Ancient Building Complex in the Wudang Mountains

Lying in Danjiangkou, Hubei Province, the ancient building complex in the Wudang Mountains, possessing 20000 large and small rooms with a total floor space of 40000 sq.m., is a typical example of Taoist architecture in China. Its construction started under the Tang Dynasty (the 7th century) and continued under the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties. The Ming emperor participated in the planning and constructing 33 groups of buildings including 9 Taoist palaces and 9 Taoist temples, and regarded them as the Royal Family Temple Complex. Over 500 temples date back to the Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties respectively. About 7400 stelae and sacred cultural objects are now kept within temples there. Having met the criteria Nos.1, 2, 6 for inclusion of cultural properties on the World Heritage List, the ancient building complex in the Wudang Mountains was inscribed on the World Heritage List by UNESCO in 1994.

NanyanPalace