Qingcheng Shan walk, near Chengdu, Sichuan, China
Like neighbouring Qingcheng Hou Shan, this was a hike through wooded hill country along a long-established man-made path, but this time built mainly of stone rather than concrete. Once again, there were many hundreds of steps to negotiate, but there were chair lifts for those wanting to avoid some of the climbing (or descent).
The route links a number of religious monuments relating to the Taoist religion, providing plenty of interest, and there were many Chinese people enjoying the walk. These hills are rather like British country parks, but more remote from cities and with a religious theme.
- The most memorable aspect was clambering up the broken steps early on in the walk
- The best bit was the temple at the top of the mountain
- The worst bit was having to hike round in a hurry
- I hadn't expected to see people carrying such heavy loads up the hill
- The funniest aspect was the masses of padlocks fixed to the wall near the temple
- I was surprised by the little old lady in shadows at the first temple
Contributed by Andrew Llanwarne
Key Facts
| Location | Near Dujiangyan, west of Chengdu, Sichuan, West China |
| Date walked | June 2005 |
| Walk type | High hills and mountain hikes |
| Difficulty | Requires lots of stamina but there is a safe path all the way if you go in the main gate (unlike us!) |
| Distance | About 13 km (8 miles) |
| Height climbed | 600m (2000 ft) |
| Time taken | 3 hrs 30 mins |
| Map used | Sketch map in Lonely Planet guide |
| Walk source info | Lonely Planet guide, advice from a friend , and our guest house host pointed out the start of the route |
| Getting there | 2 hrs getting a bus from Chengdu to Dujiangyan, and a large minibus to Q Shan entrance (we had been to Qingcheng Hou Shan the previous day) |
| Places to stay | Temples on the mountain, and guest houses in Qingcheng Shan |
| Disabled access | No |
