Wulei Mountain

Daoist sacred mountain known as the 'Southern Wudang' (Zhenwu Shrine), a center of Daoism in Western Hunan. A Daoist mountain in Cili County, named for its five peaks ranged like the character 'lei' (thunder); incense thrived in the Ming Wanli era, when it was dubbed the 'Southern Wudang', echoing Hubei's Wudang Mountain from afar and long celebrated as the 'Foremost Scenic Site of Southern Chu'. The Zhenwu Shrine and other temples are perched on the steep slopes; during the temple fairs on the third day of the third lunar month and the ninth day of the ninth lunar month each year, pilgrims from the Hunan-Hubei border gather in droves, making it one of the centers of Daoist faith in Western Hunan. Stone steps spiral up through pine woods to the summit, with distant views over the Lishui plain meeting the far peak forests; unlike the 'fairyland' air of Zhangjiajie's peak forests, Wulei Mountain's character is the religious-humanistic 'Daoist air of transcendence'—good for a leisurely half-day outing.

Getting there: Cili shuttle bus