Published : 15/09/2026
When it comes to Anhui's famous mountains, Huangshan may be the first name that comes to mind. Yet Qiyun Mountain in Xiuning County, Huangshan, is equally steeped in character. With its red Danxia cliffs, rivers and Daoist heritage, it is often called the "Little Wudang of Jiangnan".
Its most intriguing legend concerns Zhang Sanfeng, the semi-legendary Daoist master associated with Wudang. Is his body really hidden in a cave on Qiyun Mountain? Let's investigate.
Taoist temples, caves, and millennia-old stone carvings
Mount Qiyun, located in Qiyunshan Town, Xiuning County, Huangshan City, Anhui Province, gets its name from the fact that its summit, when viewed from a distance, appears to be level with the white clouds.
Anciently known as "Baiyue", it is one of the Four Sacred Mountains of Taoism in China and is widely renowned.
Unlike the majestic, peculiar, precipitous, and elegant Mount Huangshan, Mount Qiyun possesses more of a gentle, serene, and scholarly Jiangnan atmosphere.
As early as the Qianyuan era of the Tang Dynasty, the Taoist priest Gong Qixia had travelled here and lived as a hermit at Tianmen Rock to practise his faith, thus beginning the Taoist history of Mount Qiyun.
During the Baoqing era of the Southern Song Dynasty, the Taoist priest Yu Daoyuan built the Yousheng Zhenwu Shrine on the mountain to worship Emperor Zhenwu; then, during the Jiajing era of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial court ordered the construction of the Xuantian Taisu Palace in gratitude for an answered prayer for an heir, causing Mount Qiyun to become increasingly popular with worshippers and gradually develop into an important Taoist holy site in the Huizhou area, earning it the reputation of "the Lesser Wudang of Jiangnan".
By the time of the Qing Dynasty, the Qianlong Emperor even praised Mount Qiyun as "an unparalleled holy land under heaven, the foremost famous mountain in Jiangnan", which gives a glimpse into the status of this Taoist celestial mountain.
The charm of Mount Qiyun lies in the interplay of its natural and cultural landscapes. Mount Qiyun has a very unique Danxia landform, combining red cliffs, green mountains, and white mist; the red sandstone has been eroded over time, subsequently forming spectacular sights such as bluffs, walls, valleys, and caves.
The Taoist temples on the mountain are built against cliffs and into caves, with buildings such as Taisu Palace, Yuxu Palace, Zhenxian Cave-dwelling, and Yuehua Street scattered throughout the mountains; while traces of numerous cliff inscriptions can also be found on the mountain paths and steep cliffs, adding a rich religious and cultural atmosphere to the beautiful mountain scenery.
Mount Qiyun's most mysterious legend
As one of China's important bodhimaṇḍas, many legends of celestial traces have long circulated on Mount Qiyun, the most mysterious of which is the enigma of Zhang Sanfeng's "Flesh Body Cave".
According to legend, this legendary Taoist priest once came to Mount Qiyun to live as a hermit and practise his faith, diligently seeking enlightenment in a rock cave, and eventually achieved immortality on the mountain.
To prevent his true body from being disturbed, his disciples secretly hid his physical body inside the cave, giving rise to the name "Flesh Body Cave".
It is rumoured that around the mouth of the cave there is even an inscription that reads "True Body Hidden Within', adding a layer of mystery and intriguing colour to the legend.
However, the whereabouts of Zhang Sanfeng throughout his life are already the subject of conflicting accounts. As for whether he truly visited Mount Qiyun, whether he achieved immortality there, and whether his true body is hidden within the Flesh Body Cave, there is still no definitive archaeology discovery or reliable written record to confirm this.
However, legends do not necessarily have a single answer. Both Mount Qiyun and Mount Wudang are important bodhimaṇḍas for the Great Emperor Zhenwu, and Mount Qiyun is also known as "Little Mount Wudang of Jiangnan".
The story of Zhang Sanfeng circulating here perfectly reflects the connection between the Taoist beliefs and folk imagination of the two places.
Strolling along the ancient path on the red cliffs, passing through misty rock caves, is enough to add an intriguing air of a celestial mountain to Mount Qiyun.
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