Wutai Shan (Five Terrace Mountain)
Wutai Shan (Five Terrace Mountain)
4.5
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Consisting of five high plateaus, this area is one of China's four sacred Buddhist Mountains.
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4.5
438 reviews
Excellent
251
Very good
127
Average
38
Poor
17
Terrible
5
Geralt
Springe, Germany9 contributions
July 2024 • Friends
Too expensive with 135 yuan. Some temples still ask for an additional 10 yuan. You actually can't drive the car up there which was very disappointing to me. Last bus down goes at 7pm.
Place is very crowded. Some places were also under construction.
Place is very crowded. Some places were also under construction.
Written 23 July 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
horst_8877
Shanghai, China415 contributions
Sept 2015 • Couples
Wutai Shan stands as synonym for the county of Wutaishan, the 3058 m high Mt. Wutai there with 5 plateau summits, and the temple complex around Taihuai Monastic Village (UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE) that nestles in the valley below Mt. Wutai’s 5 summits on a level of 1750 m. Taihuai village is located along the mountain road S205 about 50 km NE of Wutai County City and about 220 km NE of Taiyuan City. We came here as most of the tourists do as part of a guided tour with a bus of the Shanxi Tourism Organization. A car or bus needs about 3 hrs from Taiyuan downtown to “Wutai Shan” bus stop at the southern end of Taihuai Village. The main street follows a small river; most of the touristic attractions are accumulated west of the river in second or third row behind residential buildings and shops. In the middle of Taihuai is a big parking area, smaller parking places are available near the southern entrance gate “Shan Men” and northern end near Pusading Temple. The first temple was built at Mt. Wutai 2000 years ago. Many Buddhist, Taoist and Lama Temples followed and their number peaked at more than 300. Today there are more than 50 active Monasteries and Temples with Xian Tong Temple the oldest and largest. The landmark of Wutaishan is the one tall bottle-shaped eye-catching “White Pagoda” of Tayuan Temple which stands at the outer line of the village thus can be seen nearly from everywhere. Coming from South and following a small bumpy road near some small shops to the left leads to the southern gate. Major temples of very different age, architecture, style and significance can easily be visited one after another within short time as they line up at this same small road. Tayuan White Pagoda Temple, Xian Tong Temple, Pusa Ding Temple and Guang Hua Temple from South to North are the main attractions for tourists. But even if sometimes filled with grinding crowds they catch and focus visitors’ attention, drown distractive noise and still represent examples of outstanding temple art and architecture and they remain authentic and deeply impressive. Monks, Pilgrims, Nuns, religious visitors, prayer and superficial daily tourists melt into one fascinating colorful multi-ethnic multi-cultural pluralistic tolerant peaceful crowd of humans. It is impossible to visit all temples within 2 or 3 days. In contrast to other temple places of touristic interest in China with often annoying and disturbing hawkers and street vendors hunting down tourists and duping them buying any kind of rubbish Wutaishan is very civilized with appropriate sales of Buddhist items like incense sticks and Buddhist art. Even commonly messy food and drink stalls are rare. Beside limited hotel capacity in Taihuai Village there are plenty of Bed+Breakfast offers from private families, which are basic and simple but clean and cheap. In the afternoon the bosses come to the street waiting for guests, easy to contact them there, some have few key words in English. We stayed two nights at different homes and enjoyed their friendly welcome and fun. So far I have not seen that impressive temples before while living in China for almost 10 years apart from the temples of Wutaishan. If you are into temples, you must visit this place!
Written 21 September 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Walnut8993
29 contributions
July 2016 • Couples
Wutai Shan was really enjoyable. I liked seeing all of the monks, especially the Tibetan monks that go there on pilgrimages. And I got to watch them walk and chant together. It was enjoyable. The scenery was great too, and the water quality was excellent! There is a lot to do here because there are numerous temples. However the best temples are very crowded and people are pushy trying to get inside. Parking is very difficult, so I would recommend taking the bus from the ticket center. In the summertime it gets fairly chilly in the mornings and night, and very hot with strong sun in the daytime. So pack accordingly. Also be warned that a lot of the temples there are new and under construction, not ancient. However, I was told this area is famous because it was the birthplace of Buddhism in China. Chairman Mao also lived here before and they have a display of the place he lived and they have some Chinese opera performances there. One last warning, don't be surprised to see a lot of the monks looking bored and playing on their new iPhones.
Written 14 July 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MBGAVL
Asheville, NC27 contributions
Aug 2012 • Family
Our family of 4 adults stayed here for 4 days in August 2012. The bad first: It had been very difficult to secure rooms online prior to our trip - it took dozens of emails. Although the Visitor Center has a large Welcome sign in English, no one there spoke any English. Our daughter speaks basic Mandarin but she was not understood nor could she understand the dialect. We were overcharged for our first meal by at least 10 times the true cost. (We went to a place that was filled with locals; this was not a posh restaurant.) We had already been in China for two weeks when we arrived, traveling on our own (not a tour) and had managed well before this point. We had an unpleasant experience with a young man who latched on to us, posing as our "guide" and lost an afternoon of sightseeing to get away from him. The police were not helpful. This was the most stressful of the four area we visited during our three weeks.
It was also the most special in some ways. The monasteries are wonderful and retain a sense of the sacred. We found ourselves being drawn into a feeling of pilgrimage and spent the last two days revisiting the temples we found most compelling. After being in heavy smog for two weeks, it was delightful to see blue sky and mountains. Early one evening a young Buddhist mini-van driver went out of his way, on his time off, to do us several lovely kindnesses. He would not accept any recompense for his time and effort. On balance, we would go back to Wutai-Shan.
