UNESCO World Heritage SiteNational 5A Scenic AreaNorth China
Mount Wutai (Wutaishan)
五台山 · Shanxi, Xinzhou
One of China's Four Sacred Buddhist Mountains, with a cluster of ancient monasteries on a cool plateau.
Mount Wutai is a vast monastic complex spread across five flat-topped peaks, its valley town of Taihuai surrounded by temples and monasteries. It is the earthly abode of Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Wisdom, and draws pilgrims from across the Chinese and Tibetan Buddhist worlds. Its high altitude makes it a cool summer refuge.
Buddhist building here began in the Eastern Han dynasty (1st century) and the mountain became a leading centre of Tibetan Gelugpa Buddhism under the Qing emperors. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2009 as a cultural landscape of temples set in a dramatic natural setting.
Day-by-day routes you won't find online — now starting with an 8-day, 1,500 km loop through western Sichuan. New regions are added regularly; tell us where you want to drive next.
