4 Days Wudang Mountain Taoism Tour with Cultural Experience
Deep Exploration about Wudang Taoism with Inspiring Activities
Deep Exploration about Wudang Taoism with Inspiring Activities
To truly feel and experience the real Taoism culture in China, Wudang Mountain in Hubei Province is definitely the best destination to go! Established as a Taoist center from the early Tang Dynasty, some Taoist buildings could be traced back to the 7th century. The buildings in the Wudang Mountains exhibit exceptional architectural art and technology and represent the highest level of Chinese art and architecture achieved over a period of nearly 1000 years.
This 4-day Taoism culture tour takes you to see many time-honored temples and palaces on this fairy mountain, and explore China’s innate and indigenous religion - Taoism with some stunning cultural activities combined, like Tai Chi practicing, sitting meditation and stillness cultivation, scriptures copying, dialogue with the true Taoist priests, Wudang tea sipping and more. All these activities are specially designed based on the principles of the Tao and the goal of seeking for the Tao. I do believe you will gain a lot after the tour - health, content, peace and happiness!
Taoism Cultural Experience Notice: All the activities can be tailored based on your interests, likes and time. If you have your own ideas, please tell us and we can add it into the tour to meet your demands. To customize your Wudang Taoism culture tour, please contact our professional travel consultants.
Day 1 Wudangshan Arrival
Flight / Train to Shiyan or Wudangshan
Welcome to Wudangshan, the No.1 Taoist Mountain in China! Our local guide and driver will meet you at the train station / airport and then escort you to your hotel. The rest of today is free on your own to explore this mysterious place.
Arrival Ideas: (a) Shiyan Wudangshan Airport is about 30km to Wudang Mountain. It has flights from/to Wuhan, Xian, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Kunming, Chengdu and more cities to Wudangshan Airport. (b) Wudangshan West Railway Station is only about 12 km to Wudang Mountain which has high speed trains from Wuhan (around 2-2.5 hours), Beijing (6 hours), Zhengzhou (2.5 hours), etc. (c). Shiyan Railway Station is 36.5km to Wudang Mountain. It has more trains but further than Wudangshan West.
Evening Activity Suggestion: enjoy an optional show “A Dream of Wudang” which will be performed during 20:00-21:10 at Taiji Theater (pay on your own at the spot); walk along Yuxu Street, a new cultural street built in the style of traditional Wudang architecture close to Yuxu Palace.
Day 2 Wudangshan (B)
Yuxu Palace - Prince Slope - Needle-Grinding Well - Carefree Valley - Meditation - Tai Chi Practicing
After breakfast, your full day Taoism exploration starts. First, make a stop at Yuxu Palace, one of the largest palaces within the Wudang Mountain architectural complex. Originally built during the Yongle reign of the Ming Dynasty, the palace still remains some ancient structures and ruins including two palace walls stretching 1,036 meters in length, two stele pavilions, the foundations of five halls in the inner city, and the Qing Dynasty-reconstructed Father and Mother Hall, Cloud Hall, as well as the ruins of the Eastern, Western, and Northern Heaven Gates. These remnants possess a profound allure and are well worth visiting.
Then, enjoy a trip to Wudang Mountain which combines ancient Taoism wisdom, historic architecture and natural beauty. Take a sightseeing bus to Prince Slope (Fuzhen Guan) which was first built in 1412 during Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). According to the legend, the prince of Jingle State came to Wudang Mountain to cultivate himself and lived on the slope, so it was called Taizi Po. Walk along a winding passage leading to the temple to reach the Pond of Tears for a beautiful story and also be amazed by the architecture wonder - Five-story Tower. Later, head to Needle-Grinding Well where Zhen Wu overcame himself before he became the God of Wudang Mountain. Enjoy the story of “Grinding an iron rod into a needle” which helped Zhen Wu realized he should not give up his belief halfway and must go on practicing Taoism and living an austere life. Afterwards, transfer to Carefree Valley (Xiaoyao Valley) to enjoy a light walk in this fairyland with many macaques. Pay a visit to the Wudang Taoist Medical Training Base to witness how the Taoist doctors (who thoroughly grasped the laws of heaven and earth and understood the movement and transformation of the mysterious principles of Yin Yang) use traditional method or other natural methods for healing people.
Later, enjoy a period of time (usually 30 minutes) for sitting meditation and stillness cultivation which will help you regain physical strength and open your wisdom. Under the guidance of a master, adjust your breath and let your brain stop operating and relax.
After the relaxation of your mind, you’ll start the Tai Chi practicing with your partners. Learn the basic principles of Yin and Yang and follow the skilled master to play simple Tai Chi. The experience will last for 1 hour.
After the tour, be escorted to your hotel.
