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Mount Wutai or Wutai Shan, which means "Five Terrace Mountain", is a mountain regarded as sacred to Buddhism. On this mountain are some forty-one monasteries built from the 1st century AD right up to the early 20th century. Among these buildings is the East Main Hall of Foguang Temple, regarded as the highest surviving timber building of the Tang Dynasty. The temple is famous for its life-size clay statues.

Another famous monastery on Mount Wutai is Shuxiang Temple, which was built in the Ming Dynasty. This huge temple complex has about 500 statues telling Buddhism stories.

The buildings at Mount Wutai provide a tangible record of the development of Buddhism architecture and had an impact on the architectural style of Chinese palaces over a span of one thousand years.

In recognition of its outstanding value to humanity, Mount Wutai was inscribed as a World Heritage Site during the 33rd session of the World Heritage Committee in Seville, Spain, on 22-30 June, 2009.

Photos of the temples of Mount Wutai

Foguang Temple, Wutai Shan
Foguang Temple, Wutai Shan
Author: Angus Cepka (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

Dailuoding Temple, Mount Wutai
Dailuoding Temple, Mount Wutai
Author: Angus Cepka (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

Dailuoding Temple
Dailuoding Temple
Author: Angus Cepka (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

Great White Pagoda, Wutai Shan
Great White Pagoda, Wutai Shan
Author: Angus Cepka (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

Lingfeng Temple Pagoda, Wutai Shan
Lingfeng Temple Pagoda, Wutai Shan
Author: Angus Cepka (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

Xiantong Temple, Wutai Shan
Xiantong Temple, Wutai Shan
Author: Angus Cepka (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

Zunsheng Temple, Wutai Shan
Zunsheng Temple, Wutai Shan
Author: Angus Cepka (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

Yuanzhao Temple, Wutai Shan
Yuanzhao Temple, Wutai Shan
Author: Angus Cepka (Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0)

World Heritage Site Inscription Details

Location: N 39 1 50 E 113 33 48
Inscription Year: 2009
Type of Site: Cultural
Inscription Criteria: II, III, IV, VI

Location Map of Mount Wutai


View Mount Wutai in a larger map

Visiting Mount Wutai

Mount Wutai is located 240 km (150 miles) to the north of the city of Taiyuan. There are flights from major cities in China to Taiyuan. From Taiyuan, you can take a bus to the village of Taihuai. There are buses from Taihuai to Mount Wutai. The fare is ¥70 to each of the five peaks.

Preparing for your trip

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