Qingchengshan-Dujiangyan National Park

Qingchengshan-Dujiangyan National Park (青城山-都江堰国家公园) is a park near Dujiangyan in Sichuan province, China. The national park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Understand

The front gate of Mount Qingcheng

Qingchengshan is one of the ancient cradles of Taoism in China. The mountain complex is home to many Taoist and Buddhist temples, and to sites along the paths that wind up to its peaks. The area is snow-free all year round and is known for its peaceful quiet (this of course excludes the Chinese tourists that flock there on major holidays and the incessantly loud blasts of bus horns along major roadsides). The back entrance to the mountain is much less touristy and much more quiet and should be visited first by those who have hiking as their priority. It contains many links to over 80 km worth of very green and lush hiking paths including a few small chairlifts.

Landscape

Wonderful midrange mist covered foothills including lots of bamboo.

Climate

Influenced more by the surrounding mountains than the Sichuan Basin, the area is subject to frequent rain and fog. Bring rain-gear! Wear layers.

Get in

• By bus: 1-1½ hours by bus from Chadianzi Bus Station in Chengdu. The bus drops you off at the front gate, which is not the start of the trails.
• By train: An express train service runs from Chengdu's North Train Station to Qingchengshan station, taking about 45 minutes. However, it only runs a handful of times per day. A taxi from this train station to the Qingchengshan parking lot will cost around ¥20. You can also take a train to Dujiangyan, which runs about once an hour, and take the local 101 bus from there. Buy train tickets the day before you depart, as they often sell out ahead of time, even on weekdays. Costs around ¥20.

Fees and permits

The entrance fee is ¥90 (2018).

In addition, the cable car up is ¥35 one way or ¥60 round trip. There is a boat one can take to cross a lake for ¥5.

Get around

You can either climb to the top which takes around 3 hours or take a boat across the lake (¥5) to a ropeway (¥35 one way ¥60 round trip) which will get you there sooner depending on the queue time (which during a holiday could approach and 1½ hours or more). A sedan chair can also be hired for ¥100 or more in which two men carry you up the mountain.

See

Qingcheng Mountain is known for its Taoist temples.

If you are looking for more natural beauty then Qingcheng Hou Mountain is where you should head. There are still several trails closed due to landslides caused by the earthquake (6 October 2009).

• 1 Insect Museum of West China (华希昆虫博物馆), No. 1 Qingchengshan Avenue (青城山大道1号) (The museum is a 5-minute walk from the Qingchengshan Visitor Center), ☏ +86 28 87288991, insect@126.com. Tu-Su 09:00-12:00, 13:30-16:30, closed on Mondays. Said to be the largest insect museum in Asia. Free. (updated Jul 2018)

Do

There are shrines for many Daoist masters and Chinese Medicine doctors including Lao Zi and Sun Simiao. If you are expecting a spiritual experience do not come on a Chinese holiday or the only quiet time you will have to enjoy it will be if you are lucky enough to find a bed in the monastery and wake up at sunrise before the tours get there.

Sleep

You can stay at many of the monasteries on the mountain. Some of them have been upgraded to 3-star status and accommodation can be in bunk style for around ¥40 to twin private rooms at ¥180. During the Chinese holidays you may not find a bed or might be stuck with one of the higher priced choices.

Go next

• Pick up the bus back to Chengdu a little bit downhill of the tourist center in parking lot. "Chengdu" will probably not be written in pinyin so you will have to ask the driver. The Chengdu bus is usually closest to the top of the parking lot though and does not leave until it is full. Cost back is ¥20 and may not bring you to the bus station you want to be at in Chengdu.
• Take the 101 bus to Dujiangyan, which has several attractions of its own.