Fanjingshan

Fanjingshan or Mount Fanjing is a gorgeous pinnacle stretching hundreds of feet above the valley floor. Located in the eastern Guizhou province in south-west China, Fanjingshan is the highest peak of the Wuling Mountains. Fanjingshan mountain ranges have an altitude between 500 and 2,570 meters above sea level and favor highly diverse types of vegetation and relief. Mount Fanjing is not only a natural wonder but also famous for its Buddhist history, and features a pair of ancient Chinese temples atop its peak. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in July 2018.

Geology

The entire mountain region has some unusual rock formations, known as metamorphic rock. It is an island of metamorphic rock in a sea of karst, home to many plant and animal species that originated in the Tertiary period, between 65 and 2 million years ago. Surrounding geologic and climatic characteristics have shaped its flora, which behaves as if it were on an island.

History

In Chinese, Fanjingshan means Buddhist tranquility. As the name suggests, Fanjing is a holy site for Buddhists since the Tang Dynasty. Around 48 Buddhist temples were built here between 1368 and 1644, which was the period of the Ming Dynasty in China. Many of them have been destroyed. The one that survived the test of time made Fanjingshan a prominent pilgrimage site for Buddhist pilgrims.

The spectacular views from the mountain are breathtaking. Visitors come here in search of peace and spirituality. There are three summits in the region. The highest of the three is the Golden Summit on Mount Fenghuang at 2,572 meters above sea level. The second in line is the Old Golden Summit at a height of 2493 m. It also features a temple dedicated to Buddha Dipamkara. The third one is known as the New Golden Summit or Red Clouds Golden Summit at an altitude of 2336 meters.

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There is a tricky vertical ascent of 100 meters to the top, which makes a magical appearance at the place. Here are two peaks, each one topped by a Buddhist temple and connected by a bridge; this looks absolutely amazing. Apart from this, the Mushroom Stone, which stands 10 meters high, is the most photographed feature in the region. There are many other strange rock formations and features on Fanjingshan.

Ecological splendor

The Wuling Mountain Range is also known as the ‘gene database of China’. The region has 2,000 types of plants, among which 31 come under the endangered list, and 19 threatened animal species roam these forests.  One of those endangered animals is the endemic grey snub-nosed monkey. Scientists know very little about these Old World monkeys. According to the reports, there are only 750 survivors today.

To get to Fanjingshan, there are many flights from all around the world to Guangzhou airport and then another 95-minute flight to Tongren Airport.

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To reach Fanjingshan, you’ll have to take a bus from Tongren. The bus takes around two hours to reach the base camp, from where visitors need to go on a challenging 8,888-step ascent. This will take around 5 hours to reach the summit.  If that doesn’t tickle your fancy, there is a cable car that takes travelers to the top.