Mount Lao, or Laoshan (), is a mountain located near the

East China Sea The East China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean, located directly offshore from East China. China names the body of water along its eastern coast as "East Sea" (, ) due to direction, the name of "East China Sea" is otherwise ...

on the southeastern coastline of the Shandong Peninsula in China. The mountain is culturally significant due to its long affiliation with

Taoism Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ' ...

and is often regarded as one of the "cradles of Taoism". It is the highest coastal mountain in China and the second highest mountain in Shandong, with the highest peak (Jufeng) reaching . The mountain lies about to the northeast of the downtown area of the city of

Qingdao Qingdao, Mandarin: , (Qingdao Mandarin: t͡ɕʰiŋ˧˩ tɒ˥) is a prefecture-level city in the eastern Shandong Province of China. Located on China's Yellow Sea coast, Qingdao was long an important fortress. In 1897, the city was ceded to G ...

and is protected by the Qingdao Laoshan National Park that covers an area of 446 square kilometers.

Geology

Mount Lao consists of

granite Granite ( ) is a coarse-grained (phanerite, phaneritic) intrusive rock, intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly coo ...

. The mountain's landforms were formed due to the action of glaciers during the

Quaternary The Quaternary ( ) is the current and most recent of the three periods of the Cenozoic Era in the geologic time scale of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), as well as the current and most recent of the twelve periods of the ...

and erosion by meltwater released from the icecap that covered a large portion of Shandong during the late

Pleistocene The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...

History

Laoshan is known as one of the birthplaces of

. It is the place where the Complete Perfection School of Taoism () developed. In 412 CE the Chinese

Buddhist Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

pilgrim

Faxian Faxian (337–), formerly romanization of Chinese, romanized as Fa-hien and Fa-hsien, was a Han Chinese, Chinese Chinese Buddhism, Buddhist bhikkhu, monk and translator who traveled on foot from Eastern Jin dynasty, Jin China to medieval India t ...

landed near Laoshan on his return from

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. In the course of history, the mountain has been known by various other names, which includes different spellings of "Laoshan" (劳山, 牢山) as well as entirely different names such as Mount Futang and Mount Ao (). The latter name was used by the Taoist Master Changchun who served as the top religious affairs official to Genghis Khan.

Sites

In the course of history, numerous palaces,

Taoist Taoism or Daoism (, ) is a diverse philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China, emphasizing harmony with the Tao ( zh, p=dào, w=tao4). With a range of meaning in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include 'way', 'road', ...

temples, and nunneries have been constructed on Mount Lao. At the peak of Taoist worship, Mount Lao was home to about 1000 monks and nuns. However, many of these structures have not survived to the present. Major sites on Mount Lao are:

Temple of Supreme Purity

The largest temple complex on Mount Lao is that of the (), a Taoist temple that was first built during the

Northern Song dynasty The Song dynasty ( ) was an imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 960 to 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song, who usurped the throne of the Later Zhou dynasty and went on to conquer the rest of the Ten Kingdoms, endin ...

with the present structures dating to the reign of the

Wanli Emperor The Wanli Emperor (4 September 1563 – 18 August 1620), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shenzong of Ming, personal name Zhu Yijun, art name Yuzhai, was the 14th List of emperors of the Ming dynasty, emperor of the Ming dynasty, reig ...

in the

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty, officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming was the last imperial dynasty of ...

. The temple is located near the coast, below Pantao Peak on the southeastern foot of Mount Lao and is hence also known as the Lower Temple (), The main structure of the temple is the Hall of the Three Pure Ones () with houses statues of the Taoist Trinity ( the Grand Pure One, the Supreme Pure One, the Jade Pure One). It is flanked by the Three Emperors Hall (to the left, ) and the Three Officials Hall (to the left, ). The Three Emperors Hall enshrines statues of Fuxi, Shennong, and the

Yellow Emperor The Yellow Emperor, also known as the Yellow Thearch, or Huangdi ( zh, t=黃帝, s=黄帝, first=t) in Chinese, is a mythical Chinese sovereign and culture hero included among the legendary Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors. He is revered as ...

. In the Three Officials Halls are the statues of the Three Gods (the God of Heaven, the God of Earth, and the God of Water) along with other statues, such as of the warrior god Xuan Wu and of Lei Gong, the God of Thunder. Two ancient

Cypress Cypress is a common name for various coniferous trees or shrubs from the ''Cupressus'' genus of the '' Cupressaceae'' family, typically found in temperate climates and subtropical regions of Asia, Europe, and North America. The word ''cypress'' ...

trees in front of the Three Emperors Hall are said to have been planted during the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC9 AD, 25–220 AD) established by Liu Bang and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–206 BC ...

