CHINA 5A TRAVEL
Where the Yellow Emperor asked the Dao — Taoism's first sacred mountain, with green Danxia cliffs, a 369-step Ladder to Heaven and Ming halls above a mirror lake.
Legend says the Yellow Emperor himself climbed Kongtong to ask the hermit Guangchengzi about the Dao — the tale that earned this Gansu mountain its title 'First Sacred Mountain of Taoism' (道教第一山) and its old Silk Road epithet 'First Mountain West of the Passes' (西来第一山). Qin Shihuang and Han Wudi followed the imperial westward path here, and centuries of Daoists and monks built until the ridge held eight terraces, nine palaces and twelve courtyards. A first-batch national 5A scenic area since 2007 and a national geopark, it is also the home of the Kongtong school of martial arts (崆峒派), one of China's storied sects.
The landscape is the Northwest's greenest surprise: in dry loess country, Kongtong rises forested from 1,456 m to its 2,123.5 m summit — ochre-red Danxia sandstone cliffs mantled in oak and birch, tree cover above 95%, more than a thousand plant species, with rivers looping the base. Flat-topped, steep-walled rock towers guard the canyons between peaks, and at the foot the still mirror of Tanzheng Lake doubles the cliffs in morning light. Mid-October sets the slopes burning with autumn color; after rain, dawn pours cloud seas through the ridges.
The visit splits neatly into two lines: the east line rides transparent cable-car cabins from Kongtong Ancient Town over the lake to the Zhongtai hub, while the west line is the classic pilgrimage on foot — the 369 stone steps of the Ladder to Heaven tilted 60–70° between the cliffs, the Ming-era halls of Huangcheng crowning the summit ridge, and the chain-guarded blade of Leisheng Peak. A through-ticket valid two days invites you to do both at a pilgrim's pace.
Highlights
Huangcheng Palace Cluster (皇城)
Ming-era Taoist halls raised on stone terraces at the cliff edge — the mountain's most complete ancient complex and its architectural soul.
The Ladder to Heaven (上天梯)
369 stone steps chiseled at 60–70° between the cliffs — the classic Kongtong climb, with the Yellow Emperor's Dao-asking stone near its foot.
Leisheng Peak (雷声峰)
A sword-thin ridge walked on chain-linked paths past small shrines, with dramatic drops on both sides and a Ming thunder-god hall along the crest.
Tanzheng Lake (弹筝湖)
The mirror lake at the mountain's foot — boat rides below the cliffs, and the classic Danxia reflection framed from the cable car's transparent cabins.
Where the Emperor Asked the Dao (三教洞)
Stones marking the Yellow Emperor's question to Guangchengzi, and a cave where Taoist, Buddhist and Confucian altars share one heritage-rich mountain.
Summit Panorama & Cloud Sea
Hunyuan Tower atop Xiangshan at 2,123.5 m — layered ridges to the horizon, East Terrace sunrise, and the post-rain cloud seas the mountain is famous for.
Photo Gallery
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