HuaShan Scenic Area Description

By UNESCO(联合国科教文组织)

HuaShan has long been regarded as the most precipitous mountain in China, edged with sheer granite rock face, rugged cliffs and deep valleys. Its pathway is also one of the most treacherous, winding its way two thousand feet high to a narrow ledge on the rockface. In spite of or perhaps because of this inhospitable landscape, HuaShan is rich in flora and fauna. Taoist knows this as the mountain of wealth, and according to tradition, wealth is measured by the diversity of species living on the land. Consequently HuaShan has been worshipped as a site of natural abundance for many centuries, possibly for millennium. The beauty and rich terrain of Huashan is enhanced by its profound historical and cultural significance. It is one of the five Taoist sacred mountains of China. It is a place steeped in legend, where the very rocks are engraved with tales and poems from its long history; where gods are said to have performed magic, where emperors have worshipped and sacrificed; and where forefathers of Taoism have set down their religious legacies. HuaShan is both naturally and culturally a vital national inheritance to China and the world. The range of HuaShan covers an area of 204 square kilometers. This comprises 148 kilometers of protected scenic land and 56 kilometers of peripheral protection area. HuaShan takes its name from the five peaks which, when viewed form afar, resemble a lotus flower. The southern peak is the highest, reaching 2160 meters above sea level. Geographically the area is of rock stratum formation and displays the typical granite faces, which cause its precipitous scenery. There are currently 323 major natural scenic sites in HuaShan. HuaShan began to form about 70 million years ago from granite of the Mesozoic Era. The rock strata and the geographical formation of HuaShan indicate the evolution of the solid earth in the last 300 million years form the late Archean Era to the present geological period. Through analysis of this formation and isotope testing, sufficient evidence has been discovered in the area to reveal its long geological history-for example, the metamorphic rock at the foot of the mountain which is the oldest rock in this area, from the TaiHua group of the late Archean, and the huge granite formed about 220 to 100 million years ago in the five peaks. In front of HuaShan, there is a fault line extending East-West. It separates HuaShan form the Wei River Basin nearby. This fault structure was formed about 100-200 million years ago and not only served as the boundary beyond which HuaShan was lifted and the Wei River Basin subsided, but also explained the present geographical landforms of the mountain. HuaShan is an outstanding example of a well-preserved eco-system. The vegetation has a typical vertical distribution due to the steepness of the mountain. Its diversity has made HuaShan an ideal site for the study and research of biological evolution and the geographical distribution of plants. Its plant species number 1200. The complexity and uniqueness of HuaShan?s environment is very favorable to the differentiation and the development of new species. There are five species endemic to HuaShan and fourteen quasi-unique species. Two species are on the list of plants under first category state protection, and 17 species belong to the second category. There are 474 species of medical plants on HuaShan, and about 200 species of these can easily be collected on the mountain. There are also over 90 species of mutations. HuaShan is an ideal place for the study of plants and soil. Due to the joint landform of granite, the plants on HuaShan show the full process of the evolution from lichen-moss-shrubbery-tress. And the soil illustrates the changes from rock-sand-soil forming parent material-soil. There are a large number of ancient trees on HuaShan. Some of them are very rare and are of considerable value in terms of appreciation of nature. 88 species are treated as either important or endangered and are now under special protection of the mountain management bureau. The joint landform of granite has contributed to the fascinating scenery of trees growing from rock and the rock blossoming with moss on the mountain. HuaShan is inhabited by many species of wild animals.204 species of vertebrate animals have been recorded, belonging to 24 families and 65 orders. These include over 83 species of animals traditionally associated with Chinese medicine. There are122 species of birds, form 14 families and 36 orders, 52 types of mammals from 5 families and 17 orders, 20 species of amphibious reptiles, 9 species of fish and over 1500 species of insects belonging to about 20 families. 123 rare and valuable species have been recorded, including 3 on the list of first category state protection and 20 in the second category and one protected at Provincial level. There are also 15 species protected from trade by the Convention of International Trade for Endangered Species (CITES) 5listed in the first category and 10 in the second. HuaShan is also home to a particular subspecies of the Chinese tiger butterfly, considered of great academic importance. HuaShan has also been an important cultural site for thousands of years. The area around HuaShan is one of the key regions where Chinese civilisation began. It was a place of sacrifice from the earliest times, and as the nearby city Xi'an was made capital to 13 dynasties in Chinese history, it was the main site of sacrifice for most Chinese emperors who wanted to lessen the hardships of travelling. In the spring and autumn and Warring States periods (770-221BC) many kingdoms fought for control of this mountain, and after the unification of the country, the First Emperor Qinshihuangdi made HuaShan the sacrificial site of the state. Ever since then, HuaShan was not treated as the symbol of the God, but also represented imperial power in the eyes of Chinese people. Legends say that the Chinese Ancestors ?the Yellow Emperor, the emperor Yao and Yu-had once climbed HuaShan on a pilgrimage. The Emperor Xuandi in the West Han dynasty made it a rule to undertake regular pilgrimage to the five Taoist Mountains and this practice was continued until the late Qing dynasty. Archaeological excavations have revealed seven sites belonging to prehistory, and eight from the Xia, Shang, Zhou, Qin and the Han periods. The remains of the great wall of the Wei State and the bacon tower on this site are 145 years older than the Great Wall of Qin period. Within the HuaShan Scenic Area, two historical sites are under state protection, namely the great wall of the Wei State and the Western Mountain temple; three sites are under provincial protection. The total number of cultural relics amount to 1500 sets and pieces. HuaShan has over 300 pieces of stone tablets and about 570 rock inscriptions. The tradition of making stone tablets began to appear in the second century, and the carving of inscriptions on the rock started in the Song Dynasty approximately 1000 years ago. The stone tablet carved with the name of Western Mountain temple, inscribed in 165, is regarded as the No 1 piece in the Chinese official writing system. This piece is now a state treasure. The tablet cared with the same name by the Emperor of the Tang dynasty in 724 is the largest piece of this art in China. There are also many works of the most famous Chinese calligraphers and painters in Chinese history. HuaShan houses some relatively large Chinese ancient buildings and their remains. They are good examples for research and study of the history of Taoism, the art of Chinese ancient architecture and the art of Taoist architecture. The Western Mountain temple, first built in the spring and autumn period, is the largest one in this area. The temple covers an area of 12000 square meters and is one of the biggest and earliest temples for sacrifice in mountain areas. It was built according to the scale of the second category of the imperial architecture. The outlook of this temple resembles the Forbidden City and was also called the Forbidden City in the Shanxi Province. The Jade Spring temple built about 1000 years ago, the Dong Tao temple and the Qinke temple built 1549 are good examples for the research of Chinese Taoism and Taoist architecture. Nowadays three Taoist temples in HuaShan have been listed as nationally famous Taoist temples, namely the Jade Spring temple, the Zhenyue Palace temple and the Dongdao temple. So far HuaShan has listed over 120 ancient architectures, including the temples, pavilions and caves. HuaShan is increasingly well known all over the world for its profound Taoist culture. Records show that Taoist activities began to appear on HuaShan about 1800 years ago in the late East Han dynasty. After that many Taoists flocked here to pursue the Taoism. HuaShan is unique amongst the five great Taoist Mountains in that it is the only absolutely pure Taoist Mountain, free from the intrusion and presence of any other religions. Among the great Taoists associated with HuaShan is Mr. Chenchuan in the northern Song dynasty. He created a profound tradition of internal Alchemy and is honored as one of the Taoist Ancestors. He carved the diagram of the ultimateness into the rock face near where he medicated on the Inner Alchemy. The current president of China Taoism Association Mr. Min Zhitin started his Taoism training in HuaShan and was based here for several decades. Across the whole mountain are scattered 72 caves and 21 remains of Taoist buildings. The caves are the ideal places for the Taoists to meditate since they are completely inaccessible to ordinary people. Taoism believes that the tranquility is an essential prerequisite to the exploration of the Tao. Taoists in HuaShan have made great contributions to the Taoist development. Through their great efforts, a new and independent Taoist sect ---the HuaShan sect was formed. Generally, the Taoism is composed of the QuanZheng and Zhenyi; two major sects, The HuaShan sect is subordinate to the QuanZhen sect.