. Two old

camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in tropical and subtropical areas in East Asia, eastern and South Asia, southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are ...

trees are standing in front of the Three Officials Hall. On the walls outside of the Three Emperors Hall an imperial decree by

Genghis Khan Genghis Khan (born Temüjin; August 1227), also known as Chinggis Khan, was the founder and first khan (title), khan of the Mongol Empire. After spending most of his life uniting the Mongols, Mongol tribes, he launched Mongol invasions and ...

granting Taoism protection. A natural feature on the grounds of the temple is the Shenshui (Immortal Water) Spring that is fed by Mount Lao's considerable underground waters. The

Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...

writer Pu Songling is said to have resided in the Temple of Supreme Purity in his later years. His stories "The Taoist Priest of Laoshan" () and "The Flower Nymphs" () from the collection Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio are set on Mount Lao with the latter story specifically referring to peonies and camellias in the Temple of Supreme Purity.

Temple of Great Purity

The Temple of Great Purity () also known as the Upper Temple () is located on the southeastern slope of Mount Lao above the Temple of Supreme Purity. It was established during the Song dynasty and rebuilt during the Yuan dynasty, in the years 1297 to 1307. It is one of the oldest extant structures on Mount Lao. Like the Temple of Supreme Purity, the Temple of Great Purity features a spring. The spring in the Temple of Great Purity is called the "Shengshuiyang (Ocean of Holy Water) Spring".

Longtan Waterfall

The Longtan Waterfall () has a height of about 20 meters and is located to the south of the Temple of Great Purity.

Temple of Supreme Peace

The Temple of Supreme Peace () is located on the northern slope of Mount Lao. It was established during the Song dynasty, but has been rebuilt several times.

Hualou Temple

The Hualou Temple () was established by the Taoist Liu Zhijian during the Yuan dynasty (in 1325) and subsequently rebuilt during the Ming and Qing dynasties, as well as during the Republican era.

Huayan Temple

The Huayan Temple () is the only

Buddhist temple A Buddhist temple or Buddhist monastery is the place of worship for Buddhism, Buddhists, the followers of Buddhism. They include the structures called vihara, chaitya, stupa, wat, khurul and pagoda in different regions and languages. Temples in B ...

on Mount Lao and is located on the eastern slope of the mountain.

12 Sceneries

Traditionally, 12 sceneries () on Mount Lao have been regarded as particularly beautiful: # Mingxia Sanyi (明霞散绮, rays of sunshine) # Weizhu Mingquan (尉竹鸣泉, spring with sound) # Yundong Pansong (云洞蟠松, pine tree on the rock) # Yanpu Chaoyin (岩瀑潮音, waterfall with sound of tide) # Qipan Xian Yi (棋盘仙弈, megalith at Qipan) # Hualou Dieshi (华楼叠石, various stones) # Shiling Hengyun (狮岭横云, clouds hung on the top of the peak) # Naluoyanku (那罗延窟, rock cave) # Haiqiao Xiandun (海峤仙墩, seaside cliffs) # Taiqing Suiyue (太清水月, bright moon in spring water of Taiqing Palace) # Longtan Penyu (龙潭喷雨, water flowing out of the dragon pool) # Jufeng Xuzhao (巨峰旭照, rising sun in the morning on the highest peak)

Culture

Mount Lao is featured in many legends and local traditions. For example, the mountain is said to have been visited by the emperor

Qin Shi Huang Qin Shi Huang (, ; February 25912 July 210 BC), born Ying Zheng () or Zhao Zheng (), was the founder of the Qin dynasty and the first emperor of China. He is widely regarded as the first ever supreme leader of a unitary state, unitary d ...

and

Emperor Wu of Han Emperor Wu of Han (156 – 29 March 87BC), born Liu Che and courtesy name Tong, was the seventh Emperor of China, emperor of the Han dynasty from 141 to 87 BC. His reign lasted 54 years – a record not broken until the reign of the Kangxi ...

, both hoping to meet immortals and gain immortality there. The martial arts style of the Northern Praying Mantis is attributed to Wang Lang, who is said to have developed while living on Mount Lao. Wang Lang is commemorated by a contemporary stone statue on the mountain. Many gamblers visit Mount Lao for the famous tree located in the mountain, as it is said that three pats of the tree's trunk will bring instant luck for those seeking money. The beer of the Tsingtao Brewery is brewed with Laoshan spring water. Mount Lao is also famous for its green tea.

Tourism

Laoshan is a popular tourist site with a 5A government rating. During the 2012 Golden Week, it received about 176,000 visitors. There are six designated scenic areas on Mount Lao: Taiqing (), Chessboard Stone (), Yangkou (), Jufeng (), Beijiushui (), and Hualou ().

References

External links

Laoshan Scenic Spot Tourist Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lao Mount Lao Mountains of Shandong Sacred mountains of China Taoism in China Mount Lao AAAAA-rated tourist attractions Lao