Hengshan Mountain 衡山

Hengshan Mountain, also known as Nanyue (the Southern Mountain), is one of the Five Great Mountains, located in Nanyue District, Hengyang City, Hunan Province. Thanks to better climatic conditions than the other four great mountains, it is covered with lush forests and bamboo groves all year round, with exotic flowers and rare herbs blooming and fragrance floating in all seasons. Its natural scenery is extremely beautiful, thus earning the reputation of "the Unique Beauty of Nanyue".

Hengshan Mountain features the coexistence of Buddhism and Taoism on the same mountain and even in the same temple, which is a unique phenomenon among China's famous mountains. In the history of Chinese Buddhism and Taoism, Hengshan's Buddhism and Taoism hold an important position. Geographically, Hengshan's Buddhism and Taoism have exerted influence not only on China but also on Japan, Southeast Asia and even the world. As early as the Western Zhou Dynasty, Taoism had already developed sacred caves and blessed lands in Nanyue Hengshan. By the Tang Dynasty, it witnessed the grand occasion of "ten great monasteries" and "eight hundred thatched nunneries". The two religions developed together in Hengshan and eventually formed the characteristic of mutual respect and common prosperity between Buddhism and Taoism.

Huangting Guan is located at the foot of Jixian Peak in Hengshan, about 1 kilometer away from the Nanyue Grand Temple. It gets its name from the Taoist classic Huangting Jing (The Yellow Court Scripture). The term "Huangting" (Yellow Court) – "Huang" (yellow) refers to the color of the center, and "Ting" (court) denotes the middle of the four directions, metaphorically meaning "emptiness within". Huangting signifies the state of "inner emptiness" that appears in Taoist inner cultivation. Huangting Jing, in the form of seven-character rhymed verses, centers on the theory that each internal organ of the human body has its own presiding deity, expounding the essentials of consolidating essence, refining qi, and achieving longevity, thus being praised as "a wonderful classic for longevity in the world". The existing buildings of Huangting Guan were rebuilt in the Qing Dynasty. It has a two-entry structure with the main hall and the cross hall as the axis. The main hall enshrines a statue of Lady Wei. The walls of the hall were originally inlaid with stone carvings of Huangting Jing, said to be handwritten by Lady Wei. To the right, there is the Feisheng Stone (Ascension Stone) of Lady Wei, on which there is a natural footprint, said to be left by Lady Wei.

Nanyue Temple is located in Nanyue District (formerly Nanyue Town) at the foot of Hengshan Mountain. It is the largest palace-style ancient architectural complex in southern China. First built in the early Tang Dynasty, it covers an area of 98,500 square meters. The main buildings are divided into nine courtyards, in sequence: the memorial archway, the ancient stage, Zhengchuan Gate, the Imperial Stele Pavilion, Jiaying Gate (where local officials greeted officials coming from the capital for inspection), the Imperial Book Tower, the main hall, the bedroom hall, and the North Back Gate.

The main hall is also known as the Hall of the Holy Emperor. To the east of this hall, there are eight Taoist temples, and to the west, exactly eight Buddhist monasteries.

According to Records of Nanyue, the Temple of Sim Huo King of Heaven was first built in the early Tang Dynasty; the Ancestral Temple of Nanyue Zhenjun was built in the 13th year of Kaiyuan (725); the rear hall was built in the 5th year of Dazhong Xiangfu in the Song Dynasty (1012). Later, after repeated reconstructions and expansions, its scale gradually expanded. The existing buildings in the temple include Lingxing Gate, Panlong Pavilion, Zhengchuan Gate, the Imperial Stele Pavilion, Jiaying Gate, the Imperial Book Tower, the main hall, the bedroom hall, the back gate, the East Side Gate, the West Side Gate, and the four corner towers, covering an area of 198,000 square meters. It is renowned together with Dai Temple in Tai'an, Shandong, and Zhongyue Temple in Dengfeng, Henan, and is one of the largest and most completely laid out ancient buildings among the temples of the Five Great Mountains. The main hall of Nanyue Temple, the main building of the temple, was rebuilt in the 8th year of Guangxu in the Qing Dynasty (1882), with a double-eaved gable and hip roof, dedicated to the Great Emperor of Nanyue. There are 72 stone pillars inside and outside the hall, symbolizing the 72 peaks of Hengshan. The wooden bucket arches on the column heads and the carved eaves are extremely exquisite. The railings around the platform base are carved with patterns of flowers, birds, and beasts. Buildings such as Jiaying Gate, the Imperial Stele Pavilion, and the bedroom hall still retain elements from the Song and Ming dynasties, serving as important objects for studying ancient Chinese architectural art and possessing high historical and artistic value.

Jiuzhen Guan is located on Hengshan Mountain. According to A Comprehensive Collection of Nanyue's Scenic Spots, it was built during the Taikang period of the Eastern Jin Dynasty (280–289). In the early Tianjian period of the Liang Dynasty, Zhang Ruzhen lived here for cultivation and later attained Taoism and ascended to immortality. In the 1st year of Chonghe in the Northern Song Dynasty (1118), Emperor Huizong conferred on him the title "Quanzhen Dadao Zhenren" (Perfectly True and Great Way Immortal). During the Kaiyuan period of the Tang Dynasty (713–741), Sima Chengzhen entered the mountain and built a thatched hut 1 li north of the temple for cultivation. In the 3rd year of Qianyuan (760), the temple was destroyed by war. During the Xiantong period (860–874), Wang Gujie rebuilt it, making the halls look brand-new and the incense extremely prosperous.