National Parks of ChinaOverview
| Designation | National Park of China (second batch) |
| Province | Hebei |
| Location | Jingxing, Hebei, in the Taihang Mountains |
| Latitude, longitude | 37.8, 114.1 Google Maps |
| Highlights | Taihang cliffs, ancient buildings, a temple hung over a gorge |
| Top sights | The Bridge Tower Hall, Fuqing Temple |
| Area | 180 km² |
| Highest point | 1,000 m |
| Nearby cities | Hebei, Shijiazhuang, Taiyuan |
| Nearby sites | Xibaipo and Mount Tiangui, White Cloud Cave, Mount Kong, Mount Wutai, Xiangtangshan Grottoes, Wahuang Palace, Taihang Grand Canyon |
| Themes | Mountains, Cliffs, Historic buildings, Temples, Buddhism |
About
Mount Cangyan lies 30 km south-east of Jingxing County, Hebei, and 70 km from Shijiazhuang, a spur of the Taihang over 1,000 m high; the scenic area covers 180 km² and was in the second batch of national parks.
The hills around are bare, but this mountain is green with ancient trees, hence the name “Green Cliff”; an old poem says “the wonders of the Five Sacred Mountains gathered in one hill; among all the Taihang peaks only Cangyan”. Sheer cliffs, towering old trees and layered green ridges, waterfalls above and clear springs below: the “sixteen views of Cangyan” include the Green Ravine’s Sacred Sandalwood, the Shaded Cliff’s Stone Milk and the Pearl Set in the Precipice. The climate is mild, with neither bitter winter nor scorching summer, a resort for sightseeing and escaping the heat.
There are many ancient buildings: Fuqing Temple, the academy, the Hall of Ten Thousand Immortals, the Princess Shrine, the Bridge Tower Hall, the Jade Emperor Summit, the Fenghui Pavilion and the Sutra Library. Between two facing cliffs springs a single-arch stone bridge 15 m long and 9 m wide, and on it, some 70 m above the gorge, stands the Bridge Tower Hall, one of China’s three “hanging” temples and a masterpiece of ancient architecture. North of it is Fuqing Temple, where Princess Nanyang, daughter of the Sui emperor Yang, is said to have become a nun and lived in the Princess Shrine.
The mountain was a location for the film Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.