Jiugong (Nine Palaces) Mountain is named after the story of "nine boddies including Emperor Jin’an built nine palaces in the mountain". (photo from nipic.com)

Jiugong (Nine Palaces) Mountain is located in Tongshan county of Xianning city, along Hubei’s mountainous south-eastern border with Jiangxi province. It extends for hundreds of miles and covers 210 square kilometers. It is named after the story of "nine boddies including Emperor Jin’an built nine palaces in the mountain". It became one of the five Bodhimandalas when the famous Taoist Zhang Daoqing in Southern Song Dynasty opened up a Bodhimandala there.

Its nuclear scenery is made up of three parts, Jiugong Mountain Town, forest park (nature reserve) and King Chuang’s Tomb. Jiugong Mountain is one of the six national scenic area in Hubei province. It is of the delicate side as southern mountains, but also has the features of northern ridge mountains, such as grand, dangerous, extraordinary, quiet and elegant.

It is of the delicate side as southern mountains, but also has the features of northern ridge mountains, such as grand, dangerous, extraordinary, quiet and elegant.

Yunzhong Lake

Yunzhong Lake is the place where Jiugong Mountain Town is located. It is also the board and lodging base of Jiugong Mountain travel. This is a natural scenic spot which focuses on humanity landscape. The main scenic spots are welcoming pine, waterfall, Zhenjun stone temple, Wu and Chu frontier, tortoise making a pilgrimage, and copper drum.

It is the board and lodging base of Jiugong Mountain travel. (jiugongshan.gov.cn)

King Chuang’s Tomb

King Chuang’s Tomb covers the area of 200 mu, only 3 kilometers away from the protected areas. King Chuang, named Li Zicheng, was the leader of the peasant rebellion at the end of the Ming Dynasty. He enforced strict military discipline, punished officials guilty of crimes and corruption, and paid much attention to the people's welfare. In 1645, Li Zicheng was killed in battle at Jiugong Mountain. Jiugong Mountain has became famous thereafter. King Chuang’s Tomb is the only existed tomb of the peasant rebellion leader in history. The main buildings at King Chuang’s Tomb are Gatehouse, Tomb and the Pavilion.

Entrance of the King Chuang’s Tomb

Zhenjun Stone Temple

Located at the top of Phoenix Hill in the Cloud Lake, facing to Xianglu (Incense Burner) Mountain, Zhenjun Stone Temple has existed for more than 780 years, and also the only preserved ancient architecture of Jiugong Mountain, it had been named by six emperor. The body of famous Taoist Zhang Daoqing was preserved here for 680 years without rotten, but was destroyed in the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom.

The body of famous Taoist Zhang Daoqing was preserved here for 680 years.

Dayatou Waterfall

Dayatou Waterfall has a drop of more than 400 meters. It is the waterfall which has the largest drop in China. Dayatou Waterfall has the fantastic view similar to that of a waterfall flying down straight from the heaven. It can match with Niagara Falls in America.

Dayatou Waterfall has a drop of more than 400 meters.

Stone Dragon Ditch

Stone Dragon Ditch is located in north of Jiugong Mountain with 7 kilometers long. It is one of the major scenic spot of Jiugong Mountain. It’s composed by more than 10,000 stone steps. It is also a primeval forest zone, divided to top and bottom parts, and was well-known as "The treasure of Jiugong Mountain".

Jiugong Mountain Delicacy

Jiugong catering has its own characters, fresh, natural, and the main ingredients are wild vegetables. It is a great pleasure for the people who have lived in urban area to enjoy wild vegetables on the mountain. The delicacies made from bamboo are especially characteristic. Roasting meat with bamboo shoot, soup of dried bamboo shoot, boiled rice in bamboo tube, and steamed vegetables in bamboo tube are appetitive. Delicacies in mountainous area are more seasoned. Dried cowpeas, wild bracken, small dried fish, dried turnip, and lobster sauce will be appetizing for the tourists who has climbed the mountain and sweating.

Jiugong Mountain covered in snow (jiugongshan.gov.cn)

Other Information

There are three seasons in a day in Jiugong Mountain. The weather is different from that of two miles away. It may change from a sunny day to a foggy one in a few moments. At this end, the warblers and butterflies are singing and dancing; while at the other end, it is drizzling.

Location: Southeast of Tongshan county, 178km from Wuhan city

Admission fee: 50 yuan

Opening hours: 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

Transportation:

There are two regular buses each day at Xinhua Road long-distance bus station, Wuhan. One is at 7:30 am and the other is at 12:30 am. The ticket is 20 yuan. The bus runs every half hour from Tongshan county to Jiugong Mountain. The ticket is 13 yuan.