Mount Wutai

Mount Wutai stands in the north-east corner of Wutai County, in eastern Xinzhou, where the Qingshui River rises. It is not one peak but a group of summits on what is called the roof of North China, spread across a scenic area of 2,837 square kilometres. Five peaks ring the whole region: Wanghai in the east, Jinxiu in the south, Cuiyan in the centre, Guayue in the west and Yedou in the north. Their tops are bare of trees and level enough to look like platforms stacked from earth, which gave the mountain its name. The north peak is the highest at 3,058 metres. Forty-seven monasteries survive, thirty-nine inside the peaks and eight outside.