Mount Qingyuan

[Photo/ fjta.com]

Mount Qingyuan is located about three kilometers away from Quanzhou city, Fujian province. The summit is 498 meters above sea level.

Mount Qingyuan National Park protects a total area of 62 square kilometers. It includes three major scenic features, the namesake Mount Qingyuan, and Mount Ling and Mount Jiuri.

Mount Qingyuan has been famous since the Tang dynasty of Imperial China. The earliest mention of Mount Qingyuan is from around 221-207 BCE. Rapid development of Mount Qingyuan began in 618-1279 CE, and reached its peak during 1297 to 1911.

The centuries of development on Mount Qingyuan has imprinted various important historical and cultural artifacts. Such examples include nine huge Taoist and Buddhist stone sculptures, 600 stone inscriptions, and 3 granite stones. This includes the "Four Superlatives": the stone statue of Laozi; the Vedic stone statues of Buddha for Three Lives; the holy Islamic tombs; and the "pray for wind stone" inscriptions. The site also contains the shrine of Master Honyi.

The statue of Laozi is famed as being the largest stone carving of him made during the Song Dynasty. It is a Major Historical and Cultural Site Protected at the National Level; and measures 8.01 meters in length, 6.85 meters in width, and 5.63 meters in height, occupying an area of 55 square meters.