On the slopes of the sacred Taoist mountain Wudangshan is the largest existing Taoist temple complex in the world. The ancient architecture of the temples themselves, the oldest of which dates to the 7th century, is considered a supreme example of Chinese architecture, as are the cultural relics that they house.
Noted temples are Purple Cloud Temple, Golden Palace Hall and Nanyan Temple, the best preserved of which is Purple Cloud Temple. Built in 1413, it consists of several halls, including the Dragon and Tiger Hall, the Purple Sky Hall, the East Hall, the West Hall and the Prince Cliff. Golden Palace Hall is built entirely of gilded copper. Nanyan Temple is considered the most spectacular of the three. More than 600 temples were built here during the Tang and Song (618-1279) dynasties, although most of them were destroyed during the late Qing Dynasty.
Wudangshan itself is a national park covering an area of 30 square kilometers. It is located approximately 450 km northwest of Wuhan in Hubei province.
(china.org.cn April 3, 2003)
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