You are doing your internship in Chengdu and you want to enjoy countryside, nature and mountains? Don’t worry, you don’t have to travel a lot to delight this kind of places.

Not so far from the Irrigation System is located Qingcheng Mount. This is a Taoist holly mount and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Qingcheng Mount has been also used for a very well-known movie. You can, by the way, find the characters of this one during your ascent such as Tigress, Viper, Monkey, Crane, Mantis and of course Po. Yes! You guessed it! I am talking about Kung Fu Panda.

Qingcheng Mount is divided into two sectors. Depending on your motivation and your tiredness, you can choose the one you are going to enjoy.

QQ截图20160727141631If you are a very sportive trainee and you feel yourself ready for a long climbing day. I advise you to go to the scenic spot. On your way to the top, you will find many temples and when you will finally join the highest point of the mount, you will have a big surprise and when I am saying big, I know what I am talking about. Here, in addition to have stunning views, you will discover a 33 meters high pagoda and an 18 meters high statue of the most significant character in the Taoism, Lao-tzu, within. On your way you will also be able to admire a temple carved in the mountain as well as one of the last inhabited Taoist monasteries. If you are tired and want to have a rest, you can also go for a board ride to finish your day in peace and quiet.

To reach the scenic spot you can use two different ways:

  • By train from Chengdu Railway Station to Qingchengshan Railway Station. It lasts 45 minutes and costs 10 or 15 CNY depending on the hour. But then, you have to take a bus to reach the entrance.
  • By bus from Xinnanmen Bus Station or from Chadianzi Bus Station to Mt. Qingcheng (front mountain). In this case, you will need 1 hour and a half. From the first bus station, it costs 18 CNY and from the second one, 23 CNY.

QQ截图20160727141741If you are tired of your week of internship in Chengdu or you just want to have some great time with a moderate physical effort, you can enjoy Qingcheng back mountain. Of course, it remains steps and you will probably be a bit tired at the end of your day; but what would be a Chinese mount without steps? During your way to the top you will be able to appreciate many waterfalls such as the double down stream waterfall which cover the entrance of a natural cavern with its silver curtain. For the anecdote, this waterfall is the origin of many legends about dragons because of the hidden cavern and the smoke over the small lake. On our way you will see many places to rest or to play such as small pebble beaches or picnic table. On the top of the climb you will find a beautiful temple with a gorgeous and abundant flora.

From Chengdu to the back mountain, you can:

  • Also take the train from Chengdu Railway Station to Qingchengshan Railway station. Then, you have to take the shuttle bus and get off at Qingchengshan (back mountain). Or
  • Take a bus from Xipu Bus Station to Qingchengshan and then take the same shuttle bus. The trip from Chengdu to Qingcheng Mount lasts around one hour and costs 10 CNY.

For your information, entrance fee for the scenic spot comes to 90 CNY whereas for Qingcheng back mountain, it is only 20 CNY. However, if you have a student card, don’t forget it, you will get the entrance for half price.