英文版

联合国科教文组织--华山景区地质介绍

华山自古以来就被认为是中国最险峻的山峰，以峻峭的山崖和深谷而闻名。它的道路也以危险著称，曲折直上2千多米高的山峰。也许由于这种不利的自然条件，华山才会拥有丰富的动植物资源。道士们知道这就是财富之山，根据传统，财富是以生活在这片土地上的生物多样性来衡量的。因此华山数千年来一直被认为是自然界的宝库而备受崇拜。

华山的美丽和丰富地貌也因它文化和历史的厚重而更加有名。它是中国著名的五岳之一，它是一个沉浸于传奇中的地方。它的岩石上都镌刻上了漫长历史的传说和诗歌，那里到处充满神的奇迹，皇帝的祭祀以及道教祖师开创宗教的传奇。

华山在文化和自然方面都是中国和世界的一个重要遗产，华山方圆204平方公里，包括148平方公里的风景区和56公里的外围保护区。华山得名于从远处看犹如莲花盛开的五峰，南峰最高，海拔2154.9米。地质上来说，华山呈典型的花岗岩发育，因而看起来很险峻，目前华山有323个主要自然景点。华山是由7千万年前的中世代花岗岩开始形成的，华山的岩石层和地理组成反映了3亿年来从太古代到新生代地球的演化，通过对这种结构和同位素的分析，发现了足够的证据去揭示它漫长的地质历史。例如，山脚下的岩石是这个地区最古老的岩石，五座主峰的花岗岩形成于1千万年到2千万年以前。在华山前面，有一个由东向西的断层，它把华山和附近的渭河平原分开，这个断层形成于1千万年到2千200万年以前。不但是华山擡升和渭河平原沉降的分界线，而且可以解释现在华山的地貌结构。

华山是一个生态系统受到良好保护的典型例证，由于山势陡峭，植被呈典型垂直分布，它的多样性使华山成为研究和学习生物演化和植物地理分布的理想场所。它的植物种类超过1，200余种，华山环境的复杂性和独特性特别有益于新物种的变异和发展，有5个物种是当地特有的，2个物种属于国家一类保护范围，17个物种属国家二级保护范围。华山上有474种药用植物，200多种可在华山很容易采集，也有90个植物变种。华山是研究植物和土壤的理想场所，由于花岗岩的综合地形结构，华山上的植物呈现地衣——苔藓——灌木——树木的完整演化过程，土壤也是呈石头——沙子——土壤的变化。华山上有一大批古树，有的相对珍稀，从自然的角度看很有价值，88个重要濒危物种列入当地管理部门的特别保护之中。花岗岩的共同地形使生长在岩石上的树木和苔藓分外美丽。华山上也有很多野生动物，记载有204种脊柱动物，属于24科和65目，83种动物和中医药有关，有122种鸟类，分属14科和36目，分属于5科和17目的52种哺乳动物，24种的两栖爬行动物，9种鱼类和分属20科的超过1，500种的昆虫，123种珍稀物种被记录在案，3种在国家一级保护名录之内，20种在二级保护名录之内，一种在省级保护名录之内，15种列入联合国濒危物种大会禁止贸易的范围之内。华山也是中华虎蝶的一个特别亚属品种的家园，被认为有重大的学术重要性。

华山也是一个延续数千年的文化场所，华山周围地区是中华文明发源的重要地区，它很早就是一个祭祀场所，附近的城市西安在中国历史上曾作为13朝古都，许多中国皇帝为了免去旅途劳累，就把华山作为祭神的场所。在春秋战国，许多诸侯国为了占据此山而发生战争，国家一统后，秦始皇把华山作为国家祭祀的场所。从此之后，华山在普通中国人心里不但是神灵的象征，而且兼有皇权的威严。传说中中国人的先祖黄帝、尧和舜都曾拜祭华山，西汉宣帝把祭祀五岳当成了一项制度，并延续至晚清，考古发现华山有7处地方属于史前文明，8处地方分别属于夏、商、周、秦和汉代，魏长城遗址和烽火台比秦长城还早145年。在华山风景区内，有两处国家级历史遗址，分别是魏长城和西岳庙，三处遗址属省级保护范围，文化遗存的数目达1，500余个，华山共有300个石碑和570个石刻，制作石碑的传统始于公元二世纪，岩石上刻字则始于大约1千年前的宋代。刻有西岳庙名字的一则石碑铭刻于公元165年，被认为是中国官方书写系统的第一则石碑。这则石碑现在被认为是国家珍宝。建于公元724年唐朝的一通石碑则是中国石碑中最大的一个，这里也有中国历史上最著名的书法家和画家，华山有相当多的古代建筑遗存，他们是研究中国道家历史、中国古代建筑和中国道教建筑的很好例子。

初建于西汉的西岳庙是这个地区最大的建筑，规格仅次于皇宫，它的外观很像北京故宫，因而又被称为陕西小故宫。玉泉院建于公元1千年前，东道院和青柯院建于公元1549年，都是研究中国道教和道教建筑的很好例子。现在华山有三座道教宫观是全国著名道观，分别是玉泉院、镇岳宫和东道院。华山目前一共有120个古代建筑，包括寺院、亭子和岩洞。华山也因深厚的道教文化而在世界上越来越有名，记录表明1，800年前东汉末年华山就有了道教活动，自那以后很多道士来华山研习道教。华山在五岳之中也很独特，它是一座纯道教名山，没有其他宗教的侵入和存在。和华山有关的最著名的道士当属北宋的陈抟，他创造了深厚的内在修炼术，被认为是道教的祖师之一，他在修炼地方的石头上刻画了无极图。当前中国道教协会主席闵智亭就是在华山学习道教，并在此修行数十年。整个华山有72个洞窟和21个道教建筑遗址，这些洞窟是道士修行的理想场所，因为它们对常人来说是难以到达的，道士们认为宁静是修炼道教的先决条件。华山道士对道教的发展做出了重大的贡献，由于他们的努力，一个新的、独立的道教分支——华山派形成了，一般来说，道教有全真派和正一派两大分支，华山派则从属于全真派。（翻译自联合国教科文组织官网）