It was also the most special in some ways. The monasteries are wonderful and retain a sense of the sacred. We found ourselves being drawn into a feeling of pilgrimage and spent the last two days revisiting the temples we found most compelling. After being in heavy smog for two weeks, it was delightful to see blue sky and mountains. Early one evening a young Buddhist mini-van driver went out of his way, on his time off, to do us several lovely kindnesses. He would not accept any recompense for his time and effort. On balance, we would go back to Wutai-Shan.
Written 8 May 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nicholettravels
Singapore, Singapore38 contributions
Dec 2016 • Friends
Go in the winter if you want to avoid tourists and explore the temples and the serenity of the mountain without the crowds that Wutai Shan normally attracts.
However, it does get really cold as many temples are high up in the mountain. There are also lots of stairs to climb to reach the temples which can get slippery and quite dangerous in the winter.
The people living there are extremely hospitable and were quick to help us when in need, and readily invited us into their lives.
This place however ONLY has temples so if you're not that into temples, 1-2 days should be good.
However, it does get really cold as many temples are high up in the mountain. There are also lots of stairs to climb to reach the temples which can get slippery and quite dangerous in the winter.
The people living there are extremely hospitable and were quick to help us when in need, and readily invited us into their lives.
This place however ONLY has temples so if you're not that into temples, 1-2 days should be good.
Written 24 February 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lewisjohann
Miami, Florida, United States7 contributions
Jan 2017 • Solo
I knew that many Asian countries scam foreigners, but this made me never want to return to China. I came to WuTai Shan during winter (January 2017) and it seems that the bus service isn't running. I asked both the hotel owner and another local and they both advised me to take a private taxi. The driver wanted 200 yuan to take me from my hotel to the Eastern peak and back. Once we got there, he said he needed 300 more yuan to take me back down because "the roads were too bad." Stuck on a freezing cold mountain with no internet connection, I had no choice but to pay the extra fee just to get back to my hotel room. I know he doesn't represent all Chinese people, but the idea of being scammed like that when all I wanted to do was learn more about their culture and history makes me never want to even try again.
Written 21 January 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
André Linde
Chana, Thailand272 contributions
Aug 2014 • Friends
This place is located more than 2000 meters above sea level, so it can be chilly. Especially when there's no heating in your hotel room, what happened to us. Besides that Wuteishan is a breathtaking place with lots of temples everywhere. The most beautiful one is a temple that you can reach by climbing 1080 steps. Inside the complex you can see and hear buddhist monks sing chants, see how the monks live, see people pray, look out over Wutei Shan and shop at the souvenir shops downstairs.
The White Pagode is also worth a visit.
The White Pagode is also worth a visit.
Written 7 July 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Meeyoru
York, UK106 contributions
May 2015 • Family
First thing, if you are driving, be careful. The road getting into the mountain is rather swerving and continuously up and down. The temples are gathered in the small village in the middle of the mountain. It's high up, so the temperature would be lower. There are so many temples in the village. Personally, I feel unnecessary to go to everyone. The most famous ones would be Wuye temple, Guangji temple, Tayuan temple, PusaDing and Dailuo Ding. We managed to visit all of these in one day and not in a hurry. Each temple would charge entrance separately but normally only cost 10 RMB each. You have to buy a ticket before entering the mountain gates. I think there is a possibility to register for a second entrance free of charge within a limited time period. We didn't use it so not sure how long. Also, people who are older than 60 could get 50% discount for the entrance, so bring identification card or passport with you. In fact, in Shanxi province, lots of sites are free for people older than 60. Make sure to check before buying tickets.
Written 18 May 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Joyce B
Montauban, France37 contributions
Sept 2014 • Couples
This buddhist pilgrimage center is Worth a visit. Spread out on a mountain side it is visited by a lot of Chinese tourists. It is pretty steep so it is best to start at the top. It seems to have live-in tourists, who seem to be devout buddhists, as well as those who are passing through. There is much chanting, beating of drums, etc. which are interesting and add to the "feeling".
Written 1 November 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KarenTraveling
Beijing, China87 contributions
Oct 2014 • Friends
It isn't possible to visit every temple in under a week, but the excellent shuttle bus system makes it possible to visit a lot. There is signage in English, but almost no one seems to speak it. Going with a Chinese friend made it a very easy trip, and bus drivers and waiters were very eager to please the token foreign faces (we saw a total of seven in three days, including ourselves). There is a lot of climbing, and the altitude makes for quickly changing weather. Bring an umbrella and sunscreen.
The local mushroom dishes were SUPER salty, but everything else we tried was good.
The local mushroom dishes were SUPER salty, but everything else we tried was good.
Written 4 October 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi, I am planning to go wutai shan next month (winter). Can I know if the government bus is operating during this period? And if I were only to visit a few peaks (really don't fancy climbing that many steps in winter), which one would you recommend?
Written 26 November 2018
Nous souhaiterions savoir, si la visite des temples demande un effort physique, et surtout si on dépasse l'altitude de 2000m car mon mari ne peut pas aller au delà
merci de la réponse
Written 27 January 2017
Does anyone know if the new airport in Wutai Shan is open and accepting flights from Beijing? Also, how might we arrange transportation from Beijing before leaving the US, as we speak no Chinese? Are there any places to stay in Wutai Shan, or are the closest hotels at the South Gate in Taihuai Village? We would like to stay at Wutai Shan for a week or so, but riding a shuttle bus an hour each way every day seems a bit difficult. Also, we speak no Chinese, but a little Tibetan. Are there many Tibetans there? Which are the Tibetan temples? Any help would be appreciated.
Written 27 February 2016
Hi,
When are you traveling there? I will be there in September 2016 and just started researching the place. Best advice I can give is to go to the Lonely Planet guidebook site and buy the chapter from their China Travel guide.
I was able to find flights online from Beijing..
Written 23 May 2016
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