 Mount Wutai Shan, China : Pusading Temple rises dramatically atop Lingjiu Peak (above); A worshipper at Pusading Temple (right); Pavilion on the 2058-metre Yedou Peak, the highest mountain in northern China (below) |
 From Taiyuan, the capital of the Central China province of Shanxi, a spectacularly tortuous road winds north-east through the mountains, twisting and turning upon itself like a drunken snake. Farmers here still wear Mao-style caps and jackets, as though the reforms of the last twenty years havce never happened. Finally, our convoy reaches the South Peak of Wutai Shan Mount Wutai), from where a panoramic view of China’s greatest temple complex opens up in a far-off valley.
Mount Wutai, said to be home to the Bodhisattva Manjushri, is ranked the greatest of China’s Four Sacred Mountains. Stretching in a broad arc around the village of Taihuai there used to be over 200 temples, the first dating from around 630 AD. Now, some 108 still remain, of which 47 are open to visitors.
In June 2009, Mount Wutai was officially inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage register - a fitting tribute to a site of outstanding world significance, and a place that makes a huge impact on even the most blasé or blasée of visitors. 
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