Sacred mountain · Shanxi
Mount Heng (Northern)
恒山
The Northern Peak of the Five Great Mountains and the Hanging Temple
Mount Heng in Hunyuan County, northern Shanxi, is the Northern Peak (Beiyue) of China's Five Great Mountains, rising to about 2,016 metres at Tianfeng Ridge. A Daoist mountain with temples clinging to its cliffs, it guards a pass on the old frontier and is best known for the Hanging Temple, a monastery built into a gorge wall since the late fifth century.
- Five Great Mountains (Northern Peak)
- National scenic area · 1982
Key facts
Overview
The Northern Peak is a long, steep limestone ridge running north-east across Hunyuan County, about 60 km south-east of Datong. It is split by the narrow Jinlong Gorge (金龙峡), once a strategic pass between the steppe and the Shanxi basins, where the Hanging Temple is fixed to the western cliff above the old road. On the eastern side of the gorge, paths climb to Tianfeng Ridge and to the Daoist temples below the summit.
Mount Heng is the least visited of the Five Great Mountains and among the most austere: bare rock, pines on the ridges and wide views north over the Datong Basin to the Great Wall hills. It is primarily Daoist, but the Hanging Temple joins Buddhist, Daoist and Confucian images under one roof.
How the landscape formed
The mountain is a fault block of Cambrian and Ordovician limestone and older rocks lifted along the northern edge of the Hengshan–Wutai uplift. The Hun River cut Jinlong Gorge through the ridge as the block rose, leaving vertical walls more than 100 metres high. The climate is continental and dry: cold winters, short summers and sparse rain, so that forest grows mainly on north-facing slopes.
Highlights
Hanging Temple
悬空寺
About forty halls and pavilions on beams driven into the cliff of Jinlong Gorge, founded in the Northern Wei dynasty and largely rebuilt in the Ming and Qing.
Tianfeng Ridge
天峰岭
The main summit, about 2,016 metres.
Hall of the Northern Peak
北岳恒宗殿
The main Daoist temple, reached by a long flight of steps, where the god of the Northern Peak is worshipped.
Hall of Assembled Immortals
会仙府
A Daoist temple set into a cave-like recess below the summit.
Jinlong Gorge
金龙峡
The gorge that splits the mountain, historically a fortified pass.
Plants and wildlife
The slopes are dry and rocky; pines and cypresses grow on the ridges and around the temples, with scrub on the south faces. Old pines rooted in the cliffs are one of the mountain's traditional sights.
Plants
Chinese pine
油松
Pinus tabuliformis, growing from cracks in the cliffs.
Oriental arborvitae
侧柏
Old specimens stand around the temples.
Astragalus
黄芪
The Hunyuan region is known for this medicinal root, a traditional local product.
Wildlife
Chukar partridge
石鸡
A partridge of dry rocky hillsides.
Culture and legend
The Five Great Mountains were the directional pillars of the empire, where emperors made or sent sacrifices. For most of imperial history the rites to the Northern Peak were held at the Beiyue Temple in Quyang, Hebei, on a different mountain; only in 1660 did the Qing court transfer them to Hunyuan, confirming this Mount Heng as the Northern Peak. The Hanging Temple embodies the union of the three teachings: its highest hall, the Hall of Three Religions, shows the Buddha, Laozi and Confucius side by side.
Hall of the Three Teachings
三教殿
In the Hanging Temple, with Shakyamuni, Laozi and Confucius together.
Beiyue Temple, Quyang
北岳庙
The former imperial temple of the Northern Peak in Hebei, where sacrifices were made until 1660.
Cliff inscriptions
恒山摩崖石刻
Characters carved into the rock faces by officials and visitors, including the large “壮观” (magnificent) at the Hanging Temple.
History
c. 491
Hanging Temple founded
Built in the late Northern Wei, when nearby Datong (Pingcheng) was the capital.
Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
Temples rebuilt on the mountain
Much of the present Hanging Temple and the summit temples date from Ming reconstructions.
1660
Rites of the Northern Peak moved to Hunyuan
The Qing court formally recognises this mountain as the Northern Peak.
1982
National scenic area
Listed in the first group of national scenic areas.
Through the seasons
Spring
Dry and windy, with dust from the north; the slopes stay brown until May.
Summer
Warm days and cool nights, the most comfortable time; the Hanging Temple is busiest.
Autumn
Clear and dry, the best season for long views from the summit.
Winter
Very cold, with ice on the steps; the Hanging Temple is striking against snow but paths can be closed.
Routes and ways in
Hanging Temple
Visited from the road in Jinlong Gorge; narrow galleries and steep ladders lead through the halls, and numbers inside are limited at any one time.
Ascent to the Hall of the Northern Peak
Stepped paths climb from the gorge to the main temples and on to Tianfeng Ridge, usually a half-day walk; a cable car covers part of the climb.
Practical notes
- Mount Heng is in Hunyuan County, Datong prefecture; Datong, with the Yungang Grottoes, is the usual base.
- The galleries of the Hanging Temple are narrow and high above the ground; they are not suitable for anyone uneasy with heights.
- Temples are active places of worship; incense is offered only at the designated burners.
Cities to start from
Frequently asked questions
Sources
- Datong Municipal People's Government — Datong Municipal People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Heng Mountains — Encyclopaedia Britannica (retrieved 27 September 2026)
- Shanxi Provincial People's Government — Shanxi Provincial People's Government (retrieved 27 September 2026)
More mountains and nature in Shanxi
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