Miaofeng Mountain in Beijing
Mount Miaofeng is a mountain in the northwestern Beijing, an extension of the Taihang Mountains. Mount Miaofeng is culturally significant as a site of worship for the Taoist goddess Bixia Yuanjun also known as the "Heavenly Jade Maiden" who is associated with Mount Tai.
English Name: Mount Miaofeng in Beijing
Chinese Name: 北京妙峰山
Attraction Type: Beijing Attraction, Mount, Nature, Temple Fair
Best Time to Visit: March-May & September-November
Recommended Visiting Time: about 3-4 hours
Admission Fee: CNY 40
Address in English: Mentougou District, Beijing
Address in Chinese: 北京市门头沟区
Why is Miaofeng Mountain in Beijing so Special?
Mount Miaofeng is a mountain in the northwestern Beijing, an extension of the Taihang Mountains. Mount Miaofeng is culturally significant as a site of worship for the Taoist goddess Bixia Yuanjun also known as the “Heavenly Jade Maiden” who is associated with Mount Tai. Mount Miaofeng is the western terminus of a pilgrimage route from Beijing. The pilgrimage and the temple fair were held during the fourth month of the Chinese lunar calendar.
Where is Miaofeng Mountain in Beijing?
Mount Miaofeng is located in the Mentougou District of Beijing about 70 kilometers to the northwest of downtown Beijing.
How to Get There?
- Take Subway line 1 and get off at Pingguoyuan Station. Get out from Exit A. Take bus M05 (892 Jiangou Branch Line) and get off at the terminal station Jiangou Village. Then visitors can hike along the country road for about 1.5 hours or carpool with others to the entrance of Mt. Miaofeng. The single-trip cost for a car is about CNY 80. M05 departs daily at 09:30, 14:00 and 17:40.
- As there are only three M05 buses daily, visitors who miss M05 can take bus 929 from Pingguoyuan Subway Station and get off at Dingjiatan Station. Then hire a private car to the scenic area.
- From the south square of Beijing West Railway Station, take bus 890 to Dingjiatan and then hire a private car.
Goddess Temple and Temple Fair
Miaofeng Mountain is well known for the old temples on its hilltop, as well as its rock, pine trees and flowers. The most worth visiting is Miao Feng Shan Goddess Temple, or locally called as Niang Niang Miao ( 娘娘庙 ).
The temple was first built in the Liao Dynasty (916-1125), covering an area of 1146 square yards (958 square meters) with the Mountain Gate Palace as the main gate. The main buildings are the linggan hall, the underground storage hall, the Yaowang hall, the Guanyin hall, the matchmaker hall, the God of wealth hall, and the wangsanpo hall. There are five statues of goddess in the hall, among which the Miao goddess, also known as the goddess Bixia, stands in the middle. Three horizontal plaques written by Empress Dowager Cixi (1835-1908) of the Qing Dynasty thanked the goddess Miaofeng and hung in front of the shrine. It is believed that empress Cixi came to this temple to pray for his son emperor Tongzhi, and then he recovered from his illness.
Ancient Pilgrimage Roads
There are five ancient pilgrimage routes, namely Laobei Road, Zhongbei Road, Zhongnan road and Zhongnan Road, which are all concentrated in Jiangkou Village at the foot of Miaofeng Mountain. Along the road, the ruins of tea houses, stone rolls, old gas tanks, cliff stone carvings, etc. are all worth appreciating.
Rose Sea
Peach, rose, Rhododendron and other flowers are in full bloom all the year round, of which the most attractive one is Miaofeng Mountain in Rose Sea, which is the “hometown of roses” in China. Rose Valley there and Kazanlak Rose Valley in Bulgaria are the two largest rose valleys in the world. They have good quality, large flowers, thick petals, deep color and high oil content. When thousands of acres of roses bloom on the mountain, a beautiful and charming rose sea appears.
Every year, Rose Festival is held in June, and Peach Blossom Festival is held from late April to early May.
Useful Travel Tips
- Admission Fee: CNY 40; Free for children under 3.9 feet (1.2m).
- Opening Hours: 8:00 to 17:00
