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MOUNT SONG

June 26, 2016 By Howard Kramer Leave a Comment

China (1,500 m) – One of the Five Sacred Mountains of China (central)

Mount Song is midmost of the Five Sacred Peaks and is also known as the “Great Central Mountain”.  Despite is central location in Henan Province, it is one of the less prominent of the sacred peaks, and surprisingly isolated, at least compared to Mount Tai.  It is sacred to both Taoists and Buddhists, and is held to be the birthplace of Zen Buddhism.

According to tradition, Batuo, a monk from India, arrived around the year 464 AD and introduced Buddhism to India.  He founded the now world famous Shaolin Monastery, where Zen Buddhism was practiced.  In later centuries it became renowned for the introduction of China’s definitive martial art, Kung Fu.  After surviving periods of destruction and reconstruction, and suppression under the Communists, the Shaolin Monastery is once again active, and considered one of China’s most beloved religious sites.

Mount Song, located approximately forty miles from Zhengzhou, is both accessible and isolated at the same time.  The nearest major city, Xi’an, is 200 miles to the west.  Nevertheless Song attracts swarms of visitors from around the world, especially martial artists, many of whom revere the Shaolin Monastery as an important pilgrimage destination.  The monastery now largely survives off of contributions from around the world.

Filed Under: Asian, Mountain, Taoist/Daoist Tagged With: China

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About Howard Kramer

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is a culmination of years of his work and passion.

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Welcome to The Complete Pilgrim(TM)! This site, created by Howard Kramer, is a combination travel blog and online guide to the world's greatest sites of religious interest (with some historic and recreational places thrown in for good measure). All written content has been originally researched and produced and is provided free for public research and enjoyment. Thank you for visiting!

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Where would you like to go?

Africa (North) Africa (Sub-Sahara) Arabia Armenia/Azerbaijan/Georgia Australia/Pacific Austria/Switzerland Balkans Belgium/Netherlands British Isles Canada Caribbean Central Asia China Czech Republic Egypt France Germany Greece Hungary/Romania/Bulgaria India (NE)/Nepal India (NW) India (South)/Sri Lanka Iran/Iraq Israel Italy/Malta Japan/Korea Latin America Mexico Palestine Poland/Lithuania Russia Scandinavia Southeast Asia Spain/Portugal Syria/Jordan/Lebanon Turkey/Cyprus Ukraine US-California US-Mid Atlantic US-Midwest US-New England US-New York US-Pacific Northwest US-South US-Southwest

Contact Us

Have a comment, a great photo or a religious site you'd like to nominate for the weekly spotlight? We would love to hear from you. Email us at hkramer@thecompletepilgrim.com.

About the Author

Howard Kramer is the creator and author of The Complete Pilgrim. He first took an interest in religious sites in his early twenties when traveling through Italy after college. In the two decades since he has traveled to more than two dozen countries and almost every state, visiting and photographing hundreds of the world’s greatest churches, synagogues and other places of religious interest. Howard has been writing about religious sites for the better part of the last decade, and The Complete Pilgrim is the culmination of years of his work and passion.

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