Mount Qingcheng, Taoist mountain in Chengdu, China

Mount Qingcheng is a mountain near Chengdu featuring dense evergreen forests with stone pathways connecting old temples throughout its slopes. The landscape divides into two distinct areas: one focused on religious structures and one on untamed natural terrain.

A religious leader founded a new form of Taoism here in the 2nd century that later spread throughout China. This founding made the mountain a central location for religious development in East Asia.

The name may come from the 36 peaks ringing the summit, said to form a green walled city; a Tang stele on the mountain records Emperor Xuanzong's ruling that the temples return to Taoist hands. Zhang Daoling is said to have taught and died here, making it the ancestral mountain of the Celestial Masters, and later masters came to pay respects at the founding shrine.

Visitors can hike along many pathways of varying difficulty, with some sections steep and requiring good footwear for safety. Cable car services are available at several points to ease the climb and reduce walking time.

The mountain is recognized as one of the birthplaces of organized Taoism, where the first sustained religious community of its kind was established. Many modern Taoist practices worldwide trace their roots back to the teachings established here.