The ancient Songshan Mountain is said to gain heights from 3.6 billion years ago and can be called the ancestor of mountains. It has the geological wonders of “A Family with Five Generations” and is known as the “Natural Museum of Geology” and “Encyclopedia of Geosciences”. It is home to the Three Towers in Han Dynasty, oldest buildings constructed according to the ritual system of the Han Dynasty in China, Shaolin Temple, the ancestral hall of Buddhist Zen, Zhongyue Temple, the origin of Taoism, Songyang Academy, one of the four major academies of the Song Dynasty, Songyue Temple Tower, the earliest brick tower in China, and Guanxingtai China ’s oldest and most well-preserved astronomical building. This place is full of cultural relics and profound significance where Buddhist, Taoism, and Confucianism gather together.

Viewing from the tectonic structure, Songshan Mountain is located on the southern margin of North China Paleocontinent. In the park, the strata of the five periods of geological history including Archean, Proterozoic, Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic have been continuously and completely exposed, which has been formed for 3.5 billion years. The geological sequence is clear and typical, which is called “A Family with Five Generations” by the geological community. It is actually a complete stone history book of the earth. Yuzhaishan Mountain, Junji Peak, Wuzhiling, Jianshan Mountain, etc., constituting the main peak of ​​Songshan Mountain, are mostly composed of quartzite, and due to tectonic movement, the peaks stand up at a height of 400m, rising abruptly out of the ground. Cliffy and picturesque landscapes spread all over this area, forming unique terrain and landforms.

Shaolin Temple Scenic Area
Unparalleled Buddhist Monastery Around the World & The Holy Land of Kung Fu
Songshan Shaolin Scenic Area is a world-renowned tourist resort and the first batch of 5A-level scenic spots announced by the National Tourism Administration. The scenic area is rich in cultural landscapes and unique natural scenery. Humanity attractions are concentrated within 2.18 square kilometers of the core area in ​​the scenic spot. It includes the  ancestral hall of Buddhist Zen, the “Unparalleled Buddhist Monastery around the World” and Shaolin Temple, the birthplace of Shaolin martial arts. Also, there are the largest tower forest, the earliest Shaoshi Towers that has been well preserved in China, Kung Fu Center, Bodhidharma Cave, Chu Zu An, Er Zu An, Shifang Temple, Ganlutai and other attractions. The natural sceneries gather in Sanhuangzhai in the Shaoshishan Mountain, integrating the three famous orogenic movements of “Songyang, Zhongyue, Shaolin” during the Precambrian period. It is the best viewing place in Songshan Global Geopark. There are more than 40 attractions, including Monkeys Watching the Sky, Tiger Roaring at Yunfeng Peak, Yuzhai Sunset, Shaoshi Autumn.

Songyang Scenic Area
The First of the Four Academies of the Northern Song Dynasty & the Birthplace of Confucian School of Idealist Philosophy of the Song Dynasty

Songyang Academy was founded in the Taihe 8th year of the Northern Wei Dynasty (484 AD). It was a place for Buddhist activities at the time and was named Songyang Temple. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it became a place for Taoist activities where Emperor Gaozong and Empress Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty lived here for twice during their imperial tours. During the Northern Song Dynasty, it became a famous place for education. Some famous scholars, such as Fan Zhongyan, Cheng Yi, Cheng Hao and Sima Guang, had given lectures here. Part of Sima Guang’s historical masterpiece History As A Mirror was completed in this academy. These lectures made Songyang Academy not only the first of the four famous academies of the Northern Song Dynasty, but also one of the birthplaces for Confucian School of Idealist Philosophy of the Song Dynasty.

Zhongyue Scenic Area
The most complete and well-preserved historical complex among the Five Mountains

The ritual complex consisting of Taishi Temple and Zhongyue Temple has unparalleled historical value. It is not only a paradigm with excellent spatial arrangement among all ancient Chinese temples, but also a historical witness of ancient people’s awe towards mountains. The ritual building in Zhongyue influenced the formation of that in other four mountains in China. Zhongyue Temple is the most complete and largest building complex in the five mountains, and basically retains the structure after the repair during the Qing Dynasty. In the temple, there are 39 building including halls, palaces, towers and pavilions, totaling nearly 400 rooms. Taishi Towers is located on the central axis more than 600 meters south of Tianzhong Pavilion in Zhongyue Temple and is the Shendao Temple of Taishici, the predecessor of Zhongyue Temple, which is built by Lyu Chang, Governor of Yangcheng. Taishi Towers is collectively called as the Three Towers in Han Dynasty together with Shaoshi Towers and Qimu Towers.