Mount Mian 绵山Miánshān

Why go to Mount Mian

About 20 km south-east of Jiexiu, Mount Mian is a 75 sq km scenic area of gorges, cliffs and forest, with Buddhist and Taoist temples built into rock overhangs and caves. Ride the shuttle buses up to the cliff temples of Zhengguo and Yunfeng, the latter set in a huge natural cave, then walk the plank paths of Qixian Valley or the Sky Bridge along the cliff face.

The story

Legend says that Jie Zitui followed the exiled Jin prince Chong'er for years and once cut flesh from his own thigh to feed him, then refused any reward and withdrew to Mount Mian with his mother. When Chong'er, by then Duke Wen of Jin, set the mountain alight to drive him out, both died, and the duke banned fires on that day, which tradition holds was the origin of the Cold Food Festival just before Qingming.

What to see at Mount Mian

• Dragon Head Temple 龙头寺: Often the first stop up the road, in a cluster of sights that includes the Longmen stone arches. Legend says its name came from two dragons that Li Shimin saw on his visit.
• Daluo Palace 大罗宫: A Taoist temple complex stacked up the hillside in many storeys, rebuilt like most of the mountain's temples after the 1940 damage.
• Yunfeng Temple 云峰寺: Set inside the mountain's largest natural cave at Baofu Rock, with some 200 rooms. In the main hall sits the preserved figure of the Tang monk Tian Zhichao.
• Zhengguo Temple 正果寺: A cliff-side temple holding the remains of monks of the Tang, Song and Yuan, set in the valley area known as the Traces of the Five Dragons.
• Qixian Valley 栖贤谷: A winding gorge with suspension bridges, ladders and plank paths past inscribed rocks, springs and waterfalls.
• Sky Bridge 天桥: A narrow plank road hung along the cliff face high above the valley floor, where mist sometimes gathers below.

How to visit Mount Mian

A scenic bus climbs from the visitor centre, passing Dragon Head Temple about a quarter-hour up and carrying on to Shuitao Gully at the far end. Ride to the upper sights first and walk back down. A half-day visit can take in Dragon Head, Yunfeng and Zhengguo; a full day adds Qixian Valley and the Sky Bridge.

How to get to Mount Mian

Jiexiu East station is under an hour from Taiyuan South and about 20 minutes from Pingyao by high-speed train; from Jiexiu the drive to the scenic area takes 30–40 minutes, and shuttle buses link the main areas inside.

Where to stay

Jiexiu city is closest to the scenic area. Pingyao old town, about 20 minutes away by high-speed train, is the more atmospheric base and combines easily with a day at Mount Mian.

What to eat

• Pingyao beef 平遥牛肉: Slow-cooked, salted beef sliced thin, a Pingyao speciality with national intangible-heritage status.
• Pingyao wantuo 平遥碗托: A soft buckwheat jelly cut into strips and dressed with vinegar and garlic, eaten cold or fried.

Tips for visiting Mount Mian

• Ride the shuttle to the upper sights first and work downhill; the plank walks of Qixian Valley get crowded from early afternoon.
• Cliff paths, ladders and narrow walkways make this a poor choice for anyone with limited mobility or a fear of heights, and the Sky Bridge may close in wet weather.
• Most of the temples were damaged or destroyed in 1940 and have been rebuilt since the mid-1990s; for older buildings, combine the trip with the nearby Wang Family Compound.

Nearby

• Wang Family Compound 王家大院 under 10 km
  Fortified courtyard 'castles' of a Qing merchant and official clan on a loess hillside
• Shuanglin Temple 双林寺 40 km
  Some 2,000 painted clay Buddhas, saints and guardians crowded into ten temple halls
• Pingyao Ancient City 平遥古城 40 km
  An intact Ming walled town of courtyard inns, where China's first draft banks were born
• Guangsheng Temple 广胜寺 70 km
  A 13-storey glazed-tile pagoda above Yuan halls and murals, among them a theatre scene
• Qiao Family Compound 乔家大院 70 km
  Walled courtyards of a Qing merchant-banking family, the set for Raise the Red Lantern
• Xiaoxitian Temple 小西天 90 km
  A small hilltop hall crowded with nearly 2,000 painted clay Buddhist figures

Also within 30 km: Huiluan Temple 回銮寺 (under 10 km), Hongya Canyon 红崖峡谷 (under 10 km), Dongyue Temple, Jiexiu 介休东岳庙 (under 10 km), Jinci Temple, Lingshi 晋祠庙 (under 10 km), Jingsheng Confucian Temple 静升文庙 (under 10 km), Houtu Temple, Jingsheng 灵石后土庙 (under 10 km).

On the map

Open Mount Mian on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia