Climbing Mount Song - Taishi Mountain via Songyang Academy

Taishi Mountain offers three routes to the summit. Following the advice of the local innkeeper's daughter, I chose the Songyang Academy route for its convenient transportation and the opportunity to visit the academy along the way. Initially, I planned to take a bus and transfer to reach Songyang Academy. However, upon reaching the main road from the inn, I discovered a local minibus (¥5) that shuttles between Mount Song and Shaolin Temple, with a confirmed stop at Songyang Academy. I quickly hopped on and arrived in no time. To avoid the academy closing after descending the mountain, I decided to visit Songyang Academy (entrance fee ¥30) first. As one of the four great ancient academies, it was originally a Taoist temple before becoming a Confucian academy during the Song Dynasty. The most remarkable feature of the academy is its two ancient cypress trees, known as the General Cypresses, estimated to be 4,500 years old. These majestic trees are truly awe-inspiring. Exiting Songyang Academy and turning right leads to the mountain trail. On this Sunday, there were quite a few hikers. The initial 2 kilometers involve a gentle stone stair climb to reach the entrance of the Taishi Mountain Scenic Area (entrance fee ¥50). The trail consists entirely of stone steps, with a 3-kilometer ascent requiring over 4,000 steps. Although shaded by trees, the trail offers limited views, with occasional glimpses of mountain peaks at the turns. No wonder online reviews describe the trail as unremarkable except for the summit. After about 3 hours, I reached the highest point, Junji Peak (elevation 1,491.73 meters). I then descended the same way, completing the round trip of approximately 12 kilometers in about 6 hours.