Wutaishan National Park
By train
- The train station called 39.264393113.5592151 Wǔtái Shān is not in Wǔtái Shān, but in Shahe, about 50Taiyuan and Datong; buses and taxis run from either city. Access to Wǔtái Shān is easiest from Xinzhou, the closest city of intermediate size.
Get around
add listing Map of Wutaishan National Park
- Green coach/bus. The ¥50 ticket for this is compulsory and supplied on arrival with the general entrance ticket. On the ticket it says it is valid for 3 days, which seems very short if like most people you arrive in Táihuái in the evening after 6pm, some sources say it is valid for the duration of your stay - others add that they never saw anyone’s ticket being checked on the buses - everyone is assumed to have one. The green coach-bus runs every 5 minutes or so through town and some way out until about 18:30-19:00. For some of the further out points (eg Báiyún Temple in the south) you have to change on to smaller, brownish mini-buses.
- Minibuses to the Five Plateaus (五台顶 Wǔtáidǐng) start at 7:00AM from the foot of Dàiluó Peak in the centre of Táihuái Village. About ¥70 for one plateau, or ¥350 for an 8½-hour trip to see all five with a 30 minute stop at each. See details below.
See
add listing Although most monasteries are free, larger ones charge up to ¥10 entrance, some of these offer half-price student discount.
- 39.011652113.5886821 Púsà Peak菩萨顶 Púsà Dǐng aka Bodhisattva Terrace),Just to the north of Xiǎntōng Temple and Tǎyuàn Templetake the free green bus to near the stop labelled 菩寿寺口 and change to a free brown minibus to Púsà Dǐng 菩萨顶; ask green bus conductor/driver for Púsà Dǐng 菩萨顶 and they will let you know the stop and point out where the free brown minibus is to the summit).The two main temples in Táihuái town are Xiǎntōng Temple and Tǎyuàn Temple, both to the west side of the Qīngshuǐ 清水 river. A good way to see these is to start at the top of the hillock that they are on (Púsà Dǐng), and walk down the hill through all 3 monasteries. This way you walk down, not up the flights of 108 steps. The number 108 has considerable symbolical value for Buddhism.Xiǎntōng Temple显通寺 Xiǎntōng Sì).Xiǎntōng Temple, perhaps the largest Temple, is where Buddhism took over from Daoism as the main religion in this area.Tǎyuàn Temple塔院寺 Tǎyuàn Sì).The white stupa in the centre of Tǎyuàn Temple has become a symbol of Wǔtái Shān.Nánshān Temple南山寺 Nánshān Sì)get off green bus at Nánshān Temple Bridge (南山寺桥 Nánshān Sìqiáo) and walk/climb 20 minutes).To the south of Táihuái village, arguably the nicest monastery in the area is Nánshān Temple. Invitations to ride a horse en-route. Although there are more signboards at Nánshān Temple in English than at many others, non-monks are not welcomed to stay, and neither are Tibetan monks. These rules and a slight distance from the centre have maintained a greater realistic ‘monastic’ non-conflictive atmosphere than at many other monasteries.Foguang Temple and Nanchan TempleFóguāng and Nánchán temples house two of the oldest buildings in China (the one in Nánchán being the oldest known wooden structure and the one in Fóguāng the grandest of preserved wooden buildings of the Tang dynasty). As of 2011, tourist agencies do not appear to serve these destinations, which gives them a wonderfully secluded feel. They can be visited comfortably on a 4-6 hour excursion from Táihuái (private car asking price ¥300 as of summer 2011, probably negotiable). The temples are not active, but the atmosphere is without doubt spiritual. Fóguāng Temple (佛光寺) is located near Dòucūn village (豆村), Nánchán Temple (南禅寺) is located near Dōngyě village (东冶). The temples are much more austere in style than the ornate architecture of the Wǔtái valley proper, and extremely elegant (especially Fóguāng).Shuxiang Temple36-m high Buddha. on Wikidata")
- Wanfo TempleFree Shanxi opera shows during summer months.
Temple etiquette When stepping over the plank of wood at the foot of each door it is best to enter and exit on the right, and use your right foot first. “游客止步”and”闲人免进” both mean “no entry to tourists”. “禁止拍照” and "请勿拍摄“ mean “no photos”. For religious sites without such signs, it is strongly recommended to obtain consent from resident monks or managerial staff before you shoot, to avoid possible offence. Beware of monks at shops offering to tell your fortune. Beware of monks at a small temple below Zhenhai Temple.
Do
add listing Climb the peaks to undertake meritorious deeds.
Buy
add listing There are a number of shops in the village that sell Buddhist related items and trinkets.
Eat
add listing Various small restaurants. ¥10 for buffet breakfast at small restaurant is a common offer. On the street, yóutiáo at ¥2, and dòuhuā ¥3 are cheaper breakfast options. For lunch, noodles (刀削面 dāoxiāomiàn) a Shanxi specialty for ¥10 per person including sauce. Also fried noodles, soup noodles etc. for around ¥10 per serving. More regular rice dishes for ¥15-20 per person up. 台蘑 táimó (a mushroom) is the local delicacy. In practice this term seems to be applied to various different mushrooms. Comments vary from: “It’s just a mushroom with little real nutritional value” to “There is one type that is much tastier - but even locals pay ¥800 a kilo - or tourists pay 288 in restaurants for a small portion. This type really is much tastier - buying it is a way of offering a gift to your friends.” Try it in stews, or made into a sauce with 刀削面 (cheapest option - ¥10 - this won’t be the tastiest type). More typically ¥40+ for tourists with chicken/tofu, etc. (2011). In theory, there is free food at monasteries (but you would leave a donation?). Rules such as separate areas for men and women, standing until the master has sat, not allowed to waste food, no talking (you indicate with chopsticks how much you want, and how dense congee you want).
Drink
Sleep
add listing Lodging is concentrated in Táihuái Village in the centre of Wǔtái Shān. Many rooms usually available, however rooms are scarcer on (Friday and) Saturday nights, and prices also rise at full and new moon, but otherwise there is an oversupply in the market and prices drop sharply.
Budget
add listing There are temples offering guestrooms at ¥20 per person upwards, (Xiǎntōng Temple Tǎyuàn Temple and Kuangren Temple), but temples in the central area may refuse lodgings to foreigners (being fluent in Chinese does not seem to help, though being a devout Buddhist might). At the bus station 招待所 zhāodàisuǒ there was a room for ¥50 ensuite, western toilet, kettle, TV with 24-hr hot water (but hard beds, no soap or towels) on a Sunday night in August 2011 (not full/new moon). The bus station is in the south of the village.
- Wutaishan Runaway HostelTake green bus #1 to Zhenhai Temple. Change there to a smaller gray/brown bus #4 and drive to the end. Walk about 100m further along the same road to a cluster of hotels on the right hand side. Look around for the hostel sign.),☏ +86 350 6549505,648984355@qq.com.Great newish hostel with super friendly staff. The twin rooms are big with ensuite bathroom. The staff offered us to join them for a tasty dinner for only ¥10 per person.¥128 for twin room. ¥45 for dorm..
Mid-range
add listing Most traveller's lodges range from ¥50 to ¥100 for a room for 2 persons. 20 mins walk north of bus station on the right of the river (or 2 bus stops) Jīnshān hotel (金山宾馆) with solar hot water looked good (near Miào Jí Xiáng 妙吉祥 health vegetarian restaurant bus stop and ABC Yinxin hotel) as did the nearby Cíyuán Inn 慈缘客栈 kèzhàn (modern rooms) which is slightly further down on Míngqīng street 明清街 (that runs parallel to the river) － both ¥100 for much nicer rooms. Around here there are various 宾馆 with more comfortable rooms at ¥80-100 during the week. Never believe rack rates - For example, after explaining the rack rates (eg ¥288) you ask if they can offer a deal, see the room, they will pull out a calculator and offer much cheaper (e.g. ¥100), then when you walk away to explore other options saying you might be back, it will drop to ¥80. Maybe on a Saturday full-moon night you will hardly get any discount, however. Further north still are cheaper options if you are willing to live with some lively Chinese tourists.
- Xianhe Binguan25 Taiping Jie,☏ +86 350 6542531.
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