The Wudang Mountains are a small mountain range in the Hubei province of China, just to the south of the manufacturing city of Shiyan.
Stretching over a distance of more than 400km/250mi, the Mount Wudangshan range (150km/93mi west of Xiangfan) is one of the Taoist Holy Mountains. Its highest point, Peak of Heavenly Pillars (Tianzhu Feng), is 1612m/5290ft; there are 71 other mountains in the range which, although not so high, are no less impressive. All have fairy tale names such as the Peak of The Taoist Child, The Young Maiden, The Heavenly Steed and The Five Old Men.
The Temple of the Five Dragons was first built on one of the mountain slopes during the Tang period (618-907). Other religious buildings were added between the 10th and 13th C, but nearly all of them were victims of wars during the late Yuan era (1271-1368). In 1412 the Ming Emperor Chengzu ordered large numbers of Taoist temples to be built on Mount Wudangshan.
This mammoth task took more than 300,000 workers nearly ten years to complete; they erected 8 palaces, 38 monasteries, 72 temple halls, 39 bridges and 12 pavilions, most of which have survived to this day. The various complexes were extended in 1552-53.Entrance to the religious precincts is through Gateway to the Mysterious Mountain (Xuanyue Men), 20m/66ft high and 13m/43ft wide and built in the year 1552. The finely-carved bas- and high-reliefs on the four gate pillars portray the legends of the Eight Immortal Taoists.
In kung
fu legend, Wudang is often associated with the jian, or sword, much as Shaolin martial arts are commonly associated with the staff. The sword techniques were again supposedly created by Zhang Sanfeng, and as with many arts associated with Wudang are based around internal and soft techniques, avoiding direct clashes with the opponent and instead relying on quickness and borrowing the opponent’s power.
The Hall of Yuzhen is the cradle of Wudang kung fu. In 1417, Ming Dynasty Emperor Zhudi decreed Wudang to be the “Grand Mountain” and ordered the construction of the Hall of Yuzhen for Master Zhang Sanfeng.
On January 19, 2003, a fire broke out in the hall, reducing the three rooms that covered 200 square metres to ashes. A gold-plated statue of Zhang Sanfeng, which was usually housed in Yuzhengong, was moved to another building just before the fire, and so escaped destruction in the inferno.
The third biannual Traditional Wushu Festival was held in Wudang Mountains from October 28 to November 2, 2008
