Covering an area of dozens of square kilometers, Baihua Mountain Nature Reserve (Flower Mountain) has a long historical standing in western Beijing where Shenglian Mountain has beautiful natural landscapes, diverse geology and man-made cultural attractions.

The beautiful scene of Shenglian Mountain was shaped over 500 million years ago by plate motion. Surrounded by grotesque mountains, it is a Buddhist and Taoist cultural holy land with numerous Taoist-style buildings and characterized by religious culture and history as the witness of the hundred-year-long development of religious worship here.

The Shenglian Mountain Scenic Area, located in the Baihua Mountains, is a natural scenic spot with religious relics, cultural attractions, diverse geology and natural scenery. Shenglian Mountain is also called Lianhua Mountain, and Taishan Mountain in ancient times. Surrounded by beautiful mountains, Shenglian Mountain looks like a blossoming lotus with expanding petals bathed in the golden sunshine, hence its name.

The main peak of Shenglian Mountain, at an elevation of 1,201 meters, looks like three delicate petals huddling together. Atop of the hill, there are several attractions sites named after Taoism, including the well-known Taoist temple Long Star Temple at the south end and Plat Peach Palace, the Palace of God of Mother, the Shengmu Palace and Doumu Palace. There are also villas such as Cao Family Villa, Yang Family Villa, Wu Family Villa and naturally formed karst caves like Nine Lotus Cave and Santai Cave. At the north end of Shenglian Mountain, there are also well-preserved buildings like the Bodhisattva Cliff and the Guandi Temple which look like decorations on the lotus petals at the back of Lianzi Peak. The Lianzi Peak which means the Peak of Lotus Child in Chinese is like the delicate stamen gazing upward into the deep arch of the firmament, while the secret Shengmi Stone Pond is the ornament of Shenglian Mountain.

Shenglian Mountain, or Saint Lotus Mountain, is not only a national AAAA-level tourist attraction but also a patriotic education base and a geological school of learning geoscience. The treasured land was once recognized as the Holy Land by Taoists and Buddhist followers. It is famous for a famous Buddhist, the God of Mohe who once disappeared here according to the local legends and for a rare geological relic, Sheng Mi.  

Translator: ZHANG Ruochen

Reviewer: WANG Jiahui