Sitting Meditation and Stillness Cultivation Experience
Day 3 Wudang Mountain & Taoist Cultural Activities (B)
Tai Chi Practicing - Nanyan Temple - Purple Cloud Palace - Scripture Copying
After breakfast, take some time (about 1 hour) to practice Tai Chi under the guidance of a skilled master. Grasp finger, palm, elbow, shoulder, hip, knee and feet basic techniques as well as other unique skills and try to make your body mutually suitable for movement and stillness.
Later, be transferred to take a sightseeing bus directly to Nanyan Temple, a holy land where Zhen Wu ascended to the heaven. Explore this stunning palaces on the cliff and visit various Taoist temples, stylish architectures and cliff inscriptions. The next stop is Purple Cloud Palace, one of the best preserved palaces with 9 buildings and 182 rooms on Wudang Mountain. Looking from the axle wire, the constructions locate there symmetrically along the mountain, splendid and gorgeous. Catch the rare chance to see the Taoist priests doing the afternoon chant around 17:00.
If you are interested, you can enjoy some time to communicate with the true Taoist priests who live in the temples or palaces on Wudang Mountain. By talking with them, you will enjoy the story of them and know Wudang Mountain and the Taoism deeper.
After the visit, immerse yourself in Scriptures Copying. Learn some basic Chinese under the guidance of a master and try to copy the famous work Tao Te Ching. You will get to comprehend the meaning of Tao while you doing the copy.
Day 4 Wudang Mountain & Wudangshan Departure (B)
Qiongtai Palace - Tianzhu Peak - Golden Palace - Wudang Museum
After breakfast, hop on a sightseeing bus directly to Qiongtai Palace (altitude:1350 meters), one of biggest Taoist temples of Wudang Mountain! It is also the starting point of cable car. Take a cable car to the highest peak in Wudang Mountain - Tianzhu Peak at 1612 meters peaks and enjoy some hiking up to Golden Palace (Jin Ding or Peace of Harmony), the symbol of Wudang Mountain. The construction of Golden Palace was started in 1416 during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and it features the largest extant brass casting building in China. Standing on the peak, you can have a panoramic view of the vast and sacred Wudang Mountain and its hidden temples. With the impressive natural sea of clouds, sunrise and sunset, lush forests and rocks, the Palace of Harmony is like a heaven on earth.
After getting down the mountain, be transferred to Wudang Museum to get a further understanding about Taoism and the Wudang Mountain. Walking through the eight halls, you can learn about the history of Taoism, architecture, celebrities, Taoist statues, folk customs, music and martial arts to enrich your journey.
After the tour, be escorted to Wudangshan Shiyan Airport / train station to catch your flight or train to next destination. Service ends!
1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel
and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your
traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of
currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
4. Reference exchange rate of USD 1=RMB 7.00. The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change
according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.
Hi Rita,
The best experience ever!!!! I fell in love.
I received your lovely card and cute gifts, thank you so much.
Done it! As always it’s my pleasure to hire your company services, see you in the next adventure.
Emmy
Hi Rita,
Please kindly see the feedback below.
We are a family of 7. This private tour package definitely met our expectations! Both tour guides (Chengdu- MAY & Chongqing-DAVID) provided us a very good service, both friendly and very flexible despite the change in our tour schedules. They were also very responsible and ensured our safety, meals and transports were well taken care of, especially since we have elderly and kids in our group. Both tour guides are very fluent in English too so it is very convenient for some of the non-chinese speakers in our group.
We will look for the same tour agent again in our next trip to China!
Best Regards,
Victoria
Hi Shirley,
Thanks for the tour, and the itinerary that you planned for us was very comprehensive and detailed. We enjoyed it very much. The tour guide was also very friendly and experienced. He followed your itinerary closely and brought us to all the sites and explained in detail. He also recommended and brought us to enjoy some of the local cuisines during lunch.
Overall, we are impressed by the excellent service, reliability and quality that yourself, the tour guide and the driver has provided us. We would like to visit China again and we will not hesitate to engage your services again. Thank you!
Regards
Chun How
Hi Shirley,
I'm writing to provide some feedback on our recent Xian and Beijing trip that you put together for us.
We travel a lot, in the past year to Japan, New Zealand, China, Turkey, Africa, China, and finally this Xian/Beijing trip. I bring this up to highlight that we deal with a lot of travel professionals. You are easily the best travel professional we have dealt with through all of those trips. My wife, who happens to be Chinese asked me to make sure to keep your contact information for future China trips, with the intention of replacing the China based agent her brother usually uses for our trips.
Please let your manager know that we would probably not have used your company if not for you. Bamboo Travel is new to us and in a foreign country, so we had doubts as to what to expect. Your service was excellent from start to finish which really gave us confidence in your company. We had a little bit of an unusual itinerary and some constraints related to our other China travel prior to this tour. You were able to work through all of our issues with fast responses to our questions.
You also went what I would say was above and beyond expectations. The final example of that is a friend in the US was shipping some things to our hotel in Beijing for me to bring home to her. I contacted you to confirm the hotel name before they shipped the items, expecting I would then have to figure out the shipping details. Your reply not only confirmed the hotel, but you provided the shipping info in both English and Chinese, which saved me the hassle of trying to figure which address to use. Not a huge thing, but it's those small things that add up to a big difference in customer experience.
Thanks again for everything!
Xian:
Our guide was Waldner and we liked him from the start. We were just coming off another tour with another company which had maybe the best tour leader we've ever had. Even though we were always comparing Waldner measured up well. He was great at explaining the history of places we visited as well as answering our cultural questions. The restaurants/food were very good. He and the driver also modified the itinerary somewhat to optimize the driving based on our arrival and departure times and locations. We liked the hotel in Xian. The car (van) was very comfortable. Waldner also helped arrange tickets for a night show for us.
Beijing:
Pickup was great; even though we got in late the guide that picked us up was there and actually met us at the track. Cindy was our guide and we really liked her also. She is very knowledgeable and willing to answer (a lot of) questions. This was my 3rd time in Beijing and it was amazing what a difference having a good guide made. Cindy and the driver also modified the itinerary to optimize the driving. She also helped us book tickets to two shows, one of which was not on your list of optional items (Lao She tea house). Cindy was concerned about us ordering a cab so she stayed at the show to make sure we got back to our hotel ok. The restaurants/food were very good. The hotel was good but not great; for example we had hot water issues every day, and when I went to pick up a package that was shipped to me they just left me to dig through a pretty large pile of packages all addressed in Chinese.
To wrap up, I would rate the overall experience of looking for a trip, picking a company, and traveling 9.5 out of 10. Shirley, your service was 10 out of 10.
See you next trip!
Terry
Dear Rita,
Feedback.
The trip organised by Rita Jiang to Beijing and Xian was very well planned and enjoyable, showing the best of Chinese history, culture, heritage, and enormous progress.Your 2 guides, Linda Chua and Beryl are very good. Linda went out of her way to take us to Peking Opera at night. The kids were tired, so we did not go to Summer palace and Heavenly temple, and did not go to Xian Pagoda. It was our choice, so its ok. (I have been to all)
The 2 bus drivers were excellent, very careful, disciplined and good temperament and helpful. I could not give a tip to Beryl at Xian station, as I had to rush into toilet inside, and did not know she could not enter the train Station.
The pace was good, but the last day of train from Xian, to hotel (plus late dinner scrabbling in Beijing), then early next morning to airport was too Hectic. However, it was because we had to return on 8.12.24. we wish we could stay longer in Xian, and elsewhere. We could probably have gone to Xian by train, then fly back to Beijing by plane, but one way tickets could cost much more.
Anyway, thank you very much for all your fine arrangements. We all enjoyed the short trip.
For the kids, the major highlights were the Great Wall, Terracotta warriors, Acrobatic show. They will treasure. I will plan more trips for them to China.
Best wishes and warm regards,
Richard
excellent assistance, helpfulness and courtesy. My contact 'was Shirley, prepared friendly and punctual. Highly recommended...
"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.
Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.
Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!
After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.
Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.
We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.
Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.
Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.
Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!
Using our private transfer service makes you comfortable, relaxed and worry free all the way!
Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.
Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!
In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!
The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.
If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.
Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.
We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.
The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.
There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.
All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!
Sitting Meditation and Stillness Cultivation Experience
Five-story Tower of Prince Slope (Fuzhen Guan)
Carefree Valley (Xiaoyao Valley)
Purple Cloud Palace
Nanyan Temple
Yuxu Palace & Kung Fu Learning
Golden Palace
Wudang Museum
Qiongtai Palace
Spring (March~May) and autumn (September~November) are the best seasons to visit Wudang Mountain.
In Spring, the weather starts getting warm with trees turning green and flowers in blossom. It will be chilly on the mountain and snow can be seen on the top of the mountain. Travelers should bring enough warm clothing and as well as raincoats. The annual grand Temple Fair (the Emperor Zhen Wu’s birthday) falls on the third day of the third lunar month. Travelers who are interested in the temple fair and profound Taoism culture, you can come to Wudang Mountain in March or April (on March 26, 2020).
In Autumn, the weather will be quite pleasant - the sky is clear and the air is crisp. The whole mountain becomes a mysterious fairyland, the Taoist temples and palaces under the blue sky look very solemnly and majestically. On the ninth day of ninth lunar month, many Taoist believers and travelers come to Wudang Mountain to attend the great Prayer Meeting which belongs to the Enlightenment day of Zhen Wu who has cultivated himself for 42 years. A grand ceremony will be held in Purple Cloud Palace and other temples. It falls on October 7 in the year of 2019.
If you are interested in the Temple Fair and Prayer Meeting, please feel free to contact our professional travel consultants for more information.
There are many professional Kungfu academies or schools to learn and experience the incredible Kung Fu, Tai Chi or other martial arts. The following are the best recommenced places to learn Kungfu situated at the foot / on the top / near Wudang Mountain.
(a) At the foot of the Wudang Mountain near Yuxu Palace, you can go to Wudang Daoist Traditional Kungfu Academy (武当道家传统武术馆) where offers short-term study and long-term study. If you have limited time, it is a good idea to take part in the short Tai Chi experiencing classes (1-2 hour, 0.5-1 day or more days). If you want to spend loner time, you can take 10-15 days to learn Tai Chi 13 Form or Tai Chi 28 Postures Course.
(b) On the top of Wudang Mountain at Qiongtai Palace, it is Wudang Wuji Kungfu Academy (武当无极功夫馆) can customize your Kungfu experience based on your time and likes. You can have 1-2 hour’s Kungfu learning, or 3-7 days’ learning or long-term classes.
(c) China Wudang Kungfu Academy (武当师行功夫馆), 5km to Wudang Mountain Scenic Area, provide good training environment, like skilled coaches, spacious training ground, healthy food and comfortable accommodation. There are long-term classes and short-term classes based on your likes.
Note: If you are Kungfu fans or travelers who want to have Kungfu experience, please tell us your likes, time planning and schools you prefer. We can customize your Kungfu experience and add it into your Wudang Mountain tour!
Numerous sightseeing buses are available at Wudang Mountain Scenic Area which can escort you to every scenic spot. They run service during 07:00-17:30 or after. Please check the distances between different scenic spots and driving time as following:
| Tourist Center - Needle-Grinding Well: 6.5km, about 15mins | Purple Cloud Palace - Nanyan Temple: 3km, about 7mins |
| Tourist Center - Prince Slope: 10km, about 25mins | Needle-Grinding Well - Prince Slope: 4km, about 10mins |
| Tourist Center - Nanyan Temple: 23.5km, about 50mins | Prince Slope - Purple Cloud Palace: 10km, about 30mins |
| Tourist Center - Purple Cloud Palace: 20km, about 40mins | Qiongtai Palace - Golden Palace: 2km, about 30mins |
| Tourist Center - Qiongtai Palace: 26km, about 50mins - 1 hour | Nanyan Temple - Golden Palace: 4km, about 2-3 hours (hiking) |
Winding Mountain Road Notice: Please pay attention that the road up or down the Wudang Mountain is quite winding and zigzagging, and you may catch carsickness. Please take some anti-motion sickness pills with you.
Besides seeing the Taoist temples, palaces and the art of architecture, you can enjoy different kinds of activities to experience Taoism culture and truly linking yourself with the Tao.
Tea Tasting: Learn six types of Tea (Green Tea, Yellow Tea, White Tea, Wulong Tea, Red Tea and Dark Tea) and the tea produced in Wudang Mountain, get to know the use of tea set and learn the method of brewing tea. Enjoy some peaceful time and soak up tea with your partners.
Scriptures Copying: Learn some basic Chinese under the guidance of a master and try to copy the famous work Tao Te Ching. You will get to comprehend the meaning of Tao while you doing the copy.
Traditional Chinese Medicine & Medical Skill: Chinese medical therapy is totally different from Western medicine therapy. Feel the contrast and get to know the essence of traditional way of treating a disease by facing to facing with the Taoist doctors.
Attend the Afternoon Chant in Purple Cloud Palace: Taoist priests have daily routine to do morning music and chanting around 05:00 which is called “Breaking the Quiet”. As the sun rises and the people in the temple wake up, the sound of a drum calls them to the main altar where they begin their morning ritual. They will do afternoon chant around 17:00. Catch the time to enjoy the chant in Purple Cloud Palace.
Have a Chat with Taoist Priests at Night: You can have some time to communicate with the true Taoist priests who live in the temples or palaces on Wudang Mountain. By talking with them, you will enjoy the story of them and know Wudang Mountain and the Taoism deeper.
No matter what kinds of activities you are interested, feel free to tell us your ideas and we can add it into the trip. For detailed prices and arrangements, please ask for your travel consultants who are here ready to help!
Nightlife in Wudangshan will be simple and limited. If you want a place to kill your time, you can go to Taiji Theater to enjoy the Kungfu show “A Dream of Wudang”. It will be performed during 20:00~21:00 on every Friday and Saturday evening. Please go there 10 minutes in advance.
Wudang Mountain
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