Mount Tongbai and the Source of the Huai

Overview

Mount Tongbai

Mount Tongbai lies where the Qinling gives way to the Dabie Mountains, straddling the Hubei–Henan border as a natural boundary, with a core area of 75 km²; it joins Zaoyang in Hubei to the west and Tongbai County in Henan to the north, between 113°10′ and 113°20′ E and 32°11′ and 32°26′ N. The main peak, Taibaiding, also called Lingyun, Taibai or Baiyun, is 1,140 m, divided by the watershed between Sui and Tongbai counties; from it the range runs east through Yuanbaoduo, Tianwangzhai, Kouziduo, Yuhuangding and Jigongshan to Dawu County and the Dabie Mountains, and south through Qijianfeng and Daxianduo to Huabao Mountain.

It has natural and cultural sights: the Pangu creation myth, Buddhism, geology and the old Soviet base. Taoism goes back far: Prince Qiao, son of King Ling of Zhou, is said to have cultivated immortality at the Tiantai Temple and been titled the True Lord of Tongbai; the Bao’an Temple and “golden pavilion and emerald gate” on Taibaiding, one of the old eighteen views, were where Zhang Sanfeng practised. Buddhism came in the Sui and Tang and flourished in the Qing: in 1784 the Baiyun Chan Temple was built on Taibaiding, honoured as the ancestral temple of Huaguang, “Putuo of the south, Yuntai of the north”, and the mountain now has over twenty temples.

It is the transition between northern and southern climates and the divide between the Yangtze and Huai basins, in the subtropical evergreen broadleaf zone with deciduous forest, more than 200 tree and shrub species, over 20 wild fruits and vegetables, over 200 medicinal plants and over 30 rare birds and beasts, a fine transitional forest ecosystem; the red leaves of Taibai cover the mountain every late autumn.

Lying on the Tongbai–Shangcheng fault, its complex geology has produced strange rocks, deep ravines and crowded peaks: Lingyun, “the first peak of northern Chu”, Chengtian facing it across the valley, and seventeen more including Dongxu, Wanxia, Jinxiu, Xianxiu, Feiyun, Yuhuang and Tingcui.

It is in the seventh batch of national parks of China (national scenic areas) named by the State Council in 2009.

Travel tips

Getting there: Mount Tongbai is in Tongbai County, Henan, next to Suizhou in Hubei. From Wuhan, Nanyang or Xinyang go by bus or car to Tongbai town, two to three hours. From town to the scenic area take a taxi or charter a car.

Main sights: Taibai Peak (Lingyun Peak, 1,140 m) has Baiyun Chan Temple. The source of the Huai River is at Huaiyuan town in Tongbai County, where the remains of a Huai temple stand.

Route: Visit the river source at Huaiyuan first, then climb Taibai Peak on a stepped path; the climb and return take about half a day.

Time: The main sights fit in one day. For sunrise, stay a night at the foot of the mountain.

Season: Late autumn, from about late October to November, is best for red leaves. Summer is cool but wet; winter may bring snow.

Where to stay: Tongbai town has the most lodging, with a few guesthouses near Taibai Peak.

Caution: Mornings and evenings are cold on the mountain, so bring a jacket. Rain and mist cut visibility and make the steps slippery.

Nearby: Suizhou in Hubei is to the south, Nanyang to the north and Mount Jigong near Xinyang to the east.