Fellow Virtual Travelers and Historians,
High in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the sun is shining and the wind is brisk. March is here already. Winter is still upon us as we reminisce about our past journeys on some of China's sacred martial arts mountains.
In this update we return to Anita's favorite mountain and temple - Five Dragon Palace on Wudangshan! From our first trip to China with our martial arts school (1996) to our most recent visit to China (2016), we've been to Wudangshan 6 times now. Of the sacred mountains we're researching, this mountain has the oldest history. Wudangshan myths, legends and folklore is the book we are currently writing.
You may remember that our trip in 2016 was encumbered by lots of rain. For the first time, we utilized a GPS watch to create downloadable treks as we wandered about China. Our previous trip (2014) is when we made the long hike to Five Dragon Palace in the Wudang mountain range.
After mapping our 2016 Wudang Trek up to the 'Parking Lot' (where our hotel was) on Google Earth, we did more map exploration and found the Five Dragon Palace:
When you zoom out (the minus sign) on the above map (depending on your screen size, it may be 5-6 zoom outs), look for:
Taichangguan 泰常观 , which is below and to the right of Five Dragon Palace (or Wulongcun.)
Taichangguan is near the Parking Lot where our hotels were located in both 2014 and 2016!
No wonder we were tired after that 7-hour trek down the Five Dragon River valley (with the last hour spent hiking UP the mountain)! With the devastating rains this area suffered between our last two trips, it's unlikely that the valley to Five Dragon Palace is even passable now.
We sent emails about this adventure during our 2014 trip to China (April 28th). This ancient temple complex is the second oldest temple at Wudang (the oldest temple complex is beneath the water of one of the reservoirs in the area).
To see that post and photos visit this link:
http://www.sacredmountainodysseys.com/blog/?offset=1398905820000
With support of the Tang Dynasty (627-649), the Five Dragon Palace Ancestral Hall was built. The Ming Dynasty also greatly respected the Wudang area and they are believed to have built around 215 additional buildings on the site, containing upwards of 850 rooms.
Tragically, a fire in 1930 burned the palace and buildings to the ground. The location (high on a mountain top in a very remote area) would have made fighting such a fire impossible.
It is mind-boggling how people could build such extensive structures in the middle of absolutely nowhere, that long ago. No heavy construction equipment, no automation, no gas-powered engines, no electricity, no modern tools as we know them. Wow!
Because of the remote location, Wudangshan temples and martial arts survived better than other temples, even when martial arts or Taoism were not popular with government officials. Wudangshan is the birthplace of Tai Chi.
Five Dragon Palace is definitely a place to return to someday!
Thank you for your interest in our travels - you make our efforts worth it!
Blessings,
Dennis & Anita
WudangTrek - The yellow line is our bus trip GPS trek up the mountain from town, arriving at the 'Parking Lot' where our hotel was located. In the center of this picture is a graphic with these characters: 五龙村 This is Wulongcun or Five Dragon Palace! Mapping the trek from Wudangtown to our hotel on the mountain, helped us locate Five Dragon Palace.
Bird's eye view of the Five Dragon Palace. Our entry to the temple grounds was the path on the right hand side. We walked past the drum and bell towers and into the courtyard of antiquity itself. This day's story is chronicled in our '10,000 Steps Straight Up' book, starting on page 19.
FiveDragonReservoir - A hidden gem on the Five Dragon River! The path down included walking around this body of water and crossing to the other side of the river via the top of the dam. See if you can find it on the GoogleMap! (Hint: it is below the 'Parking Lot'.)
FiveDragonBridgeWaterfall - The path crisscrossed the river a number of times. This was a quaint area where a smaller stream joined the larger flow of water into the Five Dragon River.
Five Dragon River Crossing: Dennis was dwarfed on the man-made concrete stepping blocks across Five Dragon River. The subsequent rains and flooding likely destroyed this area.
Finding serenity in the raw and wild nature: The hike along (and across) this river was breathtaking at every turn! With the dense foliage, you can see that walking across the Wudang mountain range would be slow and painstaking. Even if you had a machete.
Five Dragon Palace entry gate with its drum and bell towers: This is the view from the Five Dragon Palace courtyard, looking back towards the bell and drum towers. The brown building in the middle is where the monk tending the entrance, offered us water upon our arrival.
The glimpse back at the main temple as we descended down the back side of the mountain: After securing a car from town, we departed the temple grounds to hike down toward the not-open-to-the-public road. A glance backwards filled our hearts with awe. If only these trees and buildings could talk, the tales that they could tell!
Negotiating a ride to town after a very long day: With waning daylight at 5 pm and Anita's right knee that had swollen to twice its normal size, Dennis was tenacious in finding a ride into town.