving the mountain its name. His descendants, the hereditary Celestial Masters of the Zhengyi (Orthodox Unity) school, lived at Shangqing, at the foot of the mountain, for many centuries.
The landscape is typical Danxia: red cliffs, rock towers and isolated hills rising from a green river plain, with the clear Luxi River winding between them. In the cliff faces above the river, an ancient people placed coffins in caves that are still being studied.
How the landscape formed
The red rocks are Cretaceous sandstones and conglomerates deposited in an inland basin and later uplifted. Erosion along joints has produced cliffs, towers, arches and caves. China Danxia groups Longhushan with Guifeng in neighbouring Shangrao as an example of mature to old-stage Danxia, in which the plateau has been broken down into scattered peaks and isolated rocks standing over broad valleys.
Highlights
Luxi River
泸溪河
The river winding through the scenic area between red cliffs, travelled on bamboo rafts.
Xianshui Rock
仙水岩
The stretch of cliffs above the river where most of the hanging coffins are found.
Hanging coffins
悬棺
Wooden coffins placed in cliff caves by the ancient Guyue people more than two thousand years ago; how they were raised is still debated.
Elephant Trunk Hill
象鼻山
A natural rock arch resembling an elephant drinking.
Plants and wildlife
The river plain is farmed, while the cliffs and hills carry subtropical evergreen forest and shrubland. The clear, shallow Luxi River supports fish and waterbirds.
Plants
Camphor trees
樟树
Old camphors shade the villages and temples of the river plain.
Wildlife
Egrets
白鹭
Common along the river and in the rice fields.
Culture and legend
The Celestial Masters were recognised by successive dynasties as the leaders of Daoism in southern China, and the title passed from father to son or close relative. Their residence, the Mansion of the Celestial Masters, and the great Shangqing Palace made Longhushan a pilgrimage centre for Daoist priests, who came to receive ordination registers. The opening chapter of the novel Water Margin is set at Shangqing Palace, where an official releases 108 imprisoned spirits. In 1949 the sixty-third Celestial Master left for Taiwan.
Mansion of the Celestial Masters
天师府
The residence of the hereditary Celestial Masters at Shangqing town, with halls from the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Shangqing Palace
上清宫
Once one of the largest Daoist temples in China; much was lost to fire, and parts have been excavated and rebuilt.
Zhengyi Daoism
正一道
The Orthodox Unity school, whose priests live in the community rather than in monasteries.
History
Spring and Autumn period (770–476 BCE)
Hanging coffins placed in the cliffs
Burials of the ancient Guyue people, among the oldest cliff burials in China.
2nd century (tradition)
Zhang Daoling refines an elixir
The legend that gives the mountain its name and its tie to the Celestial Masters.
Song to Qing dynasties
Celestial Masters recognised by the court
Longhushan becomes the centre of Zhengyi Daoism.
1949
The Celestial Master leaves for Taiwan
The line continues outside the mainland; the mansion becomes a historic site and later an active Daoist centre again.
2008
UNESCO Global Geopark
Recognised for its Danxia landforms.
2010
UNESCO World Heritage
Inscribed as part of China Danxia.
Through the seasons
Spring
Green fields and frequent rain; the river runs high.
Summer
Hot and humid; rafting on the Luxi River is popular.
Autumn
Clear weather and golden rice on the plain; the best season.
Winter
Mild, grey and quiet, with occasional frost.
Routes and ways in
Luxi River by raft
A gentle bamboo-raft trip past the red cliffs and the hanging coffins.
Shangqing town
A walk through the old town to the Mansion of the Celestial Masters and Shangqing Palace.
Cliff paths
Short trails climb to viewpoints over the river and to rock formations such as Elephant Trunk Hill.
Practical notes
- Longhushan lies in Yingtan prefecture, a railway junction on the lines through eastern Jiangxi.
- The Mansion of the Celestial Masters is an active religious site; dress respectfully and ask before photographing priests or rituals.
- Demonstrations of raising coffins into the cliffs are staged for visitors; the original methods remain uncertain.
Cities to start from
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- China Danxia — UNESCO World Heritage Centre (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Longhushan UNESCO Global Geopark — UNESCO (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Yingtan Municipal People's Government — Yingtan Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More mountains and nature in Jiangxi
- MountainJinggang Mountains井冈山Forested border mountains where the first rural Red Army base was built
- Mountain · 1,474 mMount Lu庐山Waterfalls, academies and villas above the Yangtze and Poyang Lake
- LakePoyang Lake鄱阳湖China's largest freshwater lake, a sea in summer and a grassland in winter
- MountainMount Sanqing三清山Granite pillars of the Three Pure Ones, walked on cliff-side paths
- National park · 2,158 mMount Wuyi武夷山Red cliffs of rock tea and a forest wilderness on the Fujian–Jiangxi divide
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