The beauty of the Wudang Mountains covered in snow

( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2013-01-16

Enclosed by red walls, the ancient building complexes atop the Wudang Mountains look magnificent under the cover of snow.

Over 500 temples and 20,000 rooms were built on the Wudang Mountains between the Tang and Qing dynasties. The constructions from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) were the highest in terms of elevation, reaching the mountains’ peaks.

Emperors of all dynasties built and restored Wudang Ashram as the royal worship temple. The biggest period of temple construction occurred during the reign of the Yongle Emperor in the Ming Dynasty. Altogether 33 Taoist building complexes were built, including nine palaces, nine Taoist temples, 72 magnificent temples, 39 bridges and 12 pavilions.

The construction area totaled 1.6 million square meters. In the 31st year of Jiajing's reign in the Ming Dynasty (1552), an extension project was undertaken. The expansive construction has created a mountain range with "temples and palaces everywhere".

The beauty of the Wudang Mountains covered in snow

The beauty of the Wudang Mountains covered